Thomas Laszlo Winkler (born 20 November 1985) is a Swiss singer. He is known for being the former vocalist of both

power metal Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within a symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in co ...

bands Angus McSix and

Gloryhammer Gloryhammer is a British power metal band founded by keyboardist Christopher Bowes, lead vocalist of the band Alestorm. Each member of the band represents a character in the story concept. Band members appear on stage in armour and costumes to ...

, playing the roles of "Angus McFife, Prince of the Land of Fife" and his descendant "Angus McFife XIII" in the band's internal story.

Biography

Born in

Zollikofen Zollikofen is a municipality in the Bern-Mittelland administrative district in the Swiss canton of Bern. It is a suburb of the city of Bern. It is home to the Swiss College of Agriculture (SHL). Geography Zollikofen has an area of . Of th ...

Bern Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...

, Winkler started his music career in 2009 after finishing his studies at the University of Bern as Master of Law by joining Swiss heavy metal bands Emerald and T-Rage. Winkler has also lent his voice to Chinese power metal band Barque of Dante for their single "Way of Your Life" in 2011 and stated he would contribute vocals for their second studio album "Lasting Forever". In 2010, he uploaded a video to YouTube of himself auditioning for the British power metal band

DragonForce DragonForce are a British power metal band from London, formed in 1999. They are known for their long and fast guitar solos, fantasy-themed lyrics and retro video game-influenced sound. The band themselves refer to their music as "extreme po ...

. He was later discovered by Christopher Bowes, vocalist of the Scottish-based pirate metal band

Alestorm Alestorm are a Scottish heavy metal band formed in Perth in 2004. Their music is characterised by a pirate theme, and as a result, they have been dubbed a "pirate metal" band by many critics and their fanbase. The group currently consists of ...

, and was offered to join

. He initially declined but joined sometime later after several more offers. He was a member of the band from 2012 to 2021, and recorded three full-length albums with them. On 22 August 2021, Gloryhammer announced that Thomas Winkler was no longer a member of the band. Thomas later addressed the situation, citing the band's reasons for his departure as disagreements on business and organizational matters.

Angus McSix

On 4 July 2022, Thomas announced that he would be returning to music-making, and he had signed with Napalm Records under his new act Angus McSix. On 10 October 2022, the full lineup for Angus McSix was announced, with Winkler being joined by Thalìa Bellazecca (formerly of

Frozen Crown Frozen Crown is an Italian power metal band formed in 2017 in Milan, Lombardy. History In 2018, they released their debut album ''The Fallen King'' Four tracks from the album were also released as singles. The band's second album, ''Crowned in F ...

), Manu Lotter (formerly of

Rhapsody of Fire Rhapsody of Fire (formerly known as Rhapsody) is an Italian symphonic power metal band formed by Luca Turilli and Alex Staropoli, widely seen as a pioneer of the symphonic power metal subgenre. Since forming in 1993 as Thundercross, the ban ...

) and Sebastian Levermann (of

Orden Ogan Orden Ogan is a German power metal band with folk metal elements. The band was formed in 1996 by Sebastian Grütling (drums) and Sebastian Levermann (lead vocals and guitar). They currently have three demos and seven studio albums and are sig ...

) who represent characters in the story concept and appear in costumes. The band's first single, "Master of the Universe", was released on 19 January 2023, simultaneously with the announcement of their debut studio album, ''Angus McSix and the Sword of Power'', which was released on 21 April 2023. Two more singles were released in support of the album, "Sixcalibur" and "Laser Shooting Dinosaur". On 7 January 2025, Winkler announced his departure from Angus McSix, citing that he would be spending more time with family.

Discography

Angus McSix

Studio albums * ''Angus McSix and the Sword of Power'' (2023)

Emerald

Studio albums * ''Re-Forged'' (2010) * ''Unleashed'' (2012)

Gloryhammer

Studio albums * '' Tales from the Kingdom of Fife'' (2013) * '' Space 1992: Rise of the Chaos Wizards'' (2015) * ''

Legends from Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex ''Legends from Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex'' is the third studio album by British power metal band Gloryhammer. It was released on 31 May 2019. It is the final album to feature vocalist Thomas Winkler. Story After Earth was destroyed by ...

'' (2019)

Barque of Dante

Studio albums * ''Lasting Forever'' (2013)

References

External links

* Living people 1985 births 21st-century Swiss male singers Swiss heavy metal singers {{Switzerland-musician-stub