Music / Gloryhammer

In the distant future of the year 1992: War has returned to the galaxy!

Glory! Hammer! Wielding steel that is true!
Glory! Hammer! Since 1992!

Gloryhammer are an Affectionate Parody of Power Metal, created by the vocalist of Alestorm, Chris Bowes. In this band, he originally played the keyboards and the voice of evil sorcerer Zargothrax^note until he stepped down to keep his commitments to Alestorm from interfering with Gloryhammer. They decided to do the usual Heavy Mithril Power Metal fare, but set it in Scotland so they didn't have to make up place names. The first two albums, Tales from the Kingdom of Fife and Space 1992: Rise of the Chaos Wizards have been concept albums, with the second one being the first one Recycled In Space. The third album, Legends from Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex, is a direct sequel to the second that takes place in an alternate universe. The fourth album, Return to the Kingdom of Fife, takes place in another alternate universe where the Kingdom of Fife has been destroyed and has become a nuclear wasteland.

In ancient times, the evil wizard Zargothrax unleashed a wave of darkness over the glorious kingdom of Fife. However, the prince Angus McFife, a noble and true warrior with a heart of steel, survived the assault. Angus declared it his personal mission to get revenge for his kingdom, seeking out the Hammer of Glory, an ancient and powerful weapon capable of defeating even immortal beings. With the Hammer and an army of just warriors, Angus McFife defeated Zargothrax in an epic battle, freezing him in ice.

One thousand years later, Angus McFife XIII carries on the proud legacy of his kin as the fair and just ruler of the galaxy. One day, Angus McFife XIII learns that Zargothrax has been freed from his prison by chaos wizards. Zargothrax attempts to summon Kor-Virliath, a god of the 18th Hell Dimension, to destroy the universe. Meanwhile, Angus McFife XIII gathers his own army, including the Hootsman, the King of California and a fearsome warrior. The two armies clash in space, but Zargothrax defeats the forces of justice. Just as Kor-Virliath is about to be summoned, the Hootsman detonates his nuclear heart, destroying the planet Earth and creating a terrorvortex wormhole. Zargothrax enters the wormhole, and Angus McFife XIII follows.

Upon arriving in the space behind the wormhole, Angus McFife XIII finds that he's traveled to an alternate past where Zargothrax has conquered Dundee, reforging it into his own dark kingdom. Also, to the horror of Angus McFife XIII, the Hammer of Glory no longer has any effect on Zargothrax. Now, the valiant hero must recharge his ancient weapon and gather a force to finally defeat the dark sorcerer once and for all.

Following Legends from Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex, vocalist Thomas Winkler was suddenly kicked out of the band in August 2021 following a behind-the-scenes dispute. Return to the Kingdom of Fife, features a new singer to portray Angus McFife: Sozos Michael of Planeswalker and Eons Enthroned and formerly of Helion Prime. Winkler went on to found the very similar band Angus McSix.

Return to the Kingdom of Fife opens with the nuclear destruction of Dundee and death of Angus McFife I by Zargothrax's clone and now Angus McFife II must journey through the nuclear wasteland of the Imperium Dundaxia to gather his scattered allies, avenge his father and save the Kingdom of Fife once more.

Current members:

• Christopher Bowes^{note 2010-present} - Founder and songwriter
• Michael Barber^{note 2016-present} - Positronic Oscillator Command, ^{note Keyboards,} Zargothrax, Dark Sorcerer of Auchtermuchty, Dark Emperor of Dundee in the alternate universe, and Zargothrax Clone Alpha-1.
• Paul Templing^{note 2010-present} – Dark Matter String Manipulation Interface, ^note Guitar Ser Proletius, Grand Master of The Unbeatable Knights of Crail, and his Holographic Likeness in the future, and his evil counterpart in the alternate reality.
• James Cartwright^{note 2010-present} – Trans-Dimensional Subsonic Cluster, ^note Bass Hootsman, Immortal Barbarian Warrior (and Astral Demigod) of Unst.
• Ben Turk^{note 2010-present} – Percussive Phi-Quason Battery, ^note Drums Ralathor, the Mysterious Hermit (and Submarine Commander) of Cowdenbeath
• Sozos Michael^{note 2021-present} - Voice-Modulated Star Nucleus, ^note vocals Angus McFife, Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Fife; and his Descendants, Angus McFife II, Angus McFife V and Angus McFife XIII

Former members:

• Thomas Winkler^{note Vocals, 2010-2021}
• Garth Murdock^{note Guitar, 2010}
• Anthony Trimming^{note As Anthony Trimioni, vocals, 2010}

Discography:

• Tales From the Kingdom of Fife (2013)
• Space 1992: Rise of the Chaos Wizards (2015)
• Legends From Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex (2019)
• Return to the Kingdom of Fife (2023)

Their official site, where you can also BUY their albums, is here. The American storefront is here.

