Music Banter - View Single Post - The Playlist of Life --- Trollheart's resurrected Journal

Trollheart · 10-26-2015, 02:58 PM

And now we move on to my own favourite, the first Pirate Metal band I ever listened to, even before I knew it was a thing. Hailing from bonny Scotland, they began their lives as Battleheart, but apart from sounding like just another run-of-the-mill power metal band, this name was actually taken and rather than face legal action from the band who had it first, they thought about it and changed their name to

Although they did release two EPs under the Battleheart name, it seems most if not all of the tracks on those found their way onto the Alestorm albums, so I'm just going to ignore them and go right ahead with their debut album, released in 2008.

Captain Morgan's Revenge --- Alestorm --- 2008 (Napalm Records)

There's an immediate change from pretty much everything we've heard up to now, as we can hear this band is a true proper power metal one, and so we get the usual power metal tropes as we open on “Over the seas”, a great ragged vocal from Christopher Bowes and biting guitars from Gavin Harper (no, there are no silly made-up pirate names, which is indeed a pity) with a driving organ melody lending the song a sense of over-the-top gravitas, then the title track relates how a pirate crew betrayed the code and mutinied, killing their own captain, who then laid a curse on them as he walked the plank. ”We broke the law, betrayed the code/ Now time is running out/ An unforgivable offence/ Of that there is no doubt” they wail as they wait for the gallows. Where it should really be a downbeat song it's very much not, with the pirates accepting their fate and realising that with their deaths the curse of Captain Morgan will be finally lifted.

Great keyboard solo by Bowes, kind of almost a hornpipe and a great growled vocal from him too, and into “The Huntmaster”, where Alestorm pen perhaps one of the most important Pirate Metal lyrics ever --- ”With the power of ale he could not fail”. The song is a rattling power metal monster, galloping along with energy and fun, great fanfares on the keys, then things slow down for a real drinking song as the boys launch into “Nancy the tavern wench” with a swaying, drunken atmosphere and a great hooky chorus. I'd say that of the bands I've listened to so far, Christopher Bowes has the best voice suited to a pirate singing; it's raw, harsh but not scratchy or too growly, just the right side of Beefheart with a dash of Mike Scott in there too.

Kicking things up then with the almost speed metal “Death before the mast” as a pirate's luck runs out and he is sunk by the Royal Navy, going to meet his fate with a grin on his face and his sword in his hand, while another, more fortunate one (or this one before his luck turned) wages war on merchant shipping in “Terror on the high seas”, another rip-roaring adventure that cannons along, and there's no pausing for breath as we barrel into “Set sail and conquer”, great chorus and a real feel of fuck-you-all-we'll-do-what-we-like! Some excellent solos here, and on into “Of treasure” with a great whistle intro and a rolling, rocking acoustic guitar and accordion; I'm sure I've heard the melody in the chorus before though... yeah of course: “Johnny comes marching home”!

I think we can all identify with the sentiments in “Wenches and mead” --- ”Hey hey! I want more wenches!/ Hey hey! Wenches and mead!” and the album ends with a suitably drunken, lurching cover of one of the unofficial Scottish national anthems, “Flower of Scotland”.

TRACKLISTING AND RATINGS

1. Over the seas
2. Captain Morgan's revenge
3. The huntmaster
4. Nancy the tavern wench
5. Death before the mast
6. Terror on the high seas
7. Set sail and conquer
8. Of treasure
9. Wenches and mead
10. Flower of Scotland

I'm not surprised at how good this album is, as Alestorm are the one Pirate Metal band I had actually experienced prior to writing this. It is however gratifying to see that the album I did listen to, their last, was not just a fluke, and now I'm stoked to hear their other two. So on we go...

Spoiler for Black sails at midnight:

Black Sails at Midnight --- Alestorm --- 2009 (Napalm Records)

Interestingly, on this album Alestorm softened their approach a little, bringing in instruments such as trombone, cornets, trumpets and even bagpipes. Though you wouldn't know it from the opener, which has power metal written all over it in large letters, and “The quest” gets things going nicely, with the boys declaring with a grin ”From lands across the sea/ We have returned once more” and indeed they have, as with a mad guitar and keyboard rush they introduce the almost six-minute “Leviathan”. I particularly like how Bowes's thick Scottish accent comes through on the lines ”Tearing bodies limb from limb/ Eviscerating on a whim”. Aye, stitch that, Jimmy!

