After signing to Napalm Records in 2007, their debut album Captain Morgan's Revenge, was released on 25 January 2008. Black Sails at Midnight, the band's second album, was released on 27 May 2009. The band's third album, Back Through Time, was released on 3 June 2011. The fourth album from the band, Sunset on the Golden Age, was released in August 2014. Their fifth album No Grave But the Sea was released on 26 May 2017. Their sixth and latest album, Curse of the Crystal Coconut, was released on 29 May 2020.
The band was founded in 2004 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 Napalm Records, and the band was promptly offered a record deal.
After being signed by Napalm Records, the band changed their name from Battleheart to Alestorm. Their debut album, Captain Morgan's Revenge, was released in early 2008.
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 2nd album Black Sails at Midnight was released in May 2009. In March 2010, Ian Wilson left the band and was replaced with a new drummer named Peter Alcorn. Alestorm's third album, Back Through Time, was Alcorn's first appearance on an Alestorm album. 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.
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 "No Grave But the Sea", was released on 26 May 2017.
On 8 January 2020, the band announced the title of their sixth studio album, "Curse of the Crystal Coconut". This was released on May 29th, 2020. Prior to its release, Alestorm released the singles "Treasure Chest Party Quest", "Tortuga" (feat. Captain Yarrface of Rumahoy) and "Fannybaws".
Alestorm is generally classified as pirate metal, folk metal, power metal, heavy metal, and hard rock. 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 power metal with many orchestrations commonly found in folk metal. Album recordings feature heavy use of real trumpets and trombones, whilst implementing accordion synths, fiddle and tin whistle to convey a pirate sea shanty feel. Alestorm uses factors of absurdity to bring a jocular feel to their music, incorporating irreverent lyrical themes while retaining a tenuous connection to pirates.
They have also been known to experiment with different metal genres, going from songs that are predominantly thrash metal ("Black Sails at Midnight") to a switch to a black metal sonority mid-song ("Death Throes of the Terrorsquid"). The band's later albums have begun to incorporate more screamed vocals by keyboard player Elliot Vernon, adding hints of metalcore ("Magnetic North") and death metal ("1741 – The Battle of Cartagena") to the band's sound.
Official bio:
Avast, ye landlubbers! From the deepest darkest depths of the Caribbean comes Alestorm, a drunken band of pirates on an epic quest to drink your beer, steal your rum, and be the greatest damn band that ever did sail the seven seas!
From humble beginnings playing shows to farm animals in a field somewhere in Eastern Scotland, Alestorm have evolved into an international party machine hellbent on conquering album charts and festival stages throughout the world, with their infectious brand of 'Pirate Metal' and their dashing good looks.
Somehow they've managed to convince hundreds of thousands of people from New Zealand to Argentina to Lithuania and everywhere in between (except Paraguay), that it's cool to wear a pirate hat and sing stupid songs about getting drunk and stealing ships. So prepare your spleens, because Alestorm are coming to kick ass and chew gum. And they're all out of ass.
Also, they have a giant inflatable duck. Does your band have a giant inflatable duck? No. I didn't think so.
Barrett's Privateers
Alestorm Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
HOW I WISH I WAS IN SHERBROOKE NOW!
A letter of marque came from the king
To the scummiest vessel I'd ever seen
God damn them all!
I was told we'd cruise the seas for American gold
We'd fire no guns-shed no tears
The last of Barrett's Privateers
Oh, Elcid Barrett cried the town
HOW I WISH I WAS IN SHERBROOKE NOW!
For twenty brave men all fishermen who
would make for him the Antelope's crew
God damn them all!
I was told we'd cruise the seas for American gold
We'd fire no guns-shed no tears
Now I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier
The last of Barrett's Privateers
The Antelope sloop was a sickening sight
HOW I WISH I WAS IN SHERBROOKE NOW!
She'd a list to the port and her sails in rags
And the cook in scuppers with the staggers and the jags
God damn them all!
I was told we'd cruise the seas for American gold
We'd fire no guns-shed no tears
Now I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier
The last of Barrett's Privateers
On the King's birthday we put to sea
HOW I WISH I WAS IN SHERBROOKE NOW!
We were 91 days to Montego Bay
Pumping like madmen all the way
God damn them all!
I was told we'd cruise the seas for American gold
We'd fire no guns-shed no tears
Now I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier
The last of Barrett's Privateers
On the 96th day we sailed again
HOW I WISH I WAS IN SHERBROOKE NOW!
When a bloody great Yankee hove in sight
With our cracked four pounders we made to fight
God damn them all!
I was told we'd cruise the seas for American gold
We'd fire no guns-shed no tears
Now I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier
The last of Barrett's Privateers
The Yankee lay low down with gold
HOW I WISH I WAS IN SHERBROOKE NOW!
