''Tales from the Kingdom of Fife'' is the debut album by Anglo-Swiss

symphonic power metal Symphonic metal is a cross-generic style designation for the symphonic subsets of heavy metal music subgenres. It is used to denote any metal band that makes use of symphonic or orchestral elements. The style features the heavy drums and guitar ...

band

Gloryhammer Gloryhammer (often stylized in all capital letters as GLORYHAMMER) is a British power metal band founded by keyboardist Christopher Bowes, lead vocalist of the band Alestorm. Each member of the band represents a character in the story concept. ...

. It was released on 29 March 2013 in Europe.

Story

In a fantasy version of 10th-century

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, as previously foretold (“Anstruther’s Dark Prophecy”), the evil wizard Zargothrax invades and conquers

Dundee Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...

with an army of corrupted undead

unicorn The unicorn is a legendary creature that has been described since antiquity as a beast with a single large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead. In European literature and art, the unicorn has for the last thousand years o ...

s (“The Unicorn Invasion of Dundee”), kidnapping the princess Iona McDougall. The prince of the Kingdom of Fife, Angus McFife, swears revenge (“Angus McFife”); in a dream, he has a vision of three artifacts that will allow him to defeat Zargothrax, and sets off on a quest to acquire them. McFife first battles north to obtain a magical war hammer (“Quest for the Hammer of Glory,”) then travels to

Strathclyde Strathclyde ( in Gaelic, meaning "strath (valley) of the River Clyde") was one of nine former local government regions of Scotland created in 1975 by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 and abolished in 1996 by the Local Government et ...

to acquire a golden

dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

as his steed (“Magic Dragon”). Inspired by memories of McDougall, who is imprisoned by Zargothrax in a prison of ice (“Silent Tears of Frozen Princess,”) McFife rides his dragon to

Loch Rannoch Loch Rannoch (Scottish Gaelic: ''Loch Raineach'') is a freshwater loch in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It is over long in a west–east direction with an average width of about , and is deepest at its eastern end, reaching a depth of .Tom Weir. ...

and retrieves the Amulet of Justice from its depths (“Amulet of Justice”), completing his quest for the three artifacts. Allying with the powerful Knights of

Crail Crail (); gd, Cathair Aile) is a former royal burgh, parish and community council area (Royal Burgh of Crail and District) in the East Neuk of Fife, Scotland. The locality has an estimated population of 1,630 (2018). Etymology The name ''C ...

(“Hail to Crail”), McFife travels through

Cowdenbeath Cowdenbeath (; sco, Coudenbeith) is a town and burgh in west Fife, Scotland. It is north-east of Dunfermline and north of the capital, Edinburgh. The town grew up around the extensive coalfields of the area and became a police burgh in 18 ...

(“Beneath Cowdenbeath”) to confront Zargothrax in his stronghold. As the Knights battle the wizard’s forces in the fields of

Dunfermline Dunfermline (; sco, Dunfaurlin, gd, Dùn Phàrlain) is a city, parish and former Royal Burgh, in Fife, Scotland, on high ground from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. The city currently has an estimated population of 58,508. Accord ...

, McFife and the Barbarian Warrior of

Unst Unst (; sco, Unst; nrn, Ønst) is one of the North Isles of the Shetland Islands, Scotland. It is the northernmost of the inhabited British Isles and is the third-largest island in Shetland after Mainland and Yell. It has an area of . Unst ...

sneak into the castle through dwarven tunnels, aided by the hermit Ralathor (“The Epic Rage of Furious Thunder”). Meeting Zargothrax in single combat, McFife defeats the wizard and casts him into a frozen pool of “ liquid ice.” He then uses the Amulet of Justice to free the princess and the unicorns, restoring balance to the Kingdom of Fife.

Track listing

All music and lyrics by

Personnel

;Gloryhammer * Angus McFife XIII (

Thomas Winkler Thomas Laszlo Winkler (born 20 November 1985) is a Swiss heavy metal singer, lawyer, and notary. He is most famous for being the former vocalist of symphonic power metal band Gloryhammer from 2011 to 2021, playing the roles of "Angus McFife, Pr ...

) –

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

* Ser Proletius (Paul Templing) –

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

s, choir vocals * Zargothrax (Christopher Bowes) –

keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

s, choir vocals * The Hootsman (James Cartwright) –

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

, choir vocals * Ralathor (Ben Turk) –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

, choir vocals, orchestral arrangements ;Additional musicians * Marie Lorey – female vocals * Dominic Sewell Community Choir – voices * Brendan Casey – choir vocals ;Production * Lasse Lammert – production, engineering, mixing, mastering, choir vocals * Dan Goldsworthy – artwork, layout * Steve Brown – photography * Amy Turk – orchestral arrangements

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2013 debut albums Napalm Records albums Gloryhammer albums