Talk like a pirate day

Arg and ahoy there, mateys. 'Tis "talk like a pirate day"!
What does that have to do with metal? No much. So change it. To go along with talking like a pirate start pulling out those Running Wild and Alestorm records and blasting them as a soundtrack for today.

Clash of the album covers

Two recent releases to choose from.


Alestorm-Back through time

vs.


Tyr-The lay of Thrym

***Which cover do you prefer?

Alestorm-Back through time

Napalm
2011

Just the other day I was thinking that "I could really use some Scottish Pirate metal about now". Okay, I wasn't thinking that exactly but after hearing the new one from Alestorm maybe that should have been my thought. I knew of this band, but this is the first album I have heard from them. Combining power metal with folk elements works nicely as a backdrop for Alstorm's tales of the seven seas, buccaneers and drinking songs. I always enjoyed Running Wild, but never really thought metal needed another pirate themed act, but perhaps I was wrong. On tracks like "Swashbuckled", "The sunk'n Norweigian" and "Buckfast Powersmash" this band does a fine job of combining power metal with folk elements enough to keep their tracks exciting. The "arghh, Matey" tone of the vocals might get on your nerves after a whiel, but I suppose they try to keep in character for the whole album. Is the pirate angle a gimmick or just a theme? Probably both, but the bottom line is that I enjoy the new album and if concentrating on scurvy dogs and walking planks works then so be it.