Tag Archives: alestorm

Friday Morning Metal – Alestorm ft Patty Gurdy – Voyage of the Dead Marauder

More Alestorm! Now with a hurdy gurdy played by none other than Patty Gurdy. They say, way back in time immemorial, one’s last name was often their job. So it works out pretty well that Patty Gurdy plays a hurdy gurdy. Also it’s notable there aren’t people with family names like HedgeFund or PrivateEquity. Go figure.

The song follows pretty similar themes to all their other songs, pirates do some stuff, there might be a curse? Oh also a cat turns into a skeleton and Patty Gurdy has hand fire magic or something. I will have to listen to it fifteen more times to pick up on the lyrics, but I think Bowes sings about luring people to the horizon with piracy.

The triple vocal combo of Bowes, Patty Gurdy, and Elliot Vernon singing distinct parts in their styles is fun. They don’t really overlay but are great for adding a variety of flavor. Bobo’s solo shreds mightily, and transitions into a killer drum beat that I think is also used in… The Battle of Cape Feare River intro.

KEY CHANGE! You know it’s an Alestorm song if there’s a key change coda at the end. Otherwise it’s just sparkling pirate metal.

Alestorm – No Grave But the Sea

Alestorm - No Grave But the SeaAlestorm, those cheeky Scottish lords of the Seven Seas, have a new album out today, No Grave But the Sea. And Angry Metal Guy already gave them a 4.5 out of 5. Which seems really cool given they tend to reserve high praise like that to black and doom metal bands.

This album is rife with the same singalong and shout & response feel as previous albums, but somehow more?

The album kicks off with the title track, full of chuggy guitars, awesome keytaring, and singing about quests! And a borderline disco beat in the chorus.

I’ve already shouted about the greatness that is the tracks Alestorm and Mexico, and how they’re primed to be fan favorites when they tour. I mean who doesn’t want to shout “RUM, BEER, QUESTS AND MEAD” over and over? Because it’s fun as hell.

The songs also seem to be more complex than their earlier work. Lots of key changes and rhythms that are funkier and poppy and less just crazy metal all the time always. It’s awesome.

Treasure Island is a great closer, perfect for the pre-encore finale when they tour. Methodical for the first half then taking a frenetic turn, with a chorus that’ll be great to hear shouted throughout any venue.

It’s gotta be hard to put together a few songs that have great singalong portions to them, let alone an entire album. And yet Alestorm’s done it on almost every album they’ve released. Go listen to the album. Then listen to it again. Then listen to the dog version. Then go on a quest for mead.

Oh also the deluxe edition comes with all the songs, but the vocal tracks are replaced with dogs barking. Or borking. Either way it’s goofy and hilarious and I look forward to it showing up on jukeboxes just so I can mess with people.

P.S. Quest.

Friday Morning Metal – Alestorm – Mexico

I posted it before, but now there’s an official video for Alestorm’s Mexico, so you can hear the lyrics clearly and see all the weird stuff they thought deserved to be in the video.

The songs got a great shout & response vibe to it, and I really like that they mention that the alcohol’s free. Alestorm really is leaning in to the goofy vibe that they’re making Scottish Pirate Metal, so even if they swapped puffy shirts for OH WOW hats and chiptunes and random 16-bit graphics, they’re still crushing it.

Also the song clocks in at a hair over 3 minutes. I assume that’s about as much time as you need for a future party metal anthem.

Anyway, enjoy!

Friday Morning Metal – Alestorm – Alestorm

Man, if only the upcoming album was title Alestorm, it could’ve been a metal trifecta! This is the first video for Alestorm’s song “Alestorm” on the album “No Grave But the Sea.” It’s pretty awesome and should be a great shout & response song when they tour. The secondary keyboardist gets some feature time with the growly vocals, and they’re pretty good.

Oh hey, if you pre-order the crazy full big album, they’ll send a version where all the vocals are replaced by dog barking. Serious. In case you need that kind of thing.

Anyway, enjoy some Alestorm! They sing about quests!

Friday Morning Metal – Alestorm – Mexico

Tuesday night Alestorm came to the Wild Buffalo, bringing Aether Realm and Nekrogoblikon with them. Along with a giant inflatable duck and a banner a bit too big for the venue, so it ended up looking like LeStorn instead. And LeStorn straight up crushed it!

The thing that was really great was afterward chatting with friends who bartend there. All of them said it was the most fun they’ve had at a show in years. Probably because of the inflatable duck. Or John Goblikon. Either way, I hope this means we’ll get more crazy ass fun metal coming through Bellingham way.

