Alestorm
Black Sails at Midnight

Wacken Open Air 2009: after about thirty years of an honorable career, Running Wild, the unforgettable pirates of '80s/'90s metal, disband at the end of the show. Someone is needed to take up their scepter (or their bottle of rum), and two names step forward: Swashbuckle and especially Alestorm.

The four Scots (in civilian life Christopher Bowes, vocals and keyboard; Dani Evans, guitar; Gaz Murdoch, bass; Ian Wilson, drums) indeed owe much to the historic German band: beyond, of course, the pirate themes, Alestorm borrow their typical power rhythms, that is, crushing double bass drum, "chainsaw" guitar in the rhythmic parts but very melodic in the solos, and epic quick-grab choruses. A formula not that original, to be fair, which definitely reached more success in the hands of the inspirers, but which our guys season with a good dose of sumptuous keyboards (never cloying or banal, mind you) that lends the ensemble a very cinematic taste, almost like a pirate version of Turisas.

A good example of the sound offered by the crew is "The Quest", opening their second album "Black Sails at Midnight", released this spring. The song starts immediately, guitar and keyboard together provide a catchy chorus right away, perfect to sing at concerts (or with friends if one has a sufficient dose of beer in the system). The main course is, however, the following track, "Leviathan", a true delight for the ears of those who love epic and powerful sounds (in the style of the aforementioned Turisas, to be clear): it's a track that would cut a fine figure as the soundtrack of any action scene from "Pirates of the Caribbean", and Barnes is really good at describing the struggle against the sea monster, with his sailor-turned-alcoholic singing and his symphonic keyboard always rich in pathos.

Truly a remarkable piece, perhaps the peak of the album, along with "Keelhauled", the first single released: the speed increases, Barnes mimics an accordion and a violin for a track that sounds as if Korpiklaani were covering a sea shanty. Indeed, the Finnish group is among the band's most evident influences, along with the previously mentioned Running Wild and Turisas. In "Keelhauled" however, their influence is felt much more than in the rest of the album, such is the debt that this track owes to their historic "Happy Little Boozer": same frenetic rhythm, same alcoholic theme, same tavern atmosphere (another track from this album, "That Famous Ol' Spiced", really sounds like it came out of a smoky 18th-century Scottish tavern). After the big ballad "To the End of Our Days", the pace picks up again with the heavy/power of the title track, the hardest-hitting piece on the album.

The standout tracks of the album are these, along with the concluding (excluding the bonus tracks) "Wolves of the Sea", the true manifesto of Alestorm (not by chance placed at the end of concerts as well). So, is it a good album? Generally, yes, it's a quite enjoyable album, although it obviously has its flaws. Firstly, a certain underlying repetitiveness, which, considering the band only has released two albums, is fortunately still not too noticeable. Certainly, those who are not familiar with or do not appreciate power or folk sounds will hardly digest this second effort by Alestorm, but lovers of epic/cinematic metal will surely be thrilled. Secondly, Chris Barnes' singing. Mind you, it's very good within the band's economy, but it's far too monotonous and repetitive. In some tracks, it perfectly serves the purpose of creating the sailor-like atmosphere so dear to the Scots, but in others (especially the tracks in the second half of the album) it sounds repetitive and ultimately tiresome.

It is hoped, therefore, that our pirates can vary their formula in the future, at least in part, because another album in the style of the first two would hardly be acceptable. Too much is indeed too much, as they say. And we hope, therefore, that Alestorm won't overdo it, otherwise, instead of being the heirs to Running Wild, they will only be yet another half-kept promise.

The score is a 3.5... I round it up to 4 because it's still better than the first album, and also because I like them a lot!