Epic Tropes of Glorious Hammers

• Affectionate Parody: With a HEAVY emphasis on "affectionate". They are a parody of power metal and especially Rhapsody of Fire. They start with the concept of undead unicorns and ride the wave from there. The second album tries to out-grimdark Warhammer 40,000, and is a parody of those sort of space settings. Their lyrics are so silly that it wraps all the way around to serious again, and some say they manage to out-power metal power metal itself.
• The Ahnold: The Hootsman is a pretty obvious homage to/Expy of Arnold Schwarzenegger, from the song 'The Hollywood Hootsman' we know that the Hootsman is a Hollywood actor famously known for his role as a barbarian who became ruler of California, and in later song we learn he is also a cyborg powered by a neutron star.
• All Drummers Are Animals / Dumb and Drummer: Averted, the Barbarian Hero Hootsman is the bassist, with the drummer being the wise and mystical hermit Ralathor.
• Alternate Universe: Tales from the Kingdom of Fife is set in a Fantasy Scotland with unicorns, magic, trolls and goblins. Space 1992 is set ten centuries later in the far off distant future year of 1992, when Zargothrax comes back to wreak havoc with the aid of the Goblin King and the Chaos Wizards. Legends from Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex is set in an Alternate Universe of the aforementioned Alternate Universe, where Zargothrax won and is now the Dark Emperor of Dundee.
  • Return to the Kingdom of Fife takes place in another alternate universe. In this universe, Dundee's first victory over Zargothrax was relatively short lived after Zargothrax Clone Alpha-1, who was awakened from the signal sent from the original Zargothrax's death at the end of the previous album, destroys Dundee and kills Angus McFife I in a nuclear detonation, leading to the Kingdom of Fife becoming a post-apocalyptic nuclear wasteland.
• Amulet of Concentrated Awesome: The eponymous "Amulet of Justice", possessing the power to set the spellbound free, and essential for Angus to free the princess from the shroud of ice Zargothrax imprisoned her in.
• And I Must Scream:
  • Done to Zargothrax, who was frozen for centuries on the planet of knights (the moon Triton).
  • In Tales from the Kingdom of Fife, the beautiful princess was frozen in ice. However, Angus saves her.
• Apocalypse How: The Hootsman invokes a Class X (planetary annihilation) at the end of Space 1992: Rise of the Chaos Wizards, destroying Earth and the portal for Kor-Virliath the Elder God of the 18th Hell Dimension, preventing the implied Class X-4 (Universal destruction) that would result.
• Artifact of Doom: The Knife of Evil, one of the three relics of the Ancient Starlords and Zargothrax’s Evil Counterpart to Angus’s Hammer of Glory. It has the power to corrupt any who are stabbed through the heart with it, as it did to Proletius. Angus McFife himself suffers this fate, stabbed by the Knife of Evil by Zargothrax just before Angus kills him. However, Angus pulls a Heroic Sacrifice rather than be corrupted by the knife's curse.
• Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence: Zargothrax completes a ritual that makes him a god. But, the Hootsman's Heroic Sacrifice at the end of Space 1992 did not destroy him completely. Rather, the energy unleashed merged his consciousness with the very fabric of reality in the terrorvortex, transforming the Hootsman into a god as well.
• Awakening the Sleeping Giant: At the end of Return to the Kingdom of Fife, the misuse of the three artifacts of power has finally pissed off the Starlords enough that they make their first appearance with the sole purpose of blowing up Earth in retribution.
• Back from the Dead
  • The long deceased Ser Proletius is resurrected as a hologram in the Space 1992: Rise of the Chaos Wizards.
  • Proletius and The Hootsman make a return in the Legends From Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex, despite having died at the end of the second. However, this is justified. This version of Proletius is from an Alternate Universe. As for the Hootsman, it turns out he never died in the first place.
• Badass Boast
  • "Victorious Eagle Warfare" gives us the line "A hero cannot be defeated/Simply by making him die!"
  • Zargothrax gives one in "The Siege of Dunkeld (In Hoots We Trust)".
    "I am the Bane of Cowdenbeath! The Scourge of Auchtermuchty! Arch-Foe of the Questlords of Inverness! Come and face me in battle, Angus, and prepare to meet thy doom! ... Pathetic mortal scum! In this dimension your hammer has no power over me! Now, kneel before your emperor! Kneel before...YOUR GOD!"
  • The Hootsman gives out one upon his arrival in "The Fires of Ancient Cosmic Destiny".
    "Alright Zargothrax! Your evil reign of terror ends today! My name is the Hootsman, and I am the one and only true god of this universe! It's time for you to taste the power of HOOTS!"
  • In "Brothers of Crail" the entire brotherhood says this:
    We'll fight together
    Proudly we will stand
    The evil wizard Zargothrax will never rule this land!
    Upon our eagles
    Riding in the sky
    The Brotherhood of Crail will never die!
• Bad Future: More like a bad past. The alternate reality that serves as the setting for Legends From Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex is set in roughly the same time as Tales From the Kingdom of Fife. Though the wormhole had transported both Angus McFife XIII and Zargothrax to an alternate dimension, somehow Zargothrax had materialized at an earlier point in time, letting him conquer the entire kingdom of Fife with nothing to stand in his way. By the time Angus arrives, Zargothrax is in the process of conquering Dunkeld, the last holdout against the forces of evil, and Angus's Hammer of Glory is unable to channel the powers of the universe and has no effect on Zargothrax.