ALSO. Also, Keyboard Maven Christopherrrrrr Bowes & the band let us in on an upcoming track from an upcoming album! It’s called Mexico, and it’s right down here. They’re definitely pulling more dance pop hooks into their music and frankly it’s great. We don’t need to be full on squeedlies and meadlies for a whole album. Sometimes we need to hear synth and poppy beats and something that sounds like in the Navy.

Anyway, behold! Mexico!

Friday Morning Metal – Alestorm – Magnetic North

Alestorm, those cheeky Scottish Pirate Metal mavens, have released a new music video, for their song Magnetic North. And it’s a weird video. There are people in prison, and some sort of prison guard dance scene, and a recipe for a cocktail what includes “dog poo.” Not as piratey as their previous videos, but they’re having fun & that’s all that matters.

This is a… unique song. I’m pretty sure they lifted the hook from In the Navy for it, and it’s a bit slower than some of their other songs (Lookin at you, Keelhauled). But it’s pretty catchy and definitely shows off some of the quirkiness that is part & parcel of the Alestorm experience. And you get some growl from the new keyboardist. You know a metal band is going for it when they have someone playing keytar and another playing keyboards.

Friday Morning Metal – PIRATE METAL WEEKEND

Greetings you lovely nerd. This weekend I am seeing both Alestorm and Swashbuckle at El Corazon for PIRATEFEST AMERICA. I feel like it needs to be in all caps. Because it’s loud. And probably drunk. So today’s Friday morning metal will deal with the greatness that is 17th century oceanic traveler-themed metal.

I’m sure most of these have been in previous Friday Mornings Metal, but I don’t care. It’s loud, it’s fast, and it’s about sailing the high seas while going on quests.

Alestorm

From Scotland’s bonny shores they do hail. I’ve seen these guys live a few times, and every time it’s a hoot as well as a holler. Alestorm epitomizes what’s fun about metal. They’re talented musicians, but they don’t take themselves so seriously that the songs suffer. Who else can turn a Lazytown song into a great metal cover? Or cover a Taio Cruz song?

Their songs have a definite shout & response feel, which is perfect for drunken pirates and metalheads alike. I’m definitely looking forward to yelling WENCHES & MEAD.

You Are a Pirate

Hangover

Wooden Leg

Swashbuckle

With a bigger, brasher, thrash sound, Swashbuckle shreds the high seas and guitars with equal abandon. I haven’t seen these guys live yet, but I bet they put on a hell of a show. PARTY BOAT PARTYBOAT PARTYBOAT.

Cruise Ship Terror

Nautical Nonsense

Beat It

Music of 2014 – In No Particular Order

Hah so every jagweed and dilsnoofus is making top ten albums lists of 2014 so I’m going to try to do the same. I imagine it’ll be more like a top 7. Maybe 8.

alestorm-sunset-on-the-golden-age Alestorm – Sunset On the Golden Age: I’ve been a huge fan of Alestorm since Captain Morgan’s revenge. Their brand of pirate metal is tighter than ever on Sunset on the Golden Age, jumping from frenetic pit screamers like Wooden Leg to mellow party classics like Hangover. Chris Bowes’ vocals continue to give off a great pirate bent while still stretching his skills, and I think the addition of a second keyboardist not only fills out the sound, but allows him to focus more on the singing than the keyboarding from time to time.
D'Angelo_-_Black_Messiah_Album_Cover D’Angelo & The Vanguard – Black Messiah: Hah I write about metal here all the time, and here’s a crazy great funk album. I think I listened to it five times in a row when I first got it. Life needs more funk in it. And not just funk, good damn funk. This is it. I know plenty of butts are already moving to “Ain’t that Easy” and I can only imagine how many kids are going to be born in September because of this album.
Black_Moon_Rising_(Falconer_album)_coverart Falconer – Black Moon Rising: Man Mathias Blad has a phenomenal set of pipes. This album starts off with a blast with Locust Swarm, bringing you into all the might and majesty that you expect from a Falconer album. A healthy dose of double kick bass drums, proper balance between noodly and chunky guitars, and Blad’s vocals lilting over it all. Now if only they’d tour the US…
murder-city-devils-white-ghost-blood-on-its-hands-again-cover-art Murder City Devils – The White Ghost Has Blood on Its Hands Again: I grew up across the lake from the city and cut my teeth on plenty of Murder City Devils back in the late 90s. I even saw their first last show, Halloween 2001. These guys have put together their fare share of rock albums, and The White Ghost Has Blood on Its Hands Again takes it to a new direction. A few of the songs, like Pale Disguise, have a kind of unnerving, foreboding feel to them, gives me Nick Cave vibes.
Primus_&_The_Chocolate_Factory Primus – Primus & The Chocolate Factory: Speaking of unnerving and foreboding. Take one of the most terrifying movies of many childhoods, add in Les Claypool, and you have something that probably keeps a few adults up at night. Based on the music from the 1971 Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Primus manages to take the songs that were already creepy and add a slow crescendo of dissonance and terror, turning this into a go-to album for many halloween mixes.
DragonForce-Maximum-Overload Dragonforce – Maximum Overload: Much like Falconer, I got a little bored with Dragonforce for a bit. I think it was the singer they had or something after the original left. Anyway, they got a new singer and they have reclaimed a place in my heart! Especially with a power metal cover of Ring of Fire. That’s just great. The album has the same great key changes and codas you expect from classic Dragonforce, and the new singer does a grand job keeping up.
JudasPriestRedeemerSouls Judas Priest – Redeemer of Souls: I’m not sure how a bunch of guys in their mid 60s can rock as balls out as Judas Priest do, but they manage to pull it off on Redeemer of Souls. The vocals aren’t as brutal as, say, Screaming for Vengeance or Painkiller, but you get such a solid performance from Halford no matter what octave he’s hitting. Scope out Dragonaut, and wonder if that’s a space dragon or a guy who flies around and battles on a dragon. And then get your face melted with the Halls of Valhalla!

