Returning once more to finish off the greatest threat that the universe has ever known, the mighty cosmic warriors GLORYHAMMER are back with what could easily be called the best fucking power metal album of all time. “Legends from Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex” has everything that you could desire in a power metal record, and then some. This, in all sincerity, is a work of cosmic proportions.
“Legends from Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex” (that just rolls right off the tongue, doesn’t it?) continues the chronicles of Angus McFife that began with 2013’s “Tales from the Kingdom of Fife”. As such, you can safely expect some of the cheesiest, bullshit fantasy lyrics you’ve ever heard, complete with fictitious Latin. Furthermore, you can even expect to get invested in the story, and maybe even end up feeling something if, gods forbid, a tragic turn were to happen along the way.
But, a story like this gets nowhere if the surrounding music isn’t as pumped-up and fantastical as its content. Never fear, though, because there’s enough cheese in this album to give you severe indigestion until the next ridiculous power metal gem surfaces (which, in case you didn’t get that, is the perfect amount). Aside from the crispy-clear mixing, powerful melodies, and dynamic songs, the musicianship is flawless.
The synths, while not overblown, are ever-present in the background and also carry some seriously bumpin’ melodies, not the least of which is found in ‘Hootsforce’. There’s crunchy, hard riffage throughout the album’s entirety and the heroic pipes of Angus McFife break the air like a supersonic death beam. The earth-shaking drums and bass bring the whole group together into a formidably fearsome fighting force.
While every track on this album is simply excellent, I do find a favourite in the final track, ‘The Fires of Ancient Cosmic Destiny’. Following in like fashion with GLORYHAMMER’s other two albums, this lengthy epic concludes the album with a stellar supernova, delivering despair, hope, victory, and tragedy all within its twelve minutes before finishing off with a mysterious and foreboding transmission.
It should be pretty clear by now that this album kicks all evil space ass. There hasn’t been a true power metal album that has made this much of an impact on me in too long a time and it’s likely it’ll be another while until the genre spits out something like this again. “Legends from Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex” not only satiates my incessant thirst for epic and energetic metal, but asserts itself to fans of the genre as a pure, perfect album.
Originally written by Kane for powerthorn.com.
