Alestorm - Black Sails At Midnight

2009 | PIRATE METAL | POWER METAL | FOLK ROCK

Track Listing

 

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

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Track 4. Keelhauled

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Fish - Vigil In A Wilderness Of Mirrors

1990 | NEO - PROGRESSIVE ROCK | POP ROCK

Track Listing

 

1. Vigil In A Wilderness Of Mirrors ✔
2. Big Wedge ✔
3. State Of Mind
4. The Company ✔
5. A Gentleman's Excuse Me ✔
6. The Voyeur (I Like To Watch)

7. Family Business

8. View From The Hill

9. Cliché

✔ indicates track pick

Rating

 

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Review 

The 80's were truly the golden age of neo-progressive rock. Artists such as Pendragon, Pallas and Twelfth Night were finding moderate amounts of success in album sales but without a shadow of a doubt, Marillion were clearly reigning supreme in the genre. Their popularity peaked with their third studio album, 'Misplaced Childhood', a commercial and musical success which can mostly be attributed to guitar led ballad 'Kayleigh' and piano led ballad 'Lavender'. But it couldn't last; due to differences between charismatic frontman Derek W. Dick, aka 'Fish' and the manger, the band parted ways with the Scottish vocalist and each of them forged their separate paths. Marillion would go on to write and release many more albums over the years, however none quite finding the commercial success of 'Misplaced Childhood'. Fish meanwhile assembled his band of merry men to begin his solo career, including keyboard virtuoso Mickey Simmonds, guitarists Frank Usher and Hal Lindes along with Job Giblin on Bass and Mark Brzezicki on drums. Iron Maiden guitarist Janick Gers even contributed on one song. The result was a creation which stands still to this day as possibly the best thing Fish has ever done, a worthy contribution to neo-prog rock.

I think it's the down to earth nature of the whole affair, crossed with the diversity that made me enjoy this so much. Every song is something different and exciting; there's no formula. Things kick off with the obligatory progressive rock epic and title track, 'Vigil In A Wilderness Of Mirrors'. Lush, heavily laden synths and organs lead into the song, and after a few Pink Floyd-esque guitar licks, things really get going. The chorus comes in strong and grand, with gigantic guitar chords, and it's all filled out with an array of piano lines, trumpets, bells and another serving of that gloriously warm synth. But it never becomes too much; everything interplays so well, and I'd go as far to say that it matches some of Meatloaf's slower numbers as far as majestic symphonic rock goes. It's here when you first notice how brilliantly produced this album was; it's a very rich and full sound and this was only enhanced when it was later remastered. Next up is lead single 'Big Wedge', a big cheesy pop rock number, very upbeat and direct to the point, while 'State of Mind' also delights, with a deliciously funky bass riff. Just when you thought things couldn't get better, along comes 'The Company', with subtle folk rock influences and a chorus that you'll be humming to yourself for days. The traditional sounding folk interlude in the middle is truly inspired, and it leads on to a lush melodic string solo. 

Fish also has a softer side, aptly demonstrated in 'A Gentleman's Excuse Me' with some dainty piano work and soft crooning from the rugged Scotsman. Derek W. Dick appears very rough around the edges, with the build of a lumberjack, so it's certainly a shock to hear such a man singing about flowers and fairytales. However it's the diversity like this that really makes this album the special listen it is. Also worth a mention is what I'd consider the polar opposite of 'A Gentleman's Excuse Me', 'The View From A Hill', and with future Iron Maiden guitarist, Janick Gers, at the helm I'd expect nothing less. While some of the other tracks focus on creating a melodic backdrop for Fish to demonstrate his powerful vocal chops, this is very much a guitar driven song, with a slow acoustic buildup to a heavy hitting chorus and a rocking guitar solo in the middle. The album closes with 'Cliche', a cruisy, bluesy laid back jam. It's just the brilliant songwriting and fantastic vocal performance from Fish that make this album. Mostly when bands split and each member goes off to start a solo career, things fall a little flat, and lack in creative energy. However Fish has selected a stellar ensemble for his debut solo effort. And the result? Masterpiece.

The Musicians Are...

