Metal’s most popular pirates are back after
3 years with their fifth full-length effort. “No Grave But The Sea” follows the
formula the band has continued to perfect with each successive album, and
offers little in the way of surprises. This is a record filled with catchy
singalong pop anthems, lengthy questing epics, and the occasional hilarious
comic relief song. This makes for a surprising amount of variety on the album,
despite the very limited unique elements. On the whole, the band seems to be
taking a more slightly folk metal turn, with tracks like “Alestorm” and “No
Grave But The Sea”, among others, having some sections with folkier melodies. This is nothing
new to the band, but it does feel like the frequency of these sections is a
little higher than in records past.
The album’s title track gets things off to
a quick start, as it begins with epic keyboard fanfare. The chorus has a
disco-like drumbeat, making it the ultimate headbanging tune (but it’s so
catchy that you’ll likely be caught singing along instead). “Mexico” takes the
formula of a previous hit like “Drink” one step further. Opening with 8-bit
sounds, this is one of the simpler songs, obviously designed for the live
arena. The band’s title track, “Alestorm”, is crafted in a similar manner,
though this track displays the most prominent use of Elliot Vernon’s harsh
vocals, as he trades parts of the verses with frontman Chris Bowes.
“No Grave But The Sea” is much deeper than
just its singles though. Both “To The End of the World” and “Treasure Island”
are more serious efforts that take the listener through a myriad of sounds in
hopes of conjuring a truly epic atmosphere. The former track in particular
brings back memories of previous greats like “Death Throes of the Terrorsquid”
or “1741 (The Battle of Cartagena)”. The band utilizes plenty of gang chorus
vocals to make it sound as though their crew is trekking to the end of the
world. “Treasure Island”, though slightly less effective, is still another
enjoyable song, especially as the last minute of the song repeats the opening
melody from “No Grave But The Sea” on an acoustic guitar, bringing the album
full circle.
Of course, Alestorm can’t be serious for
too long. The 6th track on this record, “Fucked With An Anchor”, is
by far the funniest thing the band has ever done. This song lives to offend,
and its straightforward chorus will continually punch you in the face with
obscenities. The song itself isn’t necessarily one of the band’s most
convincing efforts, but it does feel a little bit different to what they’d
normally do, and works well given the jokey lyrics.
One of the strange things about Alestorm is
that, as good as they are, it feels like all of their albums have a bit of
filler on them. It’s impossible to rank each of their albums because they all
feature a few of their best songs, a few great but not mindblowing songs, and
then a few filler tracks. “No Grave But The Sea” continues this trend, with “Bar
und Imbiss” and “Rage of the Pentahook” being the least compelling tracks. They’re
faithful to the Alestorm formula, and don’t do anything that would make you
dislike them, but they simply aren’t as memorable or enjoyable as some of the
other tracks on the record. Fortunately, they’re pretty well spread out across
the record, and some other deep cuts like the upbeat “Pegleg Potion” or the
anthemic “Man The Pumps” keep things interesting right until the end.
“No Grave But The Sea” is a shining example
of Alestorm’s consistency. It is impossible to see a fan of the band disliking
this record, simply because it is so true to the band’s sound. The band will
occasionally throw a curveball, but ultimately, they know exactly what their
audience wants and they once again deliver it with this record. Sure, it’s not
perfect, but it’s on par with anything else they’ve done, and most of the
tracks are worth being played live. All in all, “No Grave But The Sea” is yet
another excellent record!
Highlights
"No Grave But The Sea"
"Mexico"
"Fucked With An Anchor"
"Pegleg Potion"
Final Rating
4.5/5 or 90%.
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