• The Bad Guy Wins: At the end of Space 1992, Zargothrax wipes out the forces of justice above Mars, and almost succeeds in summoning Kor-Virliath of the 18th Hell Dimension. It takes the Hootsman making a Heroic Sacrifice to prevent a complete Downer Ending. Even then, the Hootsman had to blow up Earth with his nuclear heart to prevent Kor-Virliath's resurrection.
  • Zargothrax actually wins twice in Return to the Kingdom of Fife. First, at the end of the track "Holy Flaming Hammer of Unholy Cosmic Frost", his nuclear clone, Zargothrax Clone Alpha 1, blows himself up (and somehow survives), destroying Dundee and killing Angus McFife and the Knights of Crail in the process. And later, on "Vorpal Laserblaster of Pittenweem", when Angus, Proletius, Hootsman and Ralathor reach the mighty citadel of Strathclyde, where the Laserblaster is said to be hidden, they find out that their quest was in vain because Zargothrax already has the weapon.
• Beige Prose: A rare case of this happening in music. A lot of the songs have overly elaborate descriptions of locations and events. "Magic Dragon", on the other hand, manages to leave out enough details to condense two entire fights down to a single verse.
  Demon attacked me, but then it was slain
  A dragon appeared, and a battle was fight!
  I spoke from the words of a powerful scroll
  And magical dragon became now allied!
• Big Damn Heroes: In "The Fires Of Ancient Cosmic Destiny", when all seems lost and Zargothrax is about to complete his ascension to godhood, the Hootsman arrives and reveals himself to be the one true god of the Alternate Universe.
• Bittersweet Ending
  • Space 1992 ends with the Hootsman dying while destroying planet Earth, and Zargothrax flees into a wormhole where the planet once was. However, the destruction of the planet prevents Kor-Virliath's resurrection, and Angus McFife XIII follows Zargothrax into the wormhole.
  • Legends From Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex ends with Zargothrax killed once and for all by Angus McFife XIII. However, in the battle, Angus was impaled by the same Knife of Evil that corrupted Proletius. Angus sacrifices his life by descending into the volcanic fires of Sciehallion to spare the universe from the evil that would arise from his own corruption.
  • Return to the Kingdom of Fife ends with the Starlords of Eternity destroying the entirety of Universe-38B because of the characters' misusage of their "artifacts of power".
• Bookends: The last song of Return to the Kingdom of Fife, "Maleficus Geminus" ends with a variation of the first song's chorus.
• Breaking Out the Boss:
  • In "Rise of the Chaos Wizards", the Chaos Wizards manage to free Zargothrax from his frozen prison.
  • In "Maleficus Geminus" Alpha-1 frees Zargothrax-38B from the Fortress of Crail.
• Britain Is Only London: Averted. Tales From the Kingdom of Fife is set entirely in the county of Fife, Scotland, which is portrayed as a magical, mysterious land of dragons, unicorns and wizards. Small towns and locations are spoken of with an air of grandeur, such as the fishing village of Crail being home to the mightiest warriors in the land. The Intergalactic Empire of Fife features prominently in Space 1992: Rise of the Chaos Wizards, treating Scotland as the centre of the universe.
• Canis Latinicus: Played for Laughs. Latin (or pseudoLatin) chanting is a recurring motif. It zig zags between surprisingly good and complete gibberish. They include the line "chanting nonsense in Latin"... in Latin.
  "From the heavens, comes a hero! Mighty Hootsman!"
  " VANITATI! LATINAE! CANENTIS! HOOTUS DEI!"
• Captain Obvious:
  Galaxies swarming behind me
  Nebulas lying ahead
  This can only mean...
  That I have arrived into space
  • Also from "Power of the Laser Dragon Fire"
  I have discovered a scroll, telling tales of equipment for wizard
  A jetpack of ultimate steel with the power to fly
• Chewing the Scenery: When characters speak within songs, each of them use an exaggerated throaty growl and very emphatic pronunciation. Most often this is Zargothrax, Proletius speaks a few times, and the Hootsman gets an epic pre-asskicking speech in In The Fires Of Ancient Cosmic Destiny as well as a short speech in Wasteland Warrior Hoots Patrol.
• Cliffhanger:
  • Space 1992: Rise of the Chaos Wizards ends with Hootsman detonating the Neutron Star powering his heart in order to stop Zargothrax's ritual, taking the Earth with him. Weakened and defeated but not dead, Zargothrax throws himself into the cosmic rift that now stands where Earth once was, and Angus McFife XIII follows in pursuit. Legends from Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex picks up where Space 1992 left off.
  • Legends from Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex end with a Morse code message that translates to "Activate Zargothrax Clone 1"...
• Complete Immortality: Zargothrax, apparently. He's explicitly stated as being immortal. In Tales From The Kingdom Of Fife he's defeated by being trapped in liquid ice for ten centuries, and in Space 1992: Rise of the Chaos Wizards he survives the total destruction of Earth! Then, in the Alternate Universe, at the end of Legends From Beyond The Galactic Terrorvortex, he is finally defeated, but manages to transfer his consciousness and power to a clone he had stored away in the year 1022.
• Concept Album: Every album is a concept album.
  • Tales From the Kingdom of Fife has Zargothrax invade Dundee with an army of undead unicorns.
  • Space 1992: Rise of The Chaos Wizards is set in the grim darkness of the distant future year of 1992, where Zargothrax comes back with the aid of the Chaos Wizards.
  • Legends From Beyond The Galactic Terrorvortex is a direct sequel to its predecessor, set in an alternate universe where Zargothrax reigns supreme.
  • Return to the Kingdom of Fife is set in another alternate universe where a clone of Zargothrax kills Angus I and destroys Dundee with nuclear weapons, turning the Kingdom of Fife into a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
• Colony Drop: The video for Rise of the Chaos Wizards ends with an example of this trope, as the asteroid that Zargothrax and the heroes are on crashes into earth.