Whattaya know, it’s seven!

Party Metal!

So the other day I popped up a Friday Morning Metal about Municipal Waste, it was a great song from an article I read about Party Metal. They claim it to be a subset of metal songs that can be played AT a party without people getting confused and wanting to leave. And that’s a great jumping off point to more songs about partying. Or drinking. Or having a hangover. Or anything else.

The article itself referenced some good alternative & punk songs, which are good gateway drugs to turning people to the dark side of metal. My list is by no means complete, but it seems to lend itself more toward metal than pop punk and other assorted music found in the list.

Andrew W.K.

He’s referenced in the article. He’s the king of partying. His music, especially on “I Get Wet,” is full of huge drums, layered guitars, and fantastic hooks. And then just amazing choruses that can get the whole party worked up. There’s a reason his songs are featured in party intros in movies like Old School and more than a few Bud Light ads. Because he wants fun. And he’s gonna party til he pukes.

It’s Time to Party:

Party Hard:

Party Party Party:

Turisas – Rasputin

It helps that Ra Ra Rasputine was a disco hit before Turisas got their Finnish hands all over it. Not everyone digs disco, but it’s at least something people can dance to. And Turisas’s version has a bigger feel to it, something you can bounce and fist pump to, or throw up on the cat. Whatever happens at your parties. Did you know Rasputin was Russia’s greatest love machine?

Korpiklaani

Korpiklaani usually play pagan folk metal, with songs about like I don’t know what because I don’t speak Finnish. However they have a couple songs that are great party anthems. “Bring us Pints of Beer” and “Vodka” are both in English and both have a solid hook. They might be better beer pong and depth charge type parties, but they’re loud and fun.

Bring us Pints of Beer:

Vodka:

Alestorm

It’s a good thing pirates were drunken louts, because that means Alestorm is a wealth of shout & response big crazy songs. There’s a reason my friends made shirts that say “WE ARE HERE TO DRINK YOUR BEER” for my birthday. And it wasn’t just because I was there to drink some beer.

Wenches & Mead:

Drink:

Hangover:

Demons & Wizards – Immigrant Song

This is a bit more on the edge of party songs, definitely a backing track to a beer pong tournament. Demons & Wizards cover the Led Zeppelin classic with aplomb, giving it a bigger, fuller sound than you hear from the greats of the early 70s.

Earthless – Flower Travelin’ Man

A buddy of mine loves putting these on the jukebox at his bar. He says it’s the cheapest way to keep crappy music from playing for an hour or so. Earthless has been on here before, they’re a proggy metal jam band out of San Diego, and they specialize in long form songs with big builds and assorted other great stuff. And there aren’t any lyrics, so it fits well in the background of a party night.

Clearly not all of these are going to work at every party. But if your party is getting wild, this might be able to kick it up a notch.

Friday Morning Metal – Alestorm – Buckfast Powersmash

Hey so Scotland is hoping to gain independence from the United Kingdom, which sounds pretty awesome. I did hear from a friend who has family in Scotland that a few of them are pushing against it because it’ll mean certain booze won’t get into the new country. Some people asked what it was and she said it was just some not very good fizzy wine. I asked if it was Buckfast and she couldn’t believe I knew what it was.

So thank you, Alestorm, for teaching me about this lurgid champagne. I do want to try it at some point.