The trumpets really add something here too, the first time Alestorm have used them.

Another great drinking song with “That famous Ol' Spiced”, some great work by the trumpets here; you can just see all the buccaneers sitting around a table, slapping the arses of tavern wenches and roaring laughing as they bellow ”Pour me a slug of it/ Throw me a mug of it/ Bring me a jug of that Famous Ol' Spiced!” Fiddles and whistles drag “Keelhauled” along at a tremendous pace, guitars and drums getting in on the act too as Bowes grins ”Keelhaul that filthy landlubber/ Send him down to the depths below/ Make that bastard walk the plank/ With a bottle of rum and a yo ho ho!” Things slow down then for “To the end of our days”, a swaying, staggering, rabble-rousing us-against-the-world anthem with a superb organ solo right out of “House of the Rising Sun” and some really expressive violin. Hitting full speed now for the title track, power metal almost meeting speed metal as the boys exult, and another powerful keyboard solo followed by some fret-burning.

The first instrumental from this band then is “No quarter”, and it's the only one on the album, an energetic, upbeat hornpipe with a sweet guitar solo thrown in, and a few rounds of “Hey!” which I know technically stops it being an true instrumental, but who cares? “Pirate song” is a joy to behold, rocking along like crazy with the memoirs of an old seadog as he contemplates his life of robbery and debauchery. “Chronicles of vengeance” has a big dramatic ominous opening, then hammers along at speed with again great input from the brass section, and the album ends on a cover of “Wolves of the sea”, bringing the curtain down in fine style.

TRACKLISTING AND RATINGS

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 vengeance
10. Wolves of the sea

Before I end this review I want to look for one bonus track, which I'm told is only available through itunes. Now, I'm not giving those bastards one plugged penny, but I am hoping someone has uploaded it to ... Yessss! There it is! “P is for Pirate” is a parody on the old Sesame Street song “C is for Cookie” and contains mostly acapella singing with some accordion as they declare “A pirate with one leg looks a bit like the letter P” and “Applejuice looks a little like pee, but you cannot drink that!” Yeah it's only fifty seconds long, but worth hunting down.

As is this album. Another round of rollicking, roaring, rapine roguery from the red-blooded rovers of the rolling sea, and I'm looking forward to the third one already! Now, altogether... “P is for Pirate, P is for Pirate, that's good enough for me! Pirate, pirate, pirate spelled with a P....”

Spoiler for Back through time:

Back Through Time --- Alestorm --- 2011 (Napalm Records)

Looks like they kept, and expanded on, the brass and other instruments, and added orchestral arrangments too, however no instrumentals at all this time around. You would not believe how fast the opening track is though. With the sounds of waves and then a cry “Captain! There be Vikings off the starboard bow!” we launch into the title track, as the boys head through a timewarp into the past, and battle the Norsemen with lines such as ”You put your faith in Odin and Thor/ We put ours in cannons and whores!” and ”Your Viking gods won't save ye now/ When the pirates strike from the starboard bow!” What an opening! Joyous to behold, the boys are back in town. Well, on the sea. You know what I mean. Hey: the boys are back in time! Not bad, eh? Yeah, well, have it your way. “Shipwrecked” keeps things flying along with the sad tale of a pirate whose ship has sunk and now waits for death as the boys yell ”Hah! You're banjaxed! Hah! You're screwed!” Sympathetic souls, inn they? “The Sunk'n Norwegian” is good, but it's really just a rehash of “Nancy the tavern wench” isn't it? Mind you, they've never penned anything like “Midget saw” before! That's fucking hilarious and so un-PC. Vertically challenged, my arse!

“Buckfast powersmash” is just heads-down speed metal nonsense, gloriously funny with the explanation ”I'm not sure what's in it except caffeine/ Despite having drunk it since I was thirteen!” and then things begin to sway along in the anthemic “Scraping the barrel”, a real pirate tavern song with some great work on the whistle, and of course there's nothing bad you can say about “Rum”, with its madcap rush and its chorus of ”Rum! Rum! Rum! Rum! Rum! Give me more rum!” Fucking inspired. They then have a go at their comrades from over the ocean in “Swashbuckled”, where they mercilessly tease the once (?) Pirate Metal gods from Nyoo Joisey, jeering them perhaps for abandoning their Pirate Metal roots, or maybe just making fun because they can. Either way it's great fun.

