Alestorm - No Grave but the Sea
Released May 26th 2017
Christopher Bowes, Máté Bodor, Gareth Murdock, Elliot Vernon, Peter Alcorn
Genre: Pirate metal
Intro
You thought the last review was strange? That was only the appetizer. THIS is my guilty pleasure band. This band is absolutely AWESOME. This album is rather recent from these lads, and it is an absolute jam to listen to. I will tell you now, this band is PROBABLY not for you. They are metal as fuck, and they ONLY sing about being pirates and doing pirate things. I think it's absolutely hilarious and so fucking fun. If you enjoy metal and you're prepared to not take yourself too seriously, listen to this.
Thoughts & Feelings?
This album- OBVIOUSLY- makes me feel like a pirate. I don't really know what else you want me to say here. This album makes me feel like for SOME reason we have electricity on our ship, and we're fucking jamming going crazy and mosh pitting at sea. There's nothing else in my life that matters, only sailing the sea, going on adventures, and drinking rum.
I spoke with the lead singer of this band Christopher Bowes on Instagram, and he is an absolute pleasure of a human being. I cannot say enough high praise for how nice this band is- and it makes complete sense. Who cares about what's going on around in the world? Let's all get drunk and party and act like idiots. That's exactly why I love this band so much. I have so much stress going on, and this is the perfect album and band to get your brain into the mindset of- okay who the fuck cares about all that shit that's going on? This is the kind of stuff I live for. Having fun. This album is absolutely fun, and I highly recommend their other albums too. They have some great bangers, this album is just my favourite of them all. Shoutout to Kay, she has this album art tattooed on her leg.
This band is incredible live. They have so much fucking energy. If you ever have the opportunity to sea them- SEA them (haha). Seariously. Go check them out on YouTube if you can, their live performances are fucking awesome.
This band is one of those guilty pleasure bands that you need to give context before you play in public. I ALWAYS have to tell people that this is a metal band that act, play, and sing songs about pirates. Have you guys ever seen Dodgeball? You know who I'm talking about if you've seen the movie- this band is if that guy made a band.
I just can't help but have a huge smile on my face listening to this album.
Smash or Pass?
No Grave but the Sea - SMASH. SEXY drum intro, sexy guitar, sexy keyboard work. This probably isn't the song I would show a newcomer to this genre and this band, but this is a good opening to this album exclusively. This song is just so jammy and fun, I can't help but smile and imagine we're all singing this while on the sea. This gets me in the perfect mood for what's to come. That FUCKING VIOLIN SOLO, even though I'm pretty confident it's Chris playing the keytar (WHICH HE DOES, IT'S AWESOME).
Mexico - SMMAAAASSSHHH AS FUUUCCKKKK, if you know me at all, you've heard this song. I've made you listen to it. This song is fucking JAMMY AS FUCK. The music video is fucking HILARIOUS, and AWESOME. I fucking adore this song, this is one of my go to happy songs. If you're going to give this band a chance, listen to this song. This is the vibe of all of their songs. Nice fun metal songs that you can just scream and sing to while getting drunk and partying your ass off. This is probably my favourite Alestorm song ever, and definitely the best on this album in my opinion just based on how much fucking FUN it is. It's so fucking silly and fantastic. Absolutely 10/10.
To the End of the World - SMASH. This one is such a bang. It's so loud and in your face. The horns are perfect. This is so fantastic. This is exactly what all of their songs sound like. This is like THE generic Alestorm song. It's awesome. I love how many different instruments always get involved in these songs. I also love that they're not afraid to get screamy, that's a welcome introduction. UGH THAT SCREAMING BIT HALFWAY THROUGH. Absolutely incredible. MWAH, chefs kiss to an already great song. This song honestly feels like movie soundtrack. The flute is MWAH.
Alestorm - SMAAASH. It took them this long to make a self titled song? I suppose so. I have CHILLS listening to this song. This is one of their defining songs. This is what Alestorm is, and this is the perfect song to tell you who they are. The chorus is FUCKING PERFECT. I cannot sing this one for shit because of how high the chorus gets but it's incredible. This song is so absolutely fun I cannot get over how metal it is. I absolutely love how much screaming there is in this song. I wish I could listen to this song forever.
Bar ünd Imbiss - Smash. This song isn't my favourite but it's super fucking fun still. It's absolutely jammy and groovy- no mistaking that. The chorus is absolutely INCREDIBLE. CHILLS bro. I absolutely love the group chant. It just gives off such a tavern vibe and that's exactly what it's going. The fucking solos are also AWESOME. The fucking lyrics to this song are hilarious as well. I have such a vivid image in my mind listening to this song. It's so easy to daydream to.
Fucked with an Anchor - SMASH. This song is fucking hilarious. Don't listen to this with kids around, cause every other word is a swear and it's glorious. I can't help but laugh my ass off listening to this song, and I think that's the fucking point. I also find it fucking hilarious that there's lore in this song as to why the singer swears so much. It's absolutely hilarious. Listen to this one please, it's fucking funny. I decided to go back and count how many swears I heard. In total: 60 LMAO.
Pegleg Potion - SMMMAAASHHHHH YEESS BABYYYY I fucking love this one. This is easily my 2nd favourite song on this album. This one gets stuck in my head all the fucking time. It's so god damn catchy. I can't describe how much I love this song. Every tiny little nuance is so perfect, the chorus is so fucking catchy. Yeah this song is definitely more of a jam than crushed strawberries. I adore this song so god damn much and I can't tell you why, it just sounds absolutely fantastic. SO MUCH FUN.
Man the Pumps - Smash. This one is definitely fun but we've passed the best songs of the album by this point. This one is definitely groovy and jammy but not a huge party song. The lyrics are also like wtf? For some reason I can't stand the word pump. The chorus is pretty fucking fun though.
Rage of the Pentahook - Smash. The violin of this one is super sweet. I enjoy it a lot. This song is definitely fun. The guitar is FUCKING SICK. I love when they do harmonics, that shit is awesome. The chorus is fun but not as fun as others on this album. This song is honestly somewhat forgettable, but it's still pretty good. I would never skip this one but I wouldn't put it in my playlist.
Treasure Island - Smash. This song goes on forever and I wish it ended way earlier, but it's still an absolute pleasure of a song. The chorus is pretty catchy and bouncy, but I wouldn't really want this one in my playlist. The guitar is pretty fucking good though. The guitar solo is also pretty sexy. I also LOVE the ending, the callback to No Grave but the Sea in acoustic version as the waves wash, it's so magical.
Extras - for Dogs
...what the fuck.
Conclusion
I LOVE this band, and I love this album. This band I would definitely never put in a playlist that I would have playing while family is around. It's almost embarrassing listening to these songs in public, but when you're alone or with friends that you trust- it's perfect and such a party. You probably can't play ANY of these songs without introduction first. DESPITE ALL OF THAT- this album and this band is amazing. It's the perfect album to listen to when you've got way too much going on in your mind.
What do you guys think? Is this band too silly for you, or are you down for the heavy metal pirates to invade your heart? Leave your thoughts below, you scallywag.
RANK: A
- Sharky
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