• Cool Shades: Zargothrax's goggles, complete with weird attachments. here's the picture.◊
• Curb-Stomp Battle:
  • The first album suggests that the original Knights of Crail were capable of delivering these.
  "Once in the siege of far-off Dunkeld, defeat of the town was nigh. But then came the knights, the warriors of Crail, and all of their foes did die."
  • The battle over the skies of Mars depicted in Apocalypse 1992 goes completely in favor of the bad guys. The Astral Dwarves of Aberdeen, the Space Knights of Crail, and the Quest Lords of Inverness are all wiped out with little effort, leaving only Angus McFife XIII and the Hootsman. And then the Hootsman makes his Heroic Sacrifice.
  • In Legends From Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex, it happens again with Zargothrax's army easily conquering Dunkeld while Angus' Gloryhammer is unable to harm Zargothrax.
  • This trope finally turns against the forces of evil in The Fires of Ancient Cosmic Destiny. Proletius and his twisted Deathknights ride out from the black gates of Crail to destroy the heroes. But Ralathor has missiles of nuclear justice that he uses to kill them all in one attack.
    • Later on in the same song, Angus and the Hootsman defeat Zargothrax in just one combined strike, reducing him to dust.
  • "Maleficus Geminus" also goes entirely in favor of the bad guys. Zargothrax's clone, wielding the Vorpal Laserblaster of Pittenweem, kills everything that stands between him and the containment zone where the original Zargothrax is imprisoned in liquid ice. Then the Starlords of Eternity arrive and deliver one of their own by eradicating all life on Earth (except Angus).
• Cyborg: The Hollywood Hootsman is a cyborg who has a heart made from a neutron star.
• Darkest Hour: Apocalypse 1992 describes the forces of justice being utterly crushed by Zargothrax' demon army, culminating in Hootsman detonating his nuclear heart as a last resort to stop them.
• De-power: In Legends From Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex, Angus McFife XIII's Hammer of Glory is unable to tap into the powers of the universe in the alternate timeline and is unable to harm the evil sorcerer. Part of Angus's quest is to restore the Hammer of Glory's power, as detailed in the song "Gloryhammer".
• Death by Irony: Fallen Hero Proletius tries (and fails) to destroy the resistance with nuclear warheads in the music video for "Gloryhammer". In "The Fires of Ancient Cosmic Destiny", he and his Deathknights are destroyed by Ralathor's own nuclear strike.
• Doomed Hometown:
  • The story starts off with Zargothrax destroying Dundee, causing Angus to swear vengeance against him and motivating him to quest for the Hammer of Glory.
  • Return to the Kingdom of Fife starts with Zargothrax's clone nuking Dundee immediately after being activated.
• Dying as Yourself: At the end of Legends From Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex, Angus McFife XIII is impaled by the Knife of Evil while killing Zargothrax. Angus sacrifices his own life by jumping into the volcanic fury of Sciehallion rather than turn evil.
• Early-Installment Weirdness: Subverted, in that the first album is actually fairly tame, when considering how absurdly ridiculous some of the later albums become. After the war across the galaxy, and a second war in a much darker Alternate Universe, and Earth being destroyed twice (first by an immortal barbarian cyborg who detonates the neutron star powering him to stop Zargothrax, and then by the Starlords of Eternity out of spite), the first album feels very safe by comparison.
• Eldritch Abomination: Kor-Virliath, Elder God of the 18th Hell Dimension. Unleashing him will destroy the universe.
• The End of the World as We Know It: At the end of "Apocalypse 1992," the Hootsman detonates his neutron star heart to stop the summoning of Kor-Virliath the Elder God of the 18th Hell Dimension, destroying the whole planet Earth and wiping out all human life in the process, thus averting the galaxy being destroyed.
  • "Maleficus Geminus" ends with the Starlords of Eternity eradicating Earth because Angus and Zargothrax are treating their Artifacts of Power as if they were mere playthings. Only Angus is spared.
• Eternal Hero: Both Ralathor and Hootsman are apparently immortal. Hootsman is explicitly mentioned as being immortal, though it's not explained if he became thus before or after he became a cyborg powered by a Neutron Star. No explanation is given for Ralathor, aside from his being a "Mysterious Hermit". Ralathor even manages to somehow turn up in the Alternate Universe, and it's explicitly stated it's the same Ralathor from the first two albums rather than an alternate universe counterpart. When Angus asks him how he managed to come to the alternate reality, Ralathor dodges the question. According to the timeline post by Christopher Bowes, Ralathor was born in the Terrorvortex dimension.
• Evil Sorcerer: Zargothrax the Dark Sorcerer of Auchtermuchty. On the first album Tales from the Kingdom of Fife, he invades Dundee with an Army of Undead Unicorns and traps the beautiful princess Iona McDougall in ice. On the second album, Space 1992: Rise of the Chaos Wizards, his actions cause the Earth to be destroyed.
• Face–Heel Turn: Ser Proletius, who was a heroic character in the first two albums, commands Zargothrax's armies of chaos in the alternate reality that Legends From Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex is set in. He even wears a more evil costume similar to Zargothrax's.
• Foreshadowing: The bonus track at the end of Tales From the Kingdom of Fife, Wizards!, foreshadows features the science fiction setting of Space 1992.
  • The final verse hints at the next album being set in the future and spanning the galaxy. The phrase "final war" alludes to the apocalypse. The prominence of the wizards in the second album's plot is foreshadowed by this prophecy being made by wizards in their titular song.
