Well, I guess for this one you need to leave your cheese filter at home and just let the record engulf you in its gluey embrace. This – thing is so smothered in various types of smelly goo, even the nerdiest of fantasy nerds will have trouble stomaching the new Angus McSix epos going by the ungainly title of Angus McSix and the Sword of Power.1 So, brace yourselves, a new fat slice of Gloryhammer dumbfoolery is heading your way. Merciless space lore with a Scottish flavor, filled with armed dinosaurs, fireflies of doom, and Sixcalibur, the mighty sword of the master of the universe. Sigh. Help me, oh mischievous Loki, the all-powerful cheeselords are on my six here.
Oh wait, what? Rewind!
Ah, yes, I forgot. This ain’t Chris Bowes‘ merry men chasing goblins in space. It’s their unceremoniously fired prodigal son Thomas Winkler in his new incarnation, brand new band included. And as is his wont, outrageous and often outrageously catchy Power Metal is – yet again – on the menu. After all, this genre has largely been his bread and butter over his musical career so far. So with themes that similar, the RMR crew debated for some time if this new record was some revenge porn of sorts. Or a genuine attempt to build a new sugary universe. Well, time will probably tell.
But fear naught, there is nonetheless some distance between the acolytes of Dundee and our friend Angus here. Sword of Power gets you more of a crazed mix of Nanowar of Steel and Amaranthe. And whilst the theme blatantly hunts in similar terrain as the aforementioned unicorns in space, the band’s style leans more into the dreaded Pop Metal territory than is good for it. This here space dinosaur navigates right at the edge of the poppy abyss it must never fall into.2 Let’s just hope they keep clear of that and keep hunting the cosmic cousin of King Arthur’s preferred weapon somewhere in the galaxy. Feisty as ever.
Now, this whole sword-heavy industry sails high on Winkler‘s mighty five-octave range. As Power Metal goes, he’s – without a doubt – one of the best voices out there. That Angus McSix slammed all the belted goodness onto a platform of somewhat generic Power Metal is a pity, though. It does take a lot of the fun out of all that questing about the galaxy.
Also, some tracks already have the ‘live crowd, scream here’ labels built into them. And that’s never a good thing. Need examples? Sixcalibur and Starlord of the Sixtus Stellar System are just two of them. The latter sounds like AC/DC from outer space with its typical guitar intro and the ceaseless ‘Angus’ screams.3 That they have to inject the voice of the cheese space lord into this mayhem just slams some more whipped cream on top of that cheese pile. On the other hand, Starlord of the Sixtus Stellar System is also the catchiest of their songs. And live performances will just cook off on that track.
Angus McSix and the Sword of Power serves us with a mixed bag of goodies, and we are somewhat conflicted. At first sight, there’s not a helluva lot of difference compared with Winkler‘s former space endeavors. And that is a sad affair. But then, Winkler is a powerhouse unto itself, and the Fantasy Metal truly is formidable, potent, and full of glitzy objects you might want to revisit.
Thus, whilst the record often is annoying, over-the-top, and outrageously overwrought, you get stellar and bubbly Power Metal that will just incite you to sing along. An embed in a solid storyline that will pull you along a galaxy full of sticky gunk, crazed dinosaurs, and laser beams, want it or not. Besides, the infectious energy and a cheese-fueled sugar high will ensure that you won’t hit stop until the master of the universe says so.
But for the next installment, less Gloryhammer4 and more genuine, freshly minted Angus McSix would be preferable. You cannot just rely on the Goblins from Dundee to fashion your product and then run piggyback on it. But for this time, yer sins shall be forgiven. It’s a fun record after all. And it will be like every time such a record airs in the metal multiverse. The geeky adepts of fantasy and the metal of the light will lustily devour it. Whereas the hairy beasts of the metal underground will despise the piece like the devil the holy water. Take your pick.
Now, where is that Anaal Nathrakh anti-cheese medication? We need some brutal metal ear wash to get rid of that sweetish, gooey feeling.
Record Rating: 6/10 | Label: Napalm Records | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 21 April 2023
- This is a blogger’s wet dream. Write the name of the piece 10 times, wordcount’s groovy, and your review is done.-↩
- A second Amaranthe might not sit well over here. -Ed.-↩
- As in Angus Young? Truly sounds like a tribute to the Australian Hard Rockers. -Ed.-↩
- We’re still nursing a hangover over here from their last piece.-↩