The cover this time is “Barrett's Privateers” by Canadian folk singer Stan Rogers, played with great enthusiasm and energy and featuring Heri Joensen from Tyr guesting on guitar, and the album winds up with “Death throes of the Terrorsquid”, featuring the return of the Leviathan from the previous album, but this time the pirates are ready for it and send it straight to Davy Jones's Locker, yar har!

TRACKLISTING AND RATINGS

1. Back through time
2. Shipwrecked
3. The sunk'n Norwegian
4. Midget saw
5. Buckfast powersmash
6. Scraping the barrel
7. Rum
8. Swashbuckled
9. Rumpelkombo
10. Barrett's privateers
11. Death throes of the Terrorsquid

Well so far Alestorm have not let me down, with their mixture of power metal, odd instruments, tales of derring-do and their infectious humour. I like the link to the last album with the closer, I like the slagging off of Swashbuckle, and the hilarity of Buckfast being seen as a hard drink, but I sort of wish that, since they used the device of travelling through time at the beginning of the album they had built on that and harried all sorts of people through the ages. Would have been a nice concept. Oh well, I suppose some brain cells must be fried through all that rum drinking down the years. A worthy effort, certainly, and it takes us to our last from them, which I know in advance I love, as I have already heard it.

And now, we're going to hear it again.

Sunset on the Golden Age --- Alestorm --- 2014 (Napalm Records)

We're back taking that final dive in “Walk the plank” as Alestorm present their credential as the best Pirate Metal band out there, with a mad organ riff running through the song as it cannons along with a real power metal thunder, then the fantastic “Drink” staggers along as they roar ”We are here to drink your beer/ And steal your rum at the point of a gun!” Love this song. Great fiddle solo and you have to hear that shouted, chanted chorus; you just can't help joining in. Some really nice pipes opening “Magnetic north” and then a soft acoustic guitar before it pumps up into action, going a bit death metal in the middle, complete with screamed vocal.

One of their longest songs then is “1741 (The Battle of Cartagena)” which runs for over seven minutes, and rocks every minute of it. The only song that comes close at this point is the closer from the previous album, although there is a longer one to come later. Great guitar solo in the fourth minute. “Mead from Hell” is just .... well, just crazy. Opening lines ”Under the sea is a colony of bees/ And a man called Fred who will shoot you dead”? But even that sounds sane when you come across “Surf squid warfare” --- ”I come to you from another time/ With a message that everyone must die/ At the hands of undead squids from space/ They'll crush your skull and smash your face!” Yeah, these guys have been at the funny rum for sure!

“Quest for ships” is another mad rush through the song, total hilarity and insanity, then my favourite ever Alestorm song, “Wooden leg”, hurtles along as the pirate relates the sad tale of how he first lost both his legs (AARRGH! YOU SPANISH BASTARDS!) and then fought a ninja who took both his arms (ARRRGGH! YOU JAPANESE BASTARDS!) and it flies along at almost speed metal pace. Fucking superb! Luke Philip from Lagerstein (we'll be checking them out later) takes over on vocals for “Hangover”, which has a sort of power-pop/rock feel to it (it's a cover) then the album ends on the longest ever Alestorm song.

It's also the title track, a big powerful epic that seems to lament the passing of the golden age of piracy and has just about everything --- hornpipes, keyboard soundscapes, reels, a powerful pirate chant, more hooks than a good angler's tackle box --- and runs for a good eleven and a half minutes, a fitting end to a brilliant album and the very first experience I had of Pirate Metal. Hopefully it won't be their swansong.

TRACKLISTING AND RATINGS

1. Walk the plank
2. Drink
3. Magnetic north
4. 1741 (The Battle of Cartagena)
5. Mead from Hell
6. Surf squid warfare
7. Quest for ships
8. Wooden leg
9. Hangover
10. Sunset on the golden age

Well it hasn't lost any of its charm or immediacy, and it certainly stands as one of Alestorm's best albums, even after I've listened to the rest. I lvoe the energy and humour this band of rebel Scots bring to their music, and in that way they're probably closest to The Dread Crew of Oddwood in general philosophy, although they'd probably say “Fuck philosophy! Fill up me tankard!”

And so say all of us, mateys!

10-26-2015, 02:58 PM	#3027 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,996	And now we move on to my own favourite, the first Pirate Metal band I ever listened to, even before I knew it was a thing. Hailing from bonny Scotland, they began their lives as Battleheart, but apart from sounding like just another run-of-the-mill power metal band, this name was actually taken and rather than face legal action from the band who had it first, they thought about it and changed their name to Although they did release two EPs under the Battleheart name, it seems most if not all of the tracks on those found their way onto the Alestorm albums, so I'm just going to ignore them and go right ahead with their debut album, released in 2008. Captain Morgan's Revenge --- Alestorm --- 2008 (Napalm Records) There's an immediate change from pretty much everything we've heard up to now, as we can hear this band is a true proper power metal one, and so we get the usual power metal tropes as we open on “Over the seas”, a great ragged vocal from Christopher Bowes and biting guitars from Gavin Harper (no, there are no silly made-up pirate names, which is indeed a pity) with a driving organ melody lending the song a sense of over-the-top gravitas, then the title track relates how a pirate crew betrayed the code and mutinied, killing their own captain, who then laid a curse on them as he walked the plank. ”We broke the law, betrayed the code/ Now time is running out/ An unforgivable offence/ Of that there is no doubt” they wail as they wait for the gallows. Where it should really be a downbeat song it's very much not, with the pirates accepting their fate and realising that with their deaths the curse of Captain Morgan will be finally lifted. Great keyboard solo by Bowes, kind of almost a hornpipe and a great growled vocal from him too, and into “The Huntmaster”, where Alestorm pen perhaps one of the most important Pirate Metal lyrics ever --- ”With the power of ale he could not fail”. The song is a rattling power metal monster, galloping along with energy and fun, great fanfares on the keys, then things slow down for a real drinking song as the boys launch into “Nancy the tavern wench” with a swaying, drunken atmosphere and a great hooky chorus. I'd say that of the bands I've listened to so far, Christopher Bowes has the best voice suited to a pirate singing; it's raw, harsh but not scratchy or too growly, just the right side of Beefheart with a dash of Mike Scott in there too. Kicking things up then with the almost speed metal “Death before the mast” as a pirate's luck runs out and he is sunk by the Royal Navy, going to meet his fate with a grin on his face and his sword in his hand, while another, more fortunate one (or this one before his luck turned) wages war on merchant shipping in “Terror on the high seas”, another rip-roaring adventure that cannons along, and there's no pausing for breath as we barrel into “Set sail and conquer”, great chorus and a real feel of fuck-you-all-we'll-do-what-we-like! Some excellent solos here, and on into “Of treasure” with a great whistle intro and a rolling, rocking acoustic guitar and accordion; I'm sure I've heard the melody in the chorus before though... yeah of course: “Johnny comes marching home”! I think we can all identify with the sentiments in “Wenches and mead” --- ”Hey hey! I want more wenches!/ Hey hey! Wenches and mead!” and the album ends with a suitably drunken, lurching cover of one of the unofficial Scottish national anthems, “Flower of Scotland”. TRACKLISTING AND RATINGS 1. Over the seas 2. Captain Morgan's revenge 3. The huntmaster 4. Nancy the tavern wench 5. Death before the mast 6. Terror on the high seas 7. Set sail and conquer 8. Of treasure 9. Wenches and mead 10. Flower of Scotland I'm not surprised at how good this album is, as Alestorm are the one Pirate Metal band I had actually experienced prior to writing this. It is however gratifying to see that the album I did listen to, their last, was not just a fluke, and now I'm stoked to hear their other two. So on we go... Spoiler for Black sails at midnight: Black Sails at Midnight --- Alestorm --- 2009 (Napalm Records) Interestingly, on this album Alestorm softened their approach a little, bringing in instruments such as trombone, cornets, trumpets and even bagpipes. Though you wouldn't know it from the opener, which has power metal written all over it in large letters, and “The quest” gets things going nicely, with the boys declaring with a grin ”From lands across the sea/ We have returned once more” and indeed they have, as with a mad guitar and keyboard rush they introduce the almost six-minute “Leviathan”. I particularly like how Bowes's thick Scottish accent comes through on the lines ”Tearing bodies limb from limb/ Eviscerating on a whim”. Aye, stitch that, Jimmy! The trumpets really add something here too, the first time Alestorm have used them. Another great drinking song with “That famous Ol' Spiced”, some great work by the trumpets here; you can just see all the buccaneers sitting around a table, slapping the arses of tavern wenches and roaring laughing as they bellow ”Pour me a slug of it/ Throw me a mug of it/ Bring me a jug of that Famous Ol' Spiced!” Fiddles and whistles drag “Keelhauled” along at a tremendous pace, guitars and drums getting in on the act too as Bowes grins ”Keelhaul that filthy landlubber/ Send him down to the depths below/ Make that bastard walk the plank/ With a bottle of rum and a yo ho ho!” Things slow down then for “To the end of our days”, a swaying, staggering, rabble-rousing us-against-the-world anthem with a superb organ solo right out of “House of the Rising Sun” and some really expressive violin. Hitting full speed now for the title track, power metal almost meeting speed metal as the boys exult, and another powerful keyboard solo followed by some fret-burning. The first instrumental from this band then is “No quarter”, and it's the only one on the album, an energetic, upbeat hornpipe with a sweet guitar solo thrown in, and a few rounds of “Hey!” which I know technically stops it being an true instrumental, but who cares? “Pirate song” is a joy to behold, rocking along like crazy with the memoirs of an old seadog as he contemplates his life of robbery and debauchery. “Chronicles of vengeance” has a big dramatic ominous opening, then hammers along at speed with again great input from the brass section, and the album ends on a cover of “Wolves of the sea”, bringing the curtain down in fine style. TRACKLISTING AND RATINGS 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 vengeance 10. Wolves of the sea Before I end this review I want to look for one bonus track, which I'm told is only available through itunes. Now, I'm not giving those bastards one plugged penny, but I am hoping someone has uploaded it to ... Yessss! There it is! “P is for Pirate” is a parody on the old Sesame Street song “C is for Cookie” and contains mostly acapella singing with some accordion as they declare “A pirate with one leg looks a bit like the letter P” and “Applejuice looks a little like pee, but you cannot drink that!” Yeah it's only fifty seconds long, but worth hunting down. As is this album. Another round of rollicking, roaring, rapine roguery from the red-blooded rovers of the rolling sea, and I'm looking forward to the third one already! Now, altogether... “P is for Pirate, P is for Pirate, that's good enough for me! Pirate, pirate, pirate spelled with a P....” Spoiler for Back through time: Back Through Time --- Alestorm --- 2011 (Napalm Records) Looks like they kept, and expanded on, the brass and other instruments, and added orchestral arrangments too, however no instrumentals at all this time around. You would not believe how fast the opening track is though. With the sounds of waves and then a cry “Captain! There be Vikings off the starboard bow!” we launch into the title track, as the boys head through a timewarp into the past, and battle the Norsemen with lines such as ”You put your faith in Odin and Thor/ We put ours in cannons and whores!” and ”Your Viking gods won't save ye now/ When the pirates strike from the starboard bow!” What an opening! Joyous to behold, the boys are back in town. Well, on the sea. You know what I mean. Hey: the boys are back in time! Not bad, eh? Yeah, well, have it your way. “Shipwrecked” keeps things flying along with the sad tale of a pirate whose ship has sunk and now waits for death as the boys yell ”Hah! You're banjaxed! Hah! You're screwed!” Sympathetic souls, inn they? “The Sunk'n Norwegian” is good, but it's really just a rehash of “Nancy the tavern wench” isn't it? Mind you, they've never penned anything like “Midget saw” before! That's fucking hilarious and so un-PC. Vertically challenged, my arse! “Buckfast powersmash” is just heads-down speed metal nonsense, gloriously funny with the explanation ”I'm not sure what's in it except caffeine/ Despite having drunk it since I was thirteen!” and then things begin to sway along in the anthemic “Scraping the barrel”, a real pirate tavern song with some great work on the whistle, and of course there's nothing bad you can say about “Rum”, with its madcap rush and its chorus of ”Rum! Rum! Rum! Rum! Rum! Give me more rum!” Fucking inspired. They then have a go at their comrades from over the ocean in “Swashbuckled”, where they mercilessly tease the once (?) Pirate Metal gods from Nyoo Joisey, jeering them perhaps for abandoning their Pirate Metal roots, or maybe just making fun because they can. Either way it's great fun. The cover this time is “Barrett's Privateers” by Canadian folk singer Stan Rogers, played with great enthusiasm and energy and featuring Heri Joensen from Tyr guesting on guitar, and the album winds up with “Death throes of the Terrorsquid”, featuring the return of the Leviathan from the previous album, but this time the pirates are ready for it and send it straight to Davy Jones's Locker, yar har! TRACKLISTING AND RATINGS 1. Back through time 2. Shipwrecked 3. The sunk'n Norwegian 4. Midget saw 5. Buckfast powersmash 6. Scraping the barrel 7. Rum 8. Swashbuckled 9. Rumpelkombo 10. Barrett's privateers 11. Death throes of the Terrorsquid Well so far Alestorm have not let me down, with their mixture of power metal, odd instruments, tales of derring-do and their infectious humour. I like the link to the last album with the closer, I like the slagging off of Swashbuckle, and the hilarity of Buckfast being seen as a hard drink, but I sort of wish that, since they used the device of travelling through time at the beginning of the album they had built on that and harried all sorts of people through the ages. Would have been a nice concept. Oh well, I suppose some brain cells must be fried through all that rum drinking down the years. A worthy effort, certainly, and it takes us to our last from them, which I know in advance I love, as I have already heard it. And now, we're going to hear it again. Sunset on the Golden Age --- Alestorm --- 2014 (Napalm Records) We're back taking that final dive in “Walk the plank” as Alestorm present their credential as the best Pirate Metal band out there, with a mad organ riff running through the song as it cannons along with a real power metal thunder, then the fantastic “Drink” staggers along as they roar ”We are here to drink your beer/ And steal your rum at the point of a gun!” Love this song. Great fiddle solo and you have to hear that shouted, chanted chorus; you just can't help joining in. Some really nice pipes opening “Magnetic north” and then a soft acoustic guitar before it pumps up into action, going a bit death metal in the middle, complete with screamed vocal. One of their longest songs then is “1741 (The Battle of Cartagena)” which runs for over seven minutes, and rocks every minute of it. The only song that comes close at this point is the closer from the previous album, although there is a longer one to come later. Great guitar solo in the fourth minute. “Mead from Hell” is just .... well, just crazy. Opening lines ”Under the sea is a colony of bees/ And a man called Fred who will shoot you dead”? But even that sounds sane when you come across “Surf squid warfare” --- ”I come to you from another time/ With a message that everyone must die/ At the hands of undead squids from space/ They'll crush your skull and smash your face!” Yeah, these guys have been at the funny rum for sure! “Quest for ships” is another mad rush through the song, total hilarity and insanity, then my favourite ever Alestorm song, “Wooden leg”, hurtles along as the pirate relates the sad tale of how he first lost both his legs (AARRGH! YOU SPANISH BASTARDS!) and then fought a ninja who took both his arms (ARRRGGH! YOU JAPANESE BASTARDS!) and it flies along at almost speed metal pace. Fucking superb! Luke Philip from Lagerstein (we'll be checking them out later) takes over on vocals for “Hangover”, which has a sort of power-pop/rock feel to it (it's a cover) then the album ends on the longest ever Alestorm song. It's also the title track, a big powerful epic that seems to lament the passing of the golden age of piracy and has just about everything --- hornpipes, keyboard soundscapes, reels, a powerful pirate chant, more hooks than a good angler's tackle box --- and runs for a good eleven and a half minutes, a fitting end to a brilliant album and the very first experience I had of Pirate Metal. Hopefully it won't be their swansong. TRACKLISTING AND RATINGS 1. Walk the plank 2. Drink 3. Magnetic north 4. 1741 (The Battle of Cartagena) 5. Mead from Hell 6. Surf squid warfare 7. Quest for ships 8. Wooden leg 9. Hangover 10. Sunset on the golden age Well it hasn't lost any of its charm or immediacy, and it certainly stands as one of Alestorm's best albums, even after I've listened to the rest. I lvoe the energy and humour this band of rebel Scots bring to their music, and in that way they're probably closest to The Dread Crew of Oddwood in general philosophy, although they'd probably say “Fuck philosophy! Fill up me tankard!” And so say all of us, mateys! __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018 Last edited by Trollheart; 01-30-2022 at 08:44 PM.