Alestorm are a Scottish heavy metal band formed in Perth, Scotland. Their music is characterised by a pirate theme, and as a result, they have been dubbed a "

pirate metal Pirate metal is a style of heavy metal music characterized by its incorporation of Piracy, pirate mythology within the music and sometimes in stage performances. Lyrics often use piratical jargon and various musical genres, such as thrash metal, ...

" band by many critics and their fanbase. The group currently consists of lead vocalist/ keytarist Christopher Bowes, bassist Gareth Murdock, drummer Peter Alcorn, keyboardist/harsh vocalist Elliot Vernon and guitarist Máté "Bobo" Bodor. After signing to

Napalm Records Napalm Records is an Austrian independent record label focused on heavy metal and hard rock. Originally, Napalm focused on black metal bands, such as Abigor and Summoning, and folk metal bands, such as Falkenbach and Vintersorg. The label l ...

in 2007, their debut album ''

Captain Morgan's Revenge ''Captain Morgan's Revenge'' is the debut album by the Scottish heavy metal band Alestorm, released in 2008 by Napalm Records. Drums were recorded by Migo Wagner, a session drummer, because Ian Wilson could not travel to Germany for the record ...

'', was released on 25 January 2008. ''

Black Sails at Midnight ''Black Sails at Midnight'' is the second studio album by Scottish heavy metal band Alestorm. As with their first album, all the drums tracks were recorded by session drummer Migo Wagner but touring drummer Ian Wilson added additional percussi ...

'', the band's second album, was released on 27 May 2009. The band's third album, ''

Back Through Time ''Back Through Time'' is the third studio album by Scottish heavy metal band Alestorm. It was released on 3 June 2011 by Napalm Records and is the first Alestorm recording to feature Gareth Murdock on bass and Peter Alcorn on drums.

'', was released on 3 June 2011. The fourth album from the band, ''

Sunset on the Golden Age ''Sunset on the Golden Age'' is the fourth album by Scottish heavy metal band Alestorm. It was released on 1 August 2014 by Napalm Records. It is the band's first album to feature new permanent band member, Elliot Vernon, on keyboards and the l ...

,'' was released in August 2014. Their fifth album ''

No Grave But the Sea ''No Grave But the Sea'' is the fifth studio album by Scottish heavy metal band Alestorm, released on 26 May 2017. It's the band's first album to feature guitarist Máté Bodor since the departure of Dani Evans in 2015. Track listing A bonus d ...

'' was released on 26 May 2017. Their sixth album, '' Curse of the Crystal Coconut'', was released on 29 May 2020. Their seventh and most recent album, ''

Seventh Rum of a Seventh Rum ''Seventh Rum of a Seventh Rum'' is the seventh studio album by Scottish heavy metal band Alestorm. It was released on 24 June 2022 via Napalm Records. The album title is a reference to Iron Maiden's 1988 album ''Seventh Son of a Seventh Son''. ...

'' was released on 24 June 2022. The band has also released one live album and five EPs. The lead vocalist Christopher Bowes provides the announcer voice for the Pirate team in the video game '' Pirates, Vikings and Knights II''.

History

Battleheart and origins (2004–2007)

The band was founded in 2004 in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...

, Scotland as Battleheart, a studio project by Christopher Bowes and Gavin Harper. Originally intended as a standard power metal band, the success of song "Heavy Metal Pirates" convinced the band to permanently adopt a pirate theme and incorporate folk metal elements into their music. Gavin and Christopher recorded & released two independent demos in 2006, which were received well by the local metal community. The band began to perform live in 2006, with a lineup consisting of Bowes (vocals and keytar), Harper (guitars), Dani Evans ( bass) and Doug Swierczek ( drums). Doug Swierczek eventually left the band later that year and was replaced by Ian Wilson. After a period of inactivity, in late 2007 Battleheart sent their demos to

, and the band was promptly offered a record deal.

