GLORYFUL - End Of The Night
August 17, 2016, 7 years ago
(Massacre)
Third full-length for German metal outfit that's somewhere between traditional (in its best moments, think Majesty/Manowar) and third division Teutonic power metal. The speedy “This Means War” kicks things off on the right note. Tongue firmly in cheek “(We Are) The Glorriors” is a brothers in arms call to battle, not unlike “Hail To The King”, which is just missing a hail & kill chant to remind people of upstate New York. However, the acoustic, tambourine/violin accompanied title track has a folky, Celtic sea chantey feel about it.
Wayward appearance of keyboard flourishes on “For Victory”. Not sure about the wisdom of a slow to mid-paced gallop for a tune called “On Fire”, but the nine tracks end, much as they began, with a spirited “Rise Of The Sacred Star”. Their location (in the German metal hotbed) obviously helped secure a label deal, but if these guys were in North America, they'd be struggling for recognition. Nothing bad, just nothing inherently compelling to hear, either, beyond the Man-o-worship.