Alestorm – No Grave But The Sea

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 6^th 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!

Be sure to check out and like Alestorm on Facebook!

Highlights

"No Grave But The Sea"

"Mexico"

"Fucked With An Anchor"

"Pegleg Potion"

Final Rating

4.5/5 or 90%. 

Written by Scott

Farseer – Fall Before The Dawn

After around a decade of existence, Scotland’s Farseer recently unleashed their debut full-length, “Fall Before The Dawn”. This disc offers nearly an hour of well-executed power metal that shows plenty of incredible technical proficiency, among many other desirable traits. After a short intro, the band wastes little time before launching into “Luck of the Joker”, which is the prototypical high-speed power metal track to kick things off. It quickly becomes clear that Farseer is well versed in the ways of melodic guitars and soaring vocals, among many other common power metal traits. The record as a whole is reminiscent of a slightly less flashy version of Colorado’s Enceladus (though that might just be because of the similarities between the two bands’ singers).

Many other songs similarly display the attributes needed for good power metal. “Nightmares Collide”, for example, opens with a killer scream (and rest assured, there are more than a few high-pitched wails throughout this record). The closing song, the title track, unleashes an infectiously catchy “whoa-oh” section that will have you singing along instantly. Though the guitar playing is quite skillful all throughout the record, it shines most on a track like “Second Strike”, which features a more melodic solo near the end of the song. Farseer also isn’t afraid to get a bit heavier either. “Way of the World” opens with a super thrashy riff, and though it does have a bit of an interlude halfway through the song, it ultimately ends up being one of the more crushing tracks on this release.

There are a fair number of highlights on this record, as noted above. However, its fundamental flaw is the fact that the songs don’t have as much staying power as one would hope for from power metal. Perhaps it is the fact that I’ve been listening to excessive amounts of Avantasia recently, but there is a stark difference in the way these two bands approach choruses. While Farseer has some enjoyable melodies in their choruses, they always feel like an extension of the verses. There is no buildup to the chorus, and it doesn’t manage to be the climax of the song. Compare this with bands like Nightwish, Edguy, and the aforementioned Avantasia, where nearly every song builds into a giant chorus that sounds larger than life. Of course, power metal doesn’t need to be written this way; after all, these three cited bands are basically writing pop songs under the guise of power metal. But the point is still valid: this album is one long stream of consciousness. There is no major distinction between different sections of these songs (aside from the occasional interlude), and this makes the record feel more one-dimensional. 

Despite this criticism, “Fall Before The Dawn” is a very solid record. It certainly cannot be faulted anywhere in terms of execution, as both the production and individual performances on this record are stellar. This album displays a lot of potential for the band; if the songwriting were tightened up a bit it would be easy to imagine Farseer being ranked among the better power metal bands. For now, they’re still well worth listening to, and definitely worth following into the future!   

Be sure to check out and like Farseer on Facebook!

Highlights

"Luck of the Joker"

"Nightmares Collide"

"To Play the Game"

Final Rating

3.75/5 or 75%. 

Written by Scott