    Far from the past they travelled
    In to the future they see
    The crystal ball reveals all history
    They see the coming battle
    Across the galaxy
    Where evil and good collide in a final war of steel
  • The rest of the song includes a few other references; "keepers of chaos", "fighting the demon horde".
• Freudian Trio/Music: The Hootsman is the Id, Ralathor the Superego and Angus the Ego.
• From Nobody to Nightmare: Keeper of the Celestial Flame reveals that Zargothrax was once a humble basket weaver, but then his home was ruined when Dundee was built over it, leaving Zargothrax so enraged at the Prince and his kingdom that he forged a pact with chaos to take revenge, becoming the dark wizard that would one day threaten the entire universe.
• A God Am I
  • Zargothrax's power intoxication when he No-Sells a blow from The Astral Hammer is palpable:
    Pathetic mortal scum, In this dimension your hammer has no power over me! Now, kneel before your emperor! Kneel before YOUR GOD!
  • This is Zargothrax's ultimate goal in Legends from Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex, channeling the power of the Knife of Evil through an arcane incantation during a solar conjunction to become a god of the multiverse.
  • In the Alternate Universe, the Hootsman, who sacrificed his life to save the galaxy at the end of Space 1992, is worshiped as a god. It turns out that not only was he not killed by his Heroic Sacrifice, but he was also bestowed godlike power from the terrorvortex. He arrived at a point in time before even Zargothrax, and ruled the world of the Alternate Universe as a god and was worshiped as such.
• God of Evil: Kor-Virliath The Elder God of the 18th Hell Dimension.
• Gratuitous Latin: With the Goblin King's title on "Goblin King of the Darkstorm Galaxy." - Regis Kobalos means "Goblin/Kobold King" in Latin.
  • In "Fires of Ancient Cosmic Destiny" the choir sings, in Latin, "singing nonsense in Latin".
  • In The Siege of Dunkeld, the faux Latin is so bad it looks more like something out of a cartoon:
    Regis Dundoniensis
    Furor Apocalyptus
    Magus Calamitosis
    Bellis Intergalactus
  • "Sanctus! Dominus! Infernus! Ad Astra!" from Rise of the Chaos Wizards.
  • From Apocalypse 1992:
    De mortuis crepitus
    Aberdonensis
    De furor infernus irae!
    • Translates to something like "A fury of hellish anger of death from Aberdeen," if you take many liberties (as the Latin is mostly nonsense)
  • Maleficus Geminus has a heroic variant:
    "Ecce Princeps Dundonensis Imperator Ascendit In Astra Eterna!"
    • Roughly translates to "Behold, the Prince of Dundee, the Emperor, Ascends to the Endless Stars!"
• Harmless Freezing:
  • Zargothrax is imprisoned in ice for ten centuries and is no worse for wear when he's eventually freed by cultists. Justified, as Zargothrax is immortal.
  • Zargothrax imprisoned Princess Iona MacDougal in ice upon making off with her in Dundee. Angus rescues her.
• Heavy Mithril: Undead unicorns led by an evil sorcerer invade Scotland.
• Hellgate: On Space 1992, we learn that a cavern under Dundee contains a gate to Hell, that will release Kor-Virliath, The Elder God of the 18th Hell Dimension.
• Heroes Prefer Swords: Subverted. The only named character to carry a sword is Proletius, and that is only known by implication. The heroes generally seem to prefer axes or hammers.
• Heroic Sacrifice: In "Apocalypse 1992", the Hootsman detonates his neutron star heart to destroy the earth and prevent Zargothrax from summoning Kor-Virloath and ending the universe. In the next album, Legends from Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex, the sacrifice is subverted, as it turns out that the Hootsman actually ascended to a higher plane of existence and became a god of the Alternate Universe.
• Heroic Suicide: At the end of the final battle in "The Fires of Ancient Cosmic Destiny", Angus McFife XIII realizes he's been impaled by the Knife of Evil and commits suicide by throwing himself into a volcano to avoid falling victim to the corrupting power of the knife and becoming an Evil Overlord like Zargothrax.
• Humongous-Headed Hammer: The Titular Gloryhammer is a mighty weapon given many epithets in song. It is both a "laser power goblin crusher" and powered up by the nuclear fusion of a star and in music videos is shown a very long hafted weapon with massive block for the head on the end.
• "I Am Great!" Song: "Legend of the Astral Hammer" serves as one for Angus McFife XIII, as well as expanding on his signature weapon, the Hammer in question.
• Identical Grandson: Angus McFife XIII on Space 1992 and Legends From Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex, Angus McFife II on Return to the Kingdom of Fife and Angus McFife V on "Fly Away."
• Immediate Sequel: Legends from Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex takes place moments after the end of Space 1992: Rise of the Chaos Wizards. Angus McFife XIII arrives at a different point in time than Zargothrax did, but for Angus, the journey was instantaneous.
• Immortal Breaker: In "Heroes (of Dundee)", the Hammer of Glory is implied to have the power to override Zargothrax's (otherwise) Complete Immortality and kill him for real. Unfortunately for Angus, he discovers the hard way that the Hammer of Glory is unable to channel the powers of the universe in the alternate reality that Legends From Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex is set in, and as such it has no power over Zargothrax.
  Mighty hammer connects
  The force to annihilate Zargothrax
• Impossibly Cool Weapon:
  • Crystal Laser Battle Axe of the Astral Dwarves of Aberdeen.
  • The Astral Hammer, "forged in the heart of the celestial fire" and "powered by lasers entwined in a star."
  • The "Holy Flaming Hammer of Unholy Cosmic Frost".
  • The Vorpal Laserblaster of Pittenweem.
  • Missiles of Nuclear Justice.
  Take aim with your lasers and unicorn blades made of flame!
