Honor. Power. Glory. (8-bit version)

Assembled by members of Gatekeeper and Greyhawk among others, Glyph’s first album offers a sound closer to the likes of Sabaton and Battle Beast than the NWOTHM supergroup one would initially expect. Gruffly melodic vocals are placed front and center bellowing a series of call to arms earworms backed by triumphant guitars, upbeat rhythms, and an intricate array of keyboards and orchestrations. There’s no denying a conscious bid for accessibility at play, but the polished anesthetic and worldbuilding never approaches the schlock of a Gloryhammer.

The songwriting also makes the most of strong hooks, tight pacing, and just enough variety to not feel too watered down. The title track makes an immediate impression with its forceful chorus and an upbeat stride that is paralleled smoothly on “When the World Was Young” while “A Storm of Crimson Fire” and “Eldenfire” match their soaring choruses with speedy chugs. I must admit it’s a bit easy for the back half of songs to run together when the first half plays so much of the album’s hand, but everything keeps to a sturdy quality that never loses sight of the surging momentum.

For how much of modern power metal seems to be defined by pursuits of meme-driven attention, Glyph offers a welcome relief with Honor.Power.Glory. It remains the sort of style where what you see is what you get, but the sheer amount of work the musicians put into these arrangement and the fun conveyed in their playing is always apparent. It’s unfortunate how the conduct of the since-departed vocalist have colored the perception of this particular release, but it’s easy to assume that the group still has a better future ahead of them with the potential for even bigger and better things to outshine this.