– Hi, thanks for your time. What are you currently up to? How is everything doing right now with GLORYHAMMER?

Ben Turk (drummer): Well, we’re just enjoying finally being able to show people what we’ve been working on for all this time! It’s very exciting for us, we’ve been waiting for so long to put this out.

– First off, as you have just released your debut album, I guess there may be some people that aren’t familiar with you yet so; could you please share some history of the band?

Ben: The band originally started in 2009 I think…Chris (Bowes, keyboards) and some of the guys from Alestorm were joking about a fantasy album set in Fife and coming up with silly song titles like ‘The Unicorn Invasion of Dundee’, and then Chris decided to write a load of songs and it turned into a real album. Then over the next couple of years the rest of us got involved and it turned into a real band as well!

 

– As I said, you have just released your first album, entitled «Tales from the Kingdom of Fife» so, what are your expectations on it? And how is its feedback being so far?

Ben: The reviews have generaly been very positive. People appreciate both the diversity of it and also the enthusiasm.

 

– Getting a bit deeper into this new release; what’s the main theme behind the lyrics on it?

Ben: They tell the story of the hero Angus McFife, who must defeat the evil wizard Zargothrax and win back the Kingdom of Fife. And rescue the princess, of course.

 

– And where do you take inspiration from to create them? Fantasy, literature, real experiences…?

Ben: The story is just basic archetypal fantasy stuff, but with the massive twist that it’s all set in Fife, Scotland, which is a very unlikely setting for an epic fantasy saga. Also, Rhapsody (of Fire) lyrics were a big influence.

 

– Without any doubt, the album is a true masterpice with a high dose of symphony that make of several songs true hymns. Do you think unleashing such a superb debut album will make you feel more pressure with your future records?

Ben: I don’t know…while making this album we were still trying to decide what the band should sound like, so I think in future we’ll be better prepared and there’ll certainly be less time pressure.

 

– The album is really diverse, though having the trademark of the overall symphony I mentioned, there are really heavy tunes, balads, fast songs so, is this diversity something important for the band? Is it a way to keep things fresh?

Ben: We definitely want to keep things fresh and different, in fact that’s one of the most important aspects of the band. We want to keep it interesting while still making it accessible to anyone, not just power metal fans.

 

– In fact «The Epic Rage of Furious Thunder» reflects the aforementioned quite good. I personally think is a pretty fair representation of the whole effort in just one songs. Did you want to feature a song like this, that contained all the elements you use? Or did it just come out naturally?

Ben: I think Chris always wanted to have examples of the typical power metal song types, so an epic 10-minute song to finish the album was essential!

 

– It also caught my attention despite the twists and changes on your songs, everything sounds pretty straight-forward and honest, so this makes me wonder how was the songwriting process like.

Ben: Well, Chris was the main songwriter for this album, and when we joined the band most of the album was written already, it was just a question of filling in the gaps…I wrote Beneath Cowdenbeath, part of Angus McFife and rewrote most of Silent Tears of Frozen Princess, and Thomas (Winkler, vocals) wrote lyrics for the parts where Chris hadn’t already written them, but apart from that and the orchestral parts Chris basically did everything!

 

– As I said, you mix different elements, but also nuances from different music styles I’d dare say. Due to this, if you don’t mind, I would like you to tell us what are some of the most influential bands for GLORYHAMMER.

Ben: I think Rhapsody is the biggest one overall, so much of what we do is based on them in some way. Chris is a big Bal-Sagoth fan so that always influences things somehow. Besides that we’re interested in a pretty diverse range of music, there’s a lot of old-school metal in there as well as some very modern stuff, and obviously classical and film music for the orchestral parts.

 

– The album was mixed at LSD Studios, and I think you’ve managed to get a perfect symbiosis between epicness, melody and the powerful Power Metal side. Are you satisfied wih the final outcome I guess?

Ben: Yeah, it sounds very impressive. I think it’s quite a unique sound for a power metal album. With so many elements to fit in there has to be an element of compromise, but I think the end result is very good.

 

– Due to the diversity is really hard to describe the album, the best way is listening to it but, if you would have to explain what are we going to find on it and encourage us to check it out; how could you do it? What are you offering other bands don’t?

Ben: All the different flavours of power metal rolled into one, with memorable tunes, epic orchestral arrangements and lots of fun.

 

– You have already done a video for «Angus McFife». Could you please tell us how did the whole process go?

Ben: It was a great experience for us, the director was easy to work with, the crew were very professional and the location was awesome. The only small downside was that it was really cold!

 

– And all this about «Tales from the Kingdom of Fife» being said; how could you describe it in just 3 words?

Ben: Epic, fun and…concise.

 

– Finally, what are your near-future plans?

Ben: Live shows will be the next thing. We’re really looking forward to doing some gigs.

 

– That’s all, thank you once more for answering our questions. If you want to add some final words; feel free to do it.

Ben: Quest complete!

 

Sergio Fernández

sergio@queensofsteel.com

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