• Intentional Engrish for Funny: Despite the band members being native English speakers, they pretend English is their second language and include several grammatical mistakes in their songs.
• Kneel Before Zod: After Zargothrax No Sells the Hammer of Glory in "The Siege of Dunkeld":
  Zargothrax: Pathetic mortal scum! / In this dimension, your hammer has no power over me / Now, kneel before your emperor / Kneel before YOUR GOD!
• Large Ham: All of the characters can be considered this. Especially during their spoken segments.
  "Alright, Zargothrax! My name is the Hootsman, and I am the one and only true god of this universe! It is time for you to taste the power of Hoots!"
• Lyrical Dissonance:
  • Masters Of The Galaxy is an upbeat heroic anthem... about the Deathknights of Crail and Proletius' corruption at the hands of Zargothrax.
  • Universe On Fire is a power ballad that sounds close to a love song where Zargothrax expresses his desire to incinerate the universe.
• Magic Is Evil: The antagonists utilize only magic, with the Royal Family of Fife using super-tech weaponry. The heroes still use magic, but only rarely; the Hammer of Glory being one of the few exceptions, along with the "wizard" who uses robots to build a hologram clone of Ser Proletius.
• Mecha-Mook:
  • A heroic version of this trope appears in On the Wings of a Rainbow, robots make up part of the Kingdom of Fife's army.
  • Appearing in Maleficus Geminus is the Robot Prince of Auchtertool, a robotic warlord commanding an army of robots and aids Angus McFife II against the Double Wizard. He gets turned into an "undead machine" by the Knife of Evil, and his army is implied to have changed sides with his undeath.
• Medieval European Fantasy: Tales From the Kingdom of Fife is set in an alternate reality Medieval Scotland.
• Medieval Stasis: Averted: Centuries after the events of Tales From the Kingdom of Fife, the Kingdom of Fife has become a spacefaring, intergalactic empire.
• Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Zargothrax, Dark Sorcerer of Auchtermuchty. On Space 1992, the Goblin King of the Darkstorm Galaxy (identified in the lyrics booklet as "Dreadlord Myrkanos Barbax") and Kor-Virliath the Elder God of the 18th Hell Dimension.
• Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot: The Hootsman. He's an immortal cyborg, conqueror and movie star.
  • In Legends From Beyond the Galactic Terror-Vortex, Zargothrax has actual robot zombies.
• Negated Moment of Awesome: The Astral Dwarves arrive to aid Angus in his battle on Mars... and are almost immediately killed by Zargothrax's demons.
• Neglectful Precursors: The Starlords. They left three legendary artifacts - the Hammer of Glory, the Knife of Evil, and the Vorpal Laserblaster of Pittenweem - lying around in Scotland along with other assorted artifacts, and did nothing to stop Zargothrax or Angus from collecting them. Nor, apparently, did they think unleashing an elder demon or a cyborg destroying Earth was worthy of their attention. They finally did show up in the climax of Return to the Kingdom of Fife, only to wipe out everyone but Angus for "meddling with the three artifacts of power."
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: The video for Keeper Of The Celestial Flame Of Aberneth shows that Zargothrax's clone wasn't able to free the original from his icy prison himself. So instead he used illusions to trick Angus into smashing the ice with the Hammer of Glory.
• Noble Demon: While goblins are almost universally portrayed as purely malicious, the Sword Lord of the Goblin Horde abides by the ancient code of goblins, which requires him to reveal the secrets of his blade if Angus can best him in single combat.
• Nobody Loves the Bassist: Averted, hard. Gloryhammer's bassist is the exhuberant Barbarian Hero Hootsman. In-universe, he enters Space 1992 having become a great king in his own right and the greatest action movie star in the world. In Legends From Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex, Angus finds an army called the Hootsforce, which worships Hootsman as a god, and which helps Angus defeat Zargothrax's forces.
  With his mighty battleaxe, he slaughtered everything
  'till all of California did call the hero "King"!
• No-Sell: In "The Siege of Dunkeld," the Hammer of Glory has no effect on Zargothrax (which it would normally be able to annihilate) because its magic doesn't work in the dimension he and Angus are currently in.
• Nuke 'em:
  • Attempted by Zargothrax and Proletius in the music video for "Gloryhammer", but Angus McFife thwarts their attack with the newly re-empowered Hammer of Glory.
  • In "The Fires of Ancient Cosmic Destiny", Ralathor returns the favor, using his space submarine's "missiles of nuclear justice" to annihilate Proletius and his Deathknights of Crail, allowing Angus McFife to face off against Zargothrax.
  • Return to the Kingdom of Fife is set in a nuclear wasteland caused by Zargothrax's clone nuking Dundee. In fact, aside from "Incoming Transmission", nearly every single track on "Return to the Kingdom of Fife" includes at least one use of the word "nuclear". ^{note Exceptions being "Brothers of Crail" and "Keeper of the Celestial Flame of Abernethy".}
• Ominous Latin Chanting
  • "Sanctus! Dominus! Infernus! Ad Astra!" at the beginning of "Rise of the Chaos Wizards"
  • "Regis Dundoniensis! Furor apocalyptus! Magus calamitosus! Bellis intergalactus!" at the beginning of "The Siege of Dunkeld (In Hoots We Trust)", though some of these words aren't actually Latin.
  • Parodied in "The Ancient Fires of Cosmic Destiny": "Vanitati! Latinae! Canentes!" which translates to "Singing Latin nonsense". It's also in terrible Latin, as is to be expected.
• On the Next: "Wizards!", the final track of Tales from the Kingdom of Fife, mentions the galactic war that would be happening in Space 1992.
• Our Dragons Are Different: This one is a magic dragon who becomes Angus McFife's ally after a magic spell is cast.
  Demon attacked me but then it was slain
  The dragon appeared and a battle was fight [sic]
  I spoke from the words of a powerful scroll