She was broad and fat and loose in the stays
But to catch her took the Antelope two whole days
God damn them all!
I was told we'd cruise the seas for American gold
We'd fire no guns-shed no tears
Now I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier
The last of Barrett's Privateers
"Ladies and gentlemen, Mister Heri Joensen"
Then at length we stood two cables away
HOW I WISH I WAS IN SHERBROOKE NOW!
Our cracked four pounders made an awful din
But with one fat ball the Yank stove us in
God damn them all!
I was told we'd cruise the seas for American gold
We'd fire no guns-shed no tears
Now I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier
The last of Barrett's Privateers
The Antelope shook and pitched on her side
HOW I WISH I WAS IN SHERBROOKE NOW!
Barrett was smashed like a bowl of eggs
And the Maintruck carried off both me legs
God damn them all!
I was told we'd cruise the seas for American gold
We'd fire no guns-shed no tears
Now I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier
The last of Barrett's Privateers
So here I lay in my 23rd year
HOW I WISH I WAS IN SHERBROOKE NOW!
It's been 6 years since we sailed away
And I just made Halifax yesterday
God damn them all!
I was told we'd cruise the seas for American gold
We'd fire no guns-shed no tears
Now I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier
The last of Barrett's Privateers
The lyrics of Alestorm's song "Barrett's Privateers" tell the story of a letter of marque (an official document that authorized a ship to attack enemy vessels during wartime) that was sent by the king to the "scummiest vessel" the singer had ever seen. The singer, who is one of the crew members, expresses regret for joining the mission when he is left broken on a Halifax pier after losing his shipmates, his legs, and the privateer vessel he served on. The song is set in 1778 during the American Revolution, and the crew is tasked with cruising the seas to find American gold. The song goes on to describe how the crew battled the rough seas, encountered a Yankee ship, and ultimately met their demise.
The lyrics of "Barrett's Privateers" are written in the first person point of view, and they effectively convey the bitter regret and heartache of the singer, who reminisces about the fateful day when he joined the crew of the Antelope's vessel. The use of specific dates and locations adds to the authenticity of the song and enhances its historical significance. The song's catchy melody and upbeat tempo contrast with the tragic story it tells, which, in turn, reinforces the poignancy of the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, the year was 1778
The year was 1778
HOW I WISH I WAS IN SHERBROOKE NOW!
I wish I was in Sherbrooke now
A letter of marque came from the king
The king sent a letter allowing us to attack enemy ships
To the scummiest vessel I'd ever seen
We were given the worst ship to use for our attacks
God damn them all!
I curse them all!
I was told we'd cruise the seas for American gold
I was promised that we would find and capture American ships carrying treasure
We'd fire no guns-shed no tears
We were told that we wouldn't have to use force or kill anyone
Now I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier
Now I'm a defeated and miserable person sitting on the pier in Halifax
The last of Barrett's Privateers
I'm the only survivor of Barrett's Privateers
Oh, Elcid Barrett cried the town
Elcid Barrett, the captain, screamed throughout the town
For twenty brave men all fishermen who
Twenty brave men, all fishermen, offered to join the crew
would make for him the Antelope's crew
They would help Barrett capture the Antelope's crew
The Antelope sloop was a sickening sight
The Antelope sloop was in terrible condition
She'd a list to the port and her sails in rags
She was tilted to one side and her sails were damaged
And the cook in scuppers with the staggers and the jags
The cook was extremely drunk and throwing up over the side
On the King's birthday we put to sea
We left port on the King's birthday
We were 91 days to Montego Bay
It took us 91 days to reach Montego Bay
Pumping like madmen all the way
We were working endlessly to keep the ship from sinking on the way there
On the 96th day we sailed again
We left again after 96 days
When a bloody great Yankee hove in sight
We saw a large American ship on the horizon
With our cracked four pounders we made to fight
We prepared to fight with our cannons
The Yankee lay low down with gold
The American ship carried a large amount of treasure
She was broad and fat and loose in the stays
The ship was very wide and had loose rigging
But to catch her took the Antelope two whole days
It took two whole days for us to catch the American ship
"Ladies and gentlemen, Mister Heri Joensen"
An introduction to a musical break featuring Heri Joensen
Then at length we stood two cables away
We got very close to the American ship
Our cracked four pounders made an awful din
We loudly fired our damaged cannons
But with one fat ball the Yank stove us in
The American ship fired a single shot which destroyed ours
The Antelope shook and pitched on her side
Our ship started to shake and tilt to one side
Barrett was smashed like a bowl of eggs
The captain was hit and broken like a bowl of eggs
And the Maintruck carried off both me legs
A mast broke and cut off both of my legs
So