Alestorm (2007–present)

After being signed by Napalm Records, the band changed their name from Battleheart to Alestorm. Their debut studio album, ''

'', was released in early 2008. The album featured the drummer of the band Incubator, Migo Wagner as the session drummer. The album was also produced by Incubator guitarist Lasse Lammert. Alestorm_Landscape_2017

In April 2008, the band released the single "Heavy Metal Pirates". Drummer Ian Wilson left in June 2008 and later rejoined in August of the same year. By September 2008, original guitarist Gavin Harper had left the band. Tim Shaw was Harper's replacement, but after a brief period of touring, was fired from the band. To fill the guitarist position, Dani Evans switched instruments from bass to guitar, and Gareth Murdock of Waylander joined as the replacement bassist. The band's second studio album

was released in May 2009. The album peaked at #60 on the

GfK Entertainment charts The GfK Entertainment charts are the official music charts in Germany and are gathered and published by GfK Entertainment (formerly Media Control and Media Control GfK International), a subsidiary of GfK, on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindust ...

. In March 2010, Ian Wilson left the band and was replaced with a new drummer named Peter Alcorn.
'Back Through Time' Album Details www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net
Official announcement of Alestorm's 3rd studio album (Facebook) Alestorm 'Back Through Time' Australian/ New Zealand Tour May 2011 www.soundworkstouring.com Alestorm's third album, ''

'', was Alcorn's first appearance on an Alestorm album. Alestorm went on a ''Back Through Time'' World Tour starting in Australia and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. The album reached #42 on the

German Albums Chart The GfK Entertainment charts are the official music charts in Germany and are gathered and published by GfK Entertainment (formerly Media Control and Media Control GfK International), a subsidiary of GfK, on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustr ...

.Alestorm - Back Through Time
/ref> In October 2011, Elliot Vernon joined the band as keyboard player and performing screamed / death metal vocals. The band released their fourth record entitled "Sunset on the Golden Age" on 1 August 2014, reaching the #1 position in the

UK Rock Chart The UK Rock & Metal Singles Chart and UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart are record charts compiled in the United Kingdom by the Official Charts Company (OCC) to determine the 40 most popular singles and albums in the rock and heavy metal genres. The ...

. Dani Evans retired from the band in April 2015, and was replaced by Hungarian guitarist Máté Bodor of the band

Wisdom Wisdom, sapience, or sagacity is the ability to contemplate and act using knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense and insight. Wisdom is associated with attributes such as unbiased judgment, compassion, experiential self-knowle ...

, who is also a part of

Leander Kills Leander Kills is a Hungarian metal band, created by guitarist and singer Leander Köteles of Leander Rising fame. Other members include Miklós Czifra (Balkan Fanatik, Amigod) and András Vermes playing guitars, and Valentin Jankai ( Blind Mysel ...

. In October 2016, Christopher Bowes announced during a concert on the Super Smashed Turbo Tour that the band planned to begin recording a fifth studio album in January 2017. The fifth record, entitled "

", was released on 26 May 2017. The album peaked at #1 on Billboard's

Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers are "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The Heatseekers Albums and the Heatseekers Songs charts were introduced by ''Billboard'' in 1991 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new an ...

Albums chart. On 8 January 2020, the band announced the title of their sixth studio album, " Curse of the Crystal Coconut". This was released on 29 May 2020. On 30 April, the band released an EP titled, "The Treasure Chest EP". Prior to the album's release, Alestorm released the singles "Treasure Chest Party Quest" on 2 April 2020, "Tortuga" (feat. Captain Yarrface of Rumahoy) on 23 April 2020, and "Fannybaws" on 14 May 2020. The fourth single for the album titled, "Pirate Metal Drinking Crew" was released on 29 May 2020. The album peaked at #68 on the

Official Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

. A deluxe version of the album includes the normal track listing, along with what is referred to as "''16th Century Version''" editions of each track was released. On 6 August, The Wooden Box was released and it included two bonus tracks on a 7-inch Single which are "Big Ship Little Ship" and "Bassline Junkie". On 28 May 2021, the band released their second live album, "Live in Tilburg". On 16 January 2022, the band announced that they entered the studio to record their seventh studio album, ''

''. On 31 January 2022, the band released a music video for the song "Zombies Ate My Pirate Ship", a song from their sixth album, "Curse of the Crystal Coconut". On 13 March 2022, the band announced that their seventh studio album will be released on 24 June 2022. On 6 April 2022, the band released the lead single, "Magellan's Expedition". On 4 May 2022, the band released the second single, "P.A.R.T.Y.". On 1 June 2022, the band released the third single, "The Battle of Cape Fear River. On 22 June 2022, the band released the fourth single, "Seventh Rum of a Seventh Rum".

Musical style

Alestorm is generally classified as

folk metal Folk metal is a fusion genre of heavy metal music and traditional folk music that developed in Europe during the 1990s. It is characterised by the widespread use of folk instruments and, to a lesser extent, traditional singing styles (for exampl ...

power metal Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in contra ...

, heavy metal, hard rock, and

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fo ...

. Alestorm has also included elements of pop,

rap metal Rap metal is a subgenre of rap rock and alternative metal music which combines hip hop with heavy metal. It usually consists of heavy metal guitar riffs, funk metal elements, rapped vocals and sometimes turntables. History Origins and earl ...

, nu metal,

progressive metal Progressive metal (sometimes shortened to prog metal) is a broad fusion music genre melding heavy metal and progressive rock, combining the loud "aggression" and amplified guitar-driven sound of the former with the more experimental, cerebral ...

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...

, symphonic metal,

cock rock Cock rock is a genre of rock music that emphasizes an aggressive form of male sexuality. The style developed in the later 1960s, came to prominence in the 1970s and 1980s, and continues into the present day. Characteristics Cock rock is a m ...

, death metal, symphonic black metal, metalcore,

black metal Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, a shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, raw (lo-fi) recording, unconventional song structures, and an emp ...

, extreme metal, and Finnish folk music in their music. The band refer to themselves as "True Scottish Pirate Metal" and are identifiable by the pirate-themed lyrics in their songs. Alestorm's music utilizes the upbeat epic style of Scottish folk metal and power metal. Album recordings feature heavy use of real

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...

s, accordions synths, fiddle and

tin whistle The tin whistle, also called the penny whistle, is a simple six-holed woodwind instrument. It is a type of fipple flute, putting it in the same class as the recorder, Native American flute, and other woodwind instruments that meet such criteria ...

violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...

vibraslap The vibraslap is a percussion instrument consisting of a piece of stiff wire (bent into a U-shape) connecting a wooden ball to a hollow box of wood with metal “teeth” inside. The percussionist holds the metal wire in one hand and strikes th ...

s, brass, keytars, and singalong choruses to convey a pirate sea shanty feel. Alestorm's lyrical themes focus on pirates themes including, sailing, pillaging, and drinking. The band's later albums incorporate screaming and

death growls A death growl, or simply growl, is an extended vocal technique usually employed in extreme styles of music, particularly in death metal and other extreme subgenres of heavy metal music. Death growl vocals are sometimes criticized for their ...

performed by keyboard player Elliot Vernon, as well from guest vocalists such as Ken Sorceron and

Mathias Lillmåns Mathias "Vreth" Lillmåns is the vocalist for the Finnish folk metal band Finntroll, and has been since 2006. He is also the vocalist and the bassist for the bands Chthonian and Twilight Moon. In 2009 he and fellow Finntroll member Samuli Pons ...

Band members

Current members * Christopher Bowes – lead vocals, keytar (2004–present) * Gareth Murdock – bass, backing vocals (2008–present) * Peter Alcorn – drums (2010–present) * Elliot Vernon – keyboards,

unclean vocals A death growl, or simply growl, is an extended vocal technique usually employed in extreme styles of music, particularly in death metal and other extreme subgenres of heavy metal music. Death growl vocals are sometimes criticized for the ...

, backing vocals (2011–present) * Máté Bodor – guitars, backing vocals (2015–present) Former members * Gavin Harper – guitars (2004–2008) * Dani Evans – bass (2006–2008), guitars (2008–2015) * Doug Swierczek – drums (2006) * Ian Wilson – drums (2007–2008, 2008–2010) * Alex Tabisz – drums (2008) * Tim Shaw – guitars (2008) Touring musicians * Heri Joensen – vocals (2009) Session musicians * Brendan Casey – bass (2008), backing vocals (2008–present) * Migo "Oger Mampf" Wagner – drums (2008–2009) * Chris Mummelthey – backing vocals (2008) * Gordon Krei – programming, brass and orchestral arrangements (2009–present) * Tobias Hain – trumpet (2009–present) * Bee Bloodpunch – backing vocals (2009) * Austus Twele – great highland bagpipes (2009) * Heinrich Gimpel – bass trombone (2009) * Carsten Petersen – trumpet, cornet (2009) * Mirjam Beyer – violin (2009) * Florian Frambach – trumpet (2011) * Derek Fobaire – trombone (2011) * Hans-Jørgen Martinus Hansen – whistles (2011) * Maria Odvody – violin (2011) * Chris Jones (II) – accordion (2011) * Jan Philipp Jacobs – trombone (2017–present) File:Alestorm Rockharz 2018 07.jpg, Christopher Bowes File:Alestorm Rockharz 2018 01.jpg, Gareth Murdock File:Alestorm Rockharz 2018 06.jpg, Elliot Vernon File:Alestorm Rockharz 2018 15.jpg, Máté Bodor

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums * ''

'' (2008) * ''

'' (2009) * ''

'' (2011) * ''

'' (2014) * ''

'' (2017) * '' Curse of the Crystal Coconut'' (2020) * ''

'' (2022)

Tours

* March 2008 – UK Tour supporting Turisas and Norther * October 2008 – "Ragnarok Aaskereia" European tour with Tyr, Hollenthon, Svartsot and Gwydion * February – March 2009 – "Pagan Knights" North American tour with

Týr (; Old Norse: , ) is a god in Germanic mythology, a valorous and powerful member of the and patron of warriors and mythological heroes. In Norse mythology, which provides most of the surviving narratives about gods among the Germanic people ...

and Suidakra * April – May 2009 – "Black Sails Over Europe" European tour supported by Tyr,

Heidevolk Heidevolk is a folk metal band from the Netherlands. The lyrical themes of their music are inspired by nature, the history of Gelderland, and Germanic mythology. Most of their lyrics are in Dutch; however, since their album '' Velua'', they a ...

and Adorned Brood * September 2009 – "Paganfest" European tour with Korpiklaani, Moonsorrow, Unleashed, Die Apokalyptischen Reiter, Einherjer, Ex Deo and Swashbuckle * November 2009 – "Heathenfest" North American tour Eluveitie, Belphegor, Vreid, and Kivimetsan Druidi * December 2009 - UK tour with Eden's Curse and The Rotted. * February – March 2010 – "Paganfest" European tour with

Finntroll Finntroll is a Finnish metal band from Helsinki that combines elements of black metal and folk metal. Finntroll's lyrics are mostly in Swedish, the only exception being the song "Madon Laulu" on ''Visor om slutet''. Finntroll's original singer, ...

Eluveitie Eluveitie ( ; )Chrigel Glanzmann: "...According to current research, it is pronounced in Bernese German as, i.e. ''"Elvèyti"''. But I don't know if this is correct. The gods know that.:: Metalist Magazine :: Interviews :: Eluveitie is a Swiss f ...

, Dornenreich, Varg and Arkona * June 2010 – "Plunder Down Under" Australian Tour supported by Claim the Throne * August – December 2010 – "World War Tour" European Tour supporting

Sabaton A sabaton or solleret is part of a knight's body armor that covers the foot. History Fourteenth and fifteenth century sabatons typically end in a tapered point well past the actual toes of the wearer's foot, following fashionable shoe shapes ...

* May 2011 – "Back Through Time" Australian Tour supported by Voyager * August 2011 – "Pandemonium Over North America" North American tour supporting

Kamelot Kamelot is an American power metal band from Tampa, Florida, formed by Thomas Youngblood, in 1987. The Norwegian vocalist Roy Khan joined for the album '' Siége Perilous'', and shared songwriting credit with Youngblood until his departure in A ...

* September – October 2011 – "Heidenfest" European tour with

Turisas Turisas is a Finnish metal band from Hämeenlinna. They were founded in 1997 by Mathias Nygård and Jussi Wickström, and named after an ancient Finnish god of war. Turisas are a folk metal band, incorporating elements of power metal and sym ...

Wintersun Wintersun is a Finnish heavy metal band from Helsinki originally formed as the side project of Jari Mäenpää, then-vocalist and guitarist of folk metal band Ensiferum. In 2003, Mäenpää began pulling together songs that he had been wo ...

, Finntroll, Arkona, and Trollfest * February 2012 – "Useless Drunken Bastards" UK Tour supported by Claim the Throne and Darkest Era * April 2012 – "Paganfest" North American tour with Turisas and Arkona * September 2012 – "The Power Within" UK tour supporting

DragonForce DragonForce are a British power metal band from London, England. The band was formed in 1999 by guitarists Herman Li and Sam Totman, and are known for their long and fast guitar solos, fantasy-themed lyrics and retro video game-influenced ...

with

the Defiled The Defiled were a four-piece British band from London mixing groove-laden hardcore/metal with industrial music influences. They have been described by ''Kerrang!'' magazine as "The saviours of UK Metal" and championed by ''Metal Hammer'' as ...

* October 2012 – "The North American Enigma" North American tour with

Epica Epica or EPICA may refer to: * Epica (band), a Dutch symphonic metal band * ''Epica'' (Kamelot album), 2003 * ''Epica'' (Audiomachine album), 2012 * The European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica (EPICA) * The Epica Awards (International Adver ...

and

Insomnium Insomnium is a melodic death metal band from Joensuu, Finland. The sound and lyrical themes of their music portray darkness, sorrow, loss, pain, and nature. They are primarily a melodic death metal band with occasional elements of doom metal and ...

* January 2013 – "Live at the End of the World" Australia and New Zealand tour * November – December 2013 – North American tour supported by Trollfest and Gypsyhawk * September 2014 – "Storming Across Europe" European Tour supported by Brainstorm, Crimson Shadows and Troldhaugen * October 2014 – "Piratefest" UK tour supported by Lagerstein, Red Rum, and Rainbowdragoneyes * January 2015 – "Piratefest" North American tour supported by Swashbuckle and the Dread Crew of Oddwood * November 2015 – "Piratefest" Australia and New Zealand tour supported by Lagerstein and Troldhaugen * February – March 2016 – "Heroes on Tour" Europe and UK co-headlining tour with Sabaton * October 2016 – "Super Smashed Turbo Tour" North American tour supported by

Nekrogoblikon Nekrogoblikon is an American melodic death metal band based in Los Angeles, California. The group was formed in 2006, by Tim Lyakhovetskiy and Nicky Calonne. The band has released five full-length albums, ''Goblin Island'', ''Stench'', ''Heavy Me ...

and Æther Realm * June – August 2017 –

Vans Warped Tour The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running tourin ...

North American tour * September – October 2017 – "

" headline European tour supported by Æther Realm and Troldhaugen * February 2018 – "Piratefest 2018" UK and Ireland tour supported by Rumahoy and the Dread Crew of Oddwood * August 2018 - Bloodstock Open Air Festival Saturday main stage * September 2018 - North American Tour supported by Gloryhammer * November - December 2018 - "Skälstorm European Tour" supported by

Skálmöld Skálmöld () is a Viking / folk metal band from Reykjavík, Iceland, formed in August 2009. The band's name is literally translated as ''Age of Swords'' and also means "lawlessness", referring to the Age of the Sturlungs of Icelandic history, w ...

* February 2019 - Australian Tour supported by Rumahoy * November 2021 - UK and Ireland Tour supported by Gloryhammer and Bootyard Bandits * June 2022 - Download Festival Sunday Main Stage

References

External links

*
Alestorm
at Napalm Records
Interview with Alestorm from Teeth of the Divine"ALESTORM Interview with Dani Evans"
''Xplosive Metal'', June 2011, Caroline Restiaux {{DEFAULTSORT:Alestorm Scottish folk metal musical groups Scottish power metal musical groups Musical groups established in 2004 Napalm Records artists Articles which contain graphical timelines Musical quintets Pirates in popular culture