On this page I'll be aiming to introduce you to what I believe are some true treasures in the world of music. Hopefully you'll find your next favorite artist here, with my focus being on the quality of the music rather than quantity. Select a genre you enjoy from the sidebar to get started or hit the 'View Random Post' button below to discover something unfamiliar. You can also request reviews and uploads in the above links.
Disclaimer: I do not host any of the downloadable content featured on this site. All links refer to compressed files on various file-sharing sites, where other individuals have uploaded the content. All links were found through a Google web search, so if you've got a problem with any of the content, take it up with Google for listing it in the first place. This blog is about the promotion, not the piracy of music. If you like the music, delete the album after giving it a listen, then support the band and buy the album and merch.
So I haven't posted on this site in while; I'd really like to post more, however due to the unfortunate state of file sharing at the moment, links get taken down quicker than I can put them up. Since the dubious takedown of Megaupload, filesharing sites have become over cautious and are now quick to take down album uploads. They're still out there, but they get taken down much quicker now and as a result most of the download links on this site will now probably be obsolete and I haven't got time to go through at replace them all.
Each of my reviews gives you a few suggestions on the top songs to listen too, most of which can be found with a quick Youtube search. If you still feel the need to sample the whole album before you buy, I can recommend the filesharing search engines FilesTube and FileTram which are constantly indexing new links.
If you download the album and like it, remember to try and support the artist by buying merch, going to shows or buying a hard copy.
Taking a break from posting on this blog for a while, but I will return to it eventually.
In the meantime I'll be focusing on a new site of mine, which will be a bit more genre specific, covering trancecore and trance metal and any other kind of electronic metal
1. The Quest 2. Leviathan 3. That Famous Ol' Spiced 4. Keelhauled ✔ 5. To The End Of Our Days 6. Black Sails At Midnight
7. No Quarter
8. Pirate Song
9. Chronicles Of Vengance ✔ 10. Wolves Of The Sea ✔
✔ indicates track pick
Rating
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Review
If you're a serious metal listener, after something bleak and brutal, then Alestorm, and their latest effort isn't for you. However if you're settling in for a cheerful drinking night with your mates and you want ten enthusiastic drinking anthems to accompany the whole intoxicated mayhem that follows, then look no further. I honestly don't think I've ever had this much fun with a metal album. Pirates have come back into fashion again in full swing, with the 'Pirates Of Caribbean' franchise smashing multiple box office records, so it's only fitting that a musical counterpart has presented itself. In case you haven't cottoned on to what this band is all about by now, Alestorm play what some have defined as 'Pirate Metal'; in essence it's a cross between folk and power metal. However after listening to the music, seeing the artwork, watching the music video and reading the lyrics, 'Pirate Metal' seems much more appropriate. After releasing their debut album, 'Captain Morgan's Revenge' critics were divided. While the album did receive some encouraging reviews, many pondered if there was anything else that was left to do in this very niche genre.
These fears were misplaced however, as 'Black Sails At Midnight' proves Alestorm are more than just a gimmick band. Yes it follows the same basic concept and formula of the first album, however everything has been taken to the next level; the diversity is greater, the songwriting is stronger, the instrumentation is richer. And through all this progression they've still managed to retain the sensational vibe of the first album, crafting a treasure chest of seaworthy pirate anthems. 'Quest' kicks off the album with fast paced riffs and swiftly pounding drums. The closest to a conventional power metal song on the album, it's also very theatrical and could almost be mistaken for a Rhapsody Of Fire or Sonata Arctica b-side, if not for the vocals. The vocals are - well just imagine what a pirate metal band's vocals would sound like and you'd be pretty spot on. Chris Bowes certainly has a rough pirate sounding voice; but it does wear a little thin after a few songs. He certainly doesn't scream or growl, but I'm not quite sure I'd call it singing either. Although he does attempt to sing in the general vicinity of the main melody, it's often a bit hit and miss and sometimes doesn't come through the harshly spoken lyrics. It especially apparent on the slower numbers, such as ballad 'To The End Of Our Days', which apart from a wonderfully traditional sounding singalong in the chorus, can be almost painful to listen to at times.
However it's obvious to see that this band isn't about displaying musical talent; it's just about having a bit of fun, 'Keelhauled' being a prime example of this. A hasty piano accordion riff leads us in, played by Chris Bowes on his key-tar (yes, you heard me; a key-tar), accompanied with some frantic violin work that will have you tapping your toes and humming along. However it's the chorus where things are at their best; the whole band joins in and sings the lyrics in unison;
"Keelhaul that filthy landlubber, send him down to the depths below! Make that bastard walk the plank with a bottle of run and a yo ho ho!"
As you can tell, it's not the most deep and meaningful lyrical content, however it's not trying to be. It's memorable, it's repetitive, but most importantly it's so dead simple that anybody could join in and sing along. See my problem with many bombastic power metal bands is that the vocalists have perfect pitch singing capabilities, creating beautiful operatic styled vocal lines, meaning they're often way above my pitiful one octave vocal range. In comparison it's obvious the members of Alestorm are not professionally trained or extremely talented in the vocal department, however this bridges the divide between band and audience, and it's hard to resist singing along whenever an Alestorm song comes on.
I guess it's the constant mixing up of styles and pace that keeps this album from becoming stale and repetitive. While on one hand you have songs such as 'That Famous Old Spiced' and 'Wolves Of The Sea', the latter being an inspired cover of a Eurovision song, which are both traditional grand old singalongs, with blaring trumpets and enough pirate cliches to sink a ship, you have theatrical epics such as 'Leviathan' and 'Chronicles Of Vengeance'. The album stops just short of being perfect however, as the same thing that makes it the worthy listen it is, is the album's major downfall; the key-tar. While the prominence of the key-tar taking lead melody is enjoyable and extremely cheerful, there's almost a key-tar solo on every song, and they easily outnumber the guitar solos, a strange occurrence for a power metal band, and it becomes tiresome. In any case, 'Black Sails At Midnight ' may not be the most technically impressive album to come out of the power metal scene in recent years, but it's certainly the most fun.
The Musicians Are...
Christopher Bowes - Vocals, Keyboards Dani Evans - Guitar, Backing Vocals Gareth Murdock - Bass Guitar Ian Wilson - Drums