Derek W. 'Fish' Dick - Vocals 
Frank Usher - Guitar
Hal Lindes - Guitar
Mickey Simmonds - Keyboard, Synths
John Giblin - Bass Guitar 
Mark Brzezicki - Drums

  

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Track 2. Big Wedge

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Eleventh He Reaches London - Hollow Be My Name

2009 | POST ROCK | POST HARDCORE | ALTERNATIVE

Track Listing

 

1. Hollow Be My Name ✔

2. Britain And Structure 

3. I Am The Bearer, I Stand In Need

4. Son, You're Almost An Orphan

5. Oh, Brother ✔

6. Gaze To The North 

7. Toorali ✔

8. Hill Of Grace

9. Girt By Piss

10. Death Is My Holiday
11. For The Commonwealth And The Queen

✔ indicates track pick

Rating

 

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Review 

Eleventh He Reaches London's sophomore record 'Hollow Be My Name' is certainly a tough sell. Half the prospective audience will notice the 'post-hardcore' label and instantly click away to something less repetitive and miserable. And it's most likely the other half will see the 'post-rock' label, and recoil at the prospect of no easily identifiable chorus and verse structures. It's also most likely that the few remaining will take one look at the album cover's rather dull depiction of colonial conquest and click away to something brightly colored and shiny. Now I'm not suggesting here that the reason this will never hit the mainstream is that most judge an album by it's label and cover. However if you do pass up listening to the music as a result of one of these reasons, you're truly missing something special; It's brooding, it's dramatic and it's brilliant. Although their last album was an engaging listen, the problem was it didn't sound like it was finished, and everything hadn't quite fallen into place yet. However this five piece from Perth, Australia have managed to pull all the elements together for 'Hollow Be My Name' perfectly.

It's a diverse mix of songs that comprise this album and I can suggest no better place to start than with 'Oh Brother'; essentially a campfire jam, which needs to be watched with it's accompanying video to get a real feel for the music. Taking you on a journey back through time, it builds up slowly with a mellow muted guitar riff setting the rhythm, giving plenty of space for the subtle guitar melodies to work their magic. The three guitars utilize a wide range of sounds here, providing a thick texture and there's even a banjo thrown in to spice things up! Lead singer Lenton's voice has certainly improved since the last release, delivering the bleak lyrics with raw emotion, while never detracting from the music; the vocals are always kept quite low in the mix. Then after an ambling guitar solo, the big finale comes in the form of a whole band singalong, interweaving guitars and frantic, crashing and clashing drums. The title track 'Hollow Be My Name' is also an obvious standout, with a basic rock beat and simple chord structures. It's based around  one simple progression however it's stretched out to almost six minutes. This is one thing the band does well, and it's the reason for a comparison to post rock; it's not about the instant gratification of a chorus such as with modern pop. It's more about the journey and the way the tension builds until the climax is reached, where the listener is bombarded with a wall of theatrical noise, taking their breath away, before gently easing off the throttle and fading away. 

The influence of traditional folk ballads in Eleventh He Reaches London's music remains present throughout the album; two prime examples being 'Son, You're Almost An Orphan' and 'Death Is My Holiday'. With the the latter you can almost picture a group of raggedy bushmen huddling round a campfire and signing in an off key unison. However the band's best showcase of traditional Australian tunes is shown in their take on the ancient ballad 'Botany Bay', where they breathe some much needed life into the classic. And if the convicts destined for Australia all those years ago had guitars and drums available, then they would certainly have sung and played this from dawn to dusk to provide comfort on their long and terrifying voyage. Overall it's a wonderfully written album, and indeed one of the best to come out Australia in recent years. It's driven by passionate songwriting, a thoughtful approach to instrumentation and a level of care taken in writing and recording the music that's rarely seen in modern music today. I think there's certainly a few bands that could take a lesson from Eleventh He Reaches London.

The Musicians Are...

Ian Lenton - Vocals, Guitar, Banjo, Percussion 
Jayden Worts - Guitar, Backing Vocals, Synthesizer, Percussion
Jeremy Martin - Guitar, Backing Vocals, Keys
Craig McElhinney - Bass Guitar 
Mark Donaldson - Drums

  

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Track 5. Oh, Brother

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