History & Biography The True Scottish Pirate Metal band from Perth was formed in 2007 and within a year issued its debut on the Austrian label, Napalm Records. The group was actually a metamorphosis of Battleheart (formed in 2004) and indeed recorded a single in 2008, called Heavy Metal Pirates, featuring a Battleheart song. The band obtained a deal with Napalm Records and relayed that it was through a cold email with a link to music. Ian Wilson left following the debut claiming a lack of time and was replaced by Alex Tabisz, but returned within a year. Gavin Harper decamped to Finland. The group performed at Wacken in 2008 and shot some footage that appeared with some editions of the band’s next full-length. An EP called Leviathan arrived in January of 2009 and was followed by a full-length in May. The band was picked to tour North America with Kamelot for the summer of 2011.
Gloryhammer was a new 2012 project featuring Alestorm’s Christopher Bowes. The band’s debut album, Tales From The Kingdom Of Fife narrated an alternate history of medieval Scotland with magic and sorcery. The album was being recorded at LSD Studios in Germany and was due in late 2012. Guitarist Dani Evans departed in 2015. The band played the Warped tour alongside Gwar, Hatebreed, Big D And The Kids Table and Sammy Adams. The Treasure Chest EP preceded the coconut album. Live In Tilburg was a CD and DVD and issued in May 2021. Christopher Bowes, and his Gloryhammer mates, were caught in a controversy of their own making when racist and sexist screenshots of their private conversation from 2017 was made public. Apologies were forthcoming.
Alestorm had an album called Seventh Rum Of A Seventh Rum through Napalm Records in 2022. The title referenced Iron Maiden’s Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son record. The group appeared at Festival Mediaval in Selb, Germany and declared it an “Exclusive Lifeguard Concert” with the related T-shirts and shorts. The group was to head to Latin America next. The group was booked for Sweden Rock Festival in 2023. Korpiklaani was to tour the UK with Alestorm and Heidevolk in February and March 2024. Alestorm uploaded the song Voyage Of The Dead Marauder. It was the title track of the band’s new EP out through Napalm Records on March 22nd 2024. It again featured an appearance by hurdy-gurdy player Patty Gurdy. Next up was Elvenking and Glyph supporting Alestorm on tour of North America in the spring of 2024. The band, alongside Ensiferum, Týr, Heidevolk, and Elvenking, was booked for the Paganfest tour to begin 2025. Alestorm singer Christopher Bowes was a guest on Patty Gurdy single Peg Leg Silly-Billy. The band and Nekrogoblin were in Australia to begin 2025 followed by Alestorm's visit to New Zealand. The band was booked for V and B Fest' 2025. Alestorm announced an album called The Thunderfist Chronicles through Napalm Records for June 2025. Folk fans would not be disappointed. There was more Patty Gurdy.
The band likes to get up in pirate outfits.
Reviews ALESTORM - CAPTAIN MORGAN’S REVENGE - NAPALM 
Pirate Metal, aaarrgh...however the sight of a singer holding a handheld keyboard immediately turns off the metal and indeed the pirate image. Of course, the band name doesn’t conjure up anything serious either. Running Wild is the first immediate impression as this pirate thing has, of course, been done before. Musically, Alestorm sound like, sometimes without much melody, German metal, with keyboards filling the sound a bit too much sometimes. Lyrically, Captain Morgan and the search for treasures are naturally a constant theme. The title track also sounds like Europe for a few seconds and, while mostly heavy metal, is an indication of the range that Alestorm travel musically. Starting on the fourth song, Nancy The Tavern Wench, this promo has voice-overs in another pointless attempt by the labels to limit piracy. Death Before The Mast and Terror On The High Seas manage to either remain heavy or pick up the pace and do their part to enhance the metal content on Captain Morgan’s Revenge. The latter, in particular, moves into speedy heavy metal territory for stretches. Set Sail And Conquer does not scale the heights of the preceding songs and neither does the drunken pub song Of Treasure. Wenches & Mead is by now a typical mix of heavy and sometimes out of place keyboards that even includes an accordion at one point. Flower Of Scotland closes Captain Morgan’s Revenge sounding like an anthem sung by a bunch of not so sober Scots. - Anna Tergel
ALESTORM - VOYAGE OF THE DEAD MARAUDER - NAPALM 
It is as if this pop/folk band is playing a practical joke on its fans and the metal scene and giggling and laughing in secret behind closed doors at the poor hapless chaps who have fallen for it all. Alestorm deploys every anti-metal device, every ploy that is pathetic and inferior and still there are those who claim it to be metal (ha ha) and then like this bunch for it too.
Of course, the band does not hide the fact that it is a joke, but the prank has gone too far when the music is so awful. Calling this ‘metal’ is more of a stretch than a rubber band that has been pulled so much that it has snapped. Pop melodies, dance rhythm, joke lyrics, a female singer with a hurdy gurdy, two keyboards (one keytar) and affected pirate accents all in an EP with two cover versions. One is from Canadian jokesters The Arrogant Worms and another by someone called Ian Taylor. The band sounds like lightweight banal FM crap like Spirit Of The West, but with an affected pose.
Specific to this EP, with unusually long gaps between tracks, the joke, beyond the lightweight comedy music, is that two songs are about landlocked territories, Saskatchewan and Uzbekistan. The guest female vocalist sounds like soft pop singer Maggie Reilly and brings her hurdy-gurdy with her. Alestorm is trying to be Borat of course, but is the stand-up funny and, if yes, for how long? Of course, there is no accounting for taste, and who among us could claim he or she has not fallen for a joke, but maybe it is not the act, but its fans that are the real joke? - Ali “The Metallian”
Interviews
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