Search - Alestorm :: Black Sails at Midnight

Better than Captain Morgan's Revenge...Somehow.

M. Weir | Denver, CO | 06/12/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Captain Morgan's Revenge was an amazing album. It was fun, catchy and a refreshing change of pace for a metal fan such as myself. I never imagined any follow up album by Scottish Pirate Metal act Alestorm could touch it. I was so wrong.



Black Sails at Midnight is everything Captain Morgan's Revenge was and more. The song writing, musicianship and lyrics have all matured. Sure, some silliness returns in the form a few cheesy lyrics which are funny in their delivery and context ("The hook of our captain is looking at you. There's no Peter Pan, so what can you do?"), but the stories sung out gruffly in full pirate gusto by front man Christopher Bowes are much more interesting and less generic than the previous album. Take, for example, "Pirate Song" in which an old pirate out of his prime, drunk and surrounded by empty beer glasses, reminisces a life of pillaging, womanizing and killing, and how he wishes he could go back and do it all over again.



And if you can somehow resist singing along to the chorus of 'That Famous Ol' Spiced' ("Oh pour me a slug of it, throw me a mug of it, bring me a jug of that famous ol' spiced") my hat is off to you, because I sure as hell can't for the life of me. The same goes for the chorus of 'Keelhauled': "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.". Brilliant fun.



If you thought the melodies and beats of Captain Morgan's Revenge were catchy you haven't heard anything yet. The guitar riffs and drumming are better than ever, and let's not forget the awesome piratey sounding keytar melodies which put those of Captain Morgan's Revenge to utter shame. I'm super impressed with this album and have been unable to stop listening to it since it found its way in my mailbox. The limited bonus edition comes packaged with a DVD featuring a FULL setlist from Wacken Open Air 2008 with surprisingly good video and sound quality and is a must have for fans of Alestorm.



Thank you Alestorm for making the music you do."

Pirate Metal at its best

Toasty | 09/17/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Alestorm is amazing. They have somehow managed to combined skilled musical abilities with catchy, pointless and entertaining lyrics, something that cannot always be done. Their sense of humor in dubbing themselves "True Scottish Pirate Metal" and writing only about pirates and life at sea (in the vein of Pirates of the Caribbean and Jack Sparrow, not realistic pirates) never ceases to amaze me.



I bought Alestorm's first album, Captain Morgan's Revenge, on recommendation from someone who saw them life, knowing that I would enjoy pirate-themed lyrics. Alestorm did not let me down, their catchy lyrics, awesome riffs, and epic soloing skills amazed me throughout the album.



Black Sails at Midnight improve upon Captain Morgan's Revenge in a lot of ways. The soloing is still their, though perhaps better, the keytar is better than ever. Perhaps the only thing I have to say about this band is Christoper Bowes, while no doubt a talented keyboardist, has perhaps the worst voice I have ever heard. No doubt, his gruff style adds to the "piratey" flavor of Alestorm, but at the same time I would prefer a more talented vocalist.



So, if you like Ale, Pirates, catchy solos and sheer stupidity in lyrical content, this album is without a doubt for you."