The Scottish pirates, Alestorm are back with their fourth studio album and it’s definitely another beer-filled folk fest, as you would expect. With the main themes of the album being booze (‘Drink‘, ‘Mead from Hell‘, ‘Hangover‘), battles over sea (‘1741‘, ‘Surf Squid Warfare‘) and the occasional reflection on life as a pirate (‘Wooden Leg”), the latter of which calling the Japanese and Spanish “bastards”, with hilarious results.
Many songs by Alestorm make you chant you ass off while drinking your beer, whisky and rum, this first track ‘Walk The Plank‘ is no different. This track makes you want to party and let the beast loose as you take every drop down your gullet. There are some definite highlights in the form of, ‘Drink‘ and ‘Hangover‘ that prove you’ll be singing right along with Alestorm up until the final note.
This album is very much a sing-along record, filled with pirate jaunts with metal undertones, along with some harsher moments as well as a few lengthier tracks (such as ‘1741 (The Battle of Cartagena)‘ and ‘Sunset on the Golden Age‘) that we wouldn’t expect from this mix of genres. Crossing the eleven minute mark during ‘Sunset on the Golden Age‘, Alestorm really showcase their instrumental skills and prove to the world that they are more than just a band of drunken pirates.
Alestorm isn’t for everyone, but sometimes you have to immerse yourself in the cheesy silliness of life. This album is a lot of fun and you should give these guys a listen. Drink up me hearties…
