Alestorm are always full of piratey goodness, but it’s been the same old song for quite a while now. Are the band running it’s course? Are pirates getting boring? We review the new album ‘No Grave But the Sea‘.
[tracklist]
01. No Grave But The Sea
02. Mexico
03. To The End Of The World
04. Alestorm
05. Bar Ünd Imbiss
06. Fucked With An Anchor
07. Pegleg Potion
08. Man The Pumps
09. Rage Of The Pentahook
10. Treasure Island
[/tracklist]
[details]
[length]45:37[/length]
[record_label]Napalm Records[/record_label]
[release_date]26th May 2017[/release_date]
[/details]
Read that question back – ‘Are pirates getting boring?’. It’s fair to say that if the alternative community aren’t sick of pirates already, it’s quite likely they are never going to be. Alestorm seem to capitalise on that notion every three years, and release a new album to get rum pouring and initiate a flagrant array of ‘Arrr’s from the general public.
In 2017 it’s ‘No Grave But The Sea‘ that revives the worldwide pirate vibes, and kicks off no different than any Alestorm album has before. Trumpets are blaring, drum lines are galloping, faux-accordions and fiddles battle to be noticed and vocals get so raspy even Blackbeard would approve.
It get’s fast and furious, it slows down with some drunken anthems, and each track is rife with singalong hooks. Yes it’s Alestorm all over – musically the exact same thing on offer as albums past. What makes ‘No Grave But The Sea‘ stand out however is whole lyrical concept of each track has become remarkably silly. Alestorm don’t seem to care what they write about anymore, and ironically it benefits the album.
Singing about donkey show adventures in ‘Mexico‘, calling out every wrongdoer on the planet with the coarse ‘Fucked by an Anchor‘, and of course referring to getting a tad sloppy with ‘Pegleg Potion‘. It’s mostly obscenity dipped in the day to day dealings of a pirate, but each track is so hilarious that it renders musical analysis redundant.
‘No Grave But The Sea‘ is a massively entertaining album. Nobody will buy this album as an homage to metal’s musical brilliance, but as a glorious pirate adventure from start to finish, mediated by crude language, drunken escapades and dreams of treasure. A full drunken quest that’s better than the rest.
[verdict]Yes[/verdict]
[why]It’s silly, it’s the same, but it’s absolutely brilliant. Alestorm sprinkle some ridiculous lyrics to their epic pirate sound, and believe it or not, makes ‘No Grave But the Sea’ one to remember.[/why]