  And magical dragon became now allied.
  • Later laser dragons make an appearance.
• Our Dwarves Are All the Same: These are the "Astral Dwarves of Aberdeen" whose King wields a "Crystal Laser Battle Axe!"
• Our Goblins Are Different: This one is Dreadlord Myrkanos Barbax, The Goblin King of the Darkstorm Galaxy, who is allied with the Chaos Wizards who resurrected Zargothrax. He has a magic crystal that can "unleash evil from the sky" AND a space battlefleet. He can use the crystal to "cast unholy fire".
• Photo Proto Neutron Torpedo: Scroll back up and look at the bands instruments.
• Post Modern Magic: Legends From Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex has a song that features an enchanted Jet Pack as one of the Plot Coupons required to defeat Zargothrax. Return to the Kingdom of Fife reveals that the land of Fife in 1022 AD has always had modern technology.
• The Power of the Sun: In "Universe on Fire" on Space 1992: Rise of the Chaos Wizards, a weapon is powered in this manner:
  Gliding across the Sun
  To soak up all its might,
  Charging my Solar Gun
  And prepare for epic fight. [sic]
• Rape, Pillage, and Burn: What Zargothrax does to Dundee. He also carries off a beautiful princess who he imprisons in ice.
  Fireballs and Lightning
  are raining from the sky,
  Chaos and bloodshed,
  As all the people die!
• Recap Episode: In Battle for Eternity, which takes place just before the final battle, Angus reflects on his previous encounters such as his first battle with Zargothrax and fighting goblins on the moon.
• Redshirt Army: In the music video for Hootsforce, the Forces of Justice bring 43 space submarines and face off against three of Zargothrax's spaceships. The 42 submarines that aren't carrying Angus McFife XIII and Ralathor are wiped out and the last submarine is badly damaged before Angus is able to use the Gloryhammer to take out the last spaceship. Nothing ever comes of this and the Forces of Justice are still implied have an army to land for the final battle in The Fires of Ancient Cosmic Destiny, nor are Zargothrax's ships or the damage they cause mentioned at all in the song beyond a mention of a "battle in the sky".
  • In a YouTube comment, Ben Turk mentions there were fifteen submarines because "for some reason the video people thought 15 looked better".
• Riding the Bomb: The video for Rise of the Chaos Wizards ends with the asteroid on which the re-formed Heroes of Dundee are fighting the forces of Zargothrax crashing into Southeast Asia.
• Robot or Spaceman Alter Ego: The band have fantasy alter-egos in Tales From the Kingdom of Fife. Played straight in the second where Prince Angus's descendant is saving the galaxy.
• Royals Who Actually Do Something: Both Angus McFife and his distant descendant, Angus McFife XIII. The former is the prince of the land of Fife, "noble and true with a heart of steel," who vows to destroy Zargothrax after the evil sorcerer decimates his kingdom with undead unicorns. "Legend of the Astral Hammer" describes his descendant thusly:
  Angus McFife the XIII^th my name
  Scion of mighty Dundee
  Intergalactic, great hero of steel
  Ruler of whole galaxy![sic]
• Rule of Cool: Undead unicorns invade Dundee, Zargothrax imprisoned in ice, then released by the Chaos Wizards, and Space 1992 ends with Kor-Virliath the Elder God of the 18th Hell Dimension being prevented from being unleashed by the Earth being destroyed by a neutron star that powers a cyborg exploding.
  • Not to mention all the laser crystal battleaxes, primordial black holes, Astral Hammers of Glory (forged in the heart of celestial fire!), Galactic Princes fighting Lunar Dragons and waging epic battles against demonic space fleets over Mars, etc, etc, etc...
• Science Fantasy: The epic, eternal struggle of Good against Evil, mighty heroes, villains, and armies, set against the backdrop of a multi-galaxy-spanning empire ruled from Fife, a little town in Scotland.
• Sequel Hook: All their albums end with one:
  • At the end of Tales From the Kingdom of Fife, Zargothrax is sealed away but still alive.
  • At the end of Space 1992, Zargothrax has survived the destruction of earth and fled through the Interdimemsional portal left behind and Angus McFife XIII has followed him through it.
  • At the end of Legends From Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex, the sound of a dial-up modem connecting can be heard, along with a robotic voice indicating a transmission has taken place. The transmission says "Initiating interdimensional subspace replay. Target year 1022. Begin transmission." Then, in Morse code, it says "Activate Zargothrax Clone Alpha 1."
  • At the end of Return to the Kingdom of Fife, Angus McFife II learns that a new destiny awaits him across the galaxy and is invited to join the Starlords of Eternity.
• Shout-Out: This band have their influences "written on their sleeve" according to one review:
  • "Tears of a unicorn lost in the rain" from "Apocalypse 1992" is a reference to the "Tears in Rain" speech by Rutger Hauer in Blade Runner.
  • Also From "Apocalypse 1992", "Faster than a laser bullet" is a line directly lifted from the song "Painkiller" by Judas Priest.
  • The Intergalactic Great Empire of Fife, ruled by King Angus McFife XIII and the Space Knights of Crail who fight against a Chaos Sorcerer and a group of Chaos Wizards is a reference to Warhammer 40,000, where the God-Emperor of Mankind and his Space Marines fight against the forces of Chaos, including Chaos Wizards.
  • Parts of "The Epic Rage of Furious Thunder" are wholly lifted from William McGonagall's poem "The Tay Bridge Disaster."
  • In the video for "Rise of the Chaos Wizards" Angus McFife XIII/Thomas Winkler is dressed as the Iron Lantern from the Amalgam Universe.
  • In the music for "Wasteland Warrior Hoots Patrol", Angus McFife inputs the Konami Code on an NES controller attached to his wrist.
  • The Brotherhood of Crail, as described in the song "Brotherhood of Crail" is basically the Brotherhood of Steel with the serial numbers filed off.
  • The "Anti-Telharsic" power that the Knife of Evil uses to corrupt people with, and which fuels Zargothrax Clone Alpha 1, is named after a BBC America show called Look Around You, which posits that "Maths" is an Acronym for "Mathematical Anti-Telharsic Harfatum Septomin". The words "Harfatum" and "Septomin" are also chanted during the intro to "Maleficus Geminus".
• Sealed Evil in a Can: Zargothrax was imprisoned in ice for centuries before being freed by the Chaos Wizards.
• Surveillance as the Plot Demands: Implied in "Legendary Enchanted Jetpack". In the cave where the jetpack is located, Angus is suddenly ambushed by Zargothrax' minions, leading him to believe that "wizard must know where I was to go".
• Take Our Word for It: Several songs mention that epic battles are being fought, but rarely go into much detail beyond that.
• The End... Or Is It?:
  • The final song of Legends From Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex concludes the saga of Angus McFife and ends with Zargothrax defeated once and for all. However, at the end of the song, a cryptic message in Morse code is transmitted from an unknown entity across time to the year 1022. Translated, the message reads "Activate Zargothrax Clone Alpha 1".
  • Similarly, the final song of Return to the Kingdom of Fife ends with the Starlords sudden intervention and putting an end to the saga before it could begin, except now Angus McFife II is invited to join the Starlords for new adventures.
• Time-Travel Tense Trouble: From "Masters of the Galaxy":
  Long ago in the distant future
  They were a force for the light
  But now in the ancient times
  They slaughter peasants by night
• Unicorn:
  • Undead and dangerous, under the control of evil sorcerer Zargothrax. It is sung that
  The unicorns used to be good
  Now they are forced to serve Hell.
  — "The Unicorn Invasion of Dundee"
  • On Space 1992, it is revealed that the "Questlords of Inverness" can travel through time, and are called "Unicorn Defenders, Unafraid to Die" in "Questlords of Inverness, ride to the Galactic Fortress."
  • Legends From Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex has "The Land of Unicorns," the last place in the corrupted world of Zargothrax where justice still reigns.
  • The albums use place names in Scotland, and the Unicorn is the symbol of Scotland itself.
• Villain Episode/ Villain Song:
  • "Goblin King of the Darkstorm Galaxy" is told from Zargothrax' perspective, and includes the Goblin King of the Darkstorm Galaxy talking to him:
    This magic crystal
    is the artifact you seek
    To unleash evil from the sky
    You must find the portal
    The crystal is the key
    All universal life will die!
  • Don't forget " Universe On Fire" where Zargothrax proclaims his desire to do exactly that.
  • Parts of "Apocalypse 1992" are also narrated by the dark sorcerer of Auchtermuchty:
    My ancestral demon army
    Will ride a cosmic sphere
    And liberate the multiverse
    From slavery and fear
    With the power of the crystal
    From an ancient galaxy
    The force of evil will prevail
    It is my destiny
  • "Masters of the Galaxy" is an anthem sung by and about the Deathknights of Crail.
  • "Keeper of the Celestial Flame of Abernethy" from Return to the Kingdom of Fife is about Zargothrax's humble origins as a basket weaver and his descent into a Roaring Rampage of Revenge against Dundee for destroying his home.
• A Villain Named "Z__rg": Zargothrax, Dread sorcerer of Auchtermuchty, Chaos Wizard, (and in the 3rd album) Dark Lord of the Kingdom of Fife, whose final action on Space 1992 results in the Earth (of that dimension) being destroyed.
• Wham Line:
  • From "The Siege of Dunkeld," as Angus swings the Hammer of Glory at Zargothrax:
    What magic enchantment/ has Zargothrax spun?/My weapon has no effect!/This fight can't be won!
  • From "The Fires of Ancient Cosmic Destiny," during the Final Battle.
    And lo, Zargothrax was finally defeated. But in the epic final struggle with the dark sorcerer, the valiant hero Angus McFife realized he had been impaled by the Knife of Evil.
  • From the end of "Maleficus Geminus", as the legendary artifacts of Angus and Zargothrax collide:
    Behold, creatures of Earth! By your foolish meddling with the three artifacts of power, you have summoned forth the starlords of eternity!
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: Played for laughs when Zargothrax says his demon army will "liberate the multiverse from slavery and fear", an isolated claim of good intentions that's contradicted by every single other thing he's ever said or done (though with everyone dead...).
• What Happened to the Mouse?: Kor-Virliath doesn't show up in Legends From Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex, though the first song is named after him. Somehow, Zargothrax did not need it to create a Villain World off-screen.
• Worf Effect: As a running gag. In Tales From The Kingdom of Fife the Knights of Crail are hailed as an invincible army that has "never lost a fight", and they prove their worth in the battle against Zargothrax. In the following album, Space 1992: Rise of the Chaos Wizards, they're utterly crushed by the eponymous chaos wizards.
  • This continues in the sequel. Zargothrax summons the corrupted undead Deathknights of Crail to fight the heroes, but then Ralathor anticlimactically vaporizes them with nuclear missiles of justice.
  • Return to the Kingdom of Fife also starts out with the Knights of Crail being killed by Zargothrax Clone Alpha 1, when he nukes Dundee. Later, when he's found the Vorpal Laserblaster of Pittenweem, the clone invades the fortress of the surviving knights and effortlessly defeats them as well.
• Zeerust: Space 1992: Rise of the Chaos Wizards takes place "In the distant future of the year 1992". The album was released in 2015.

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For the eternal glory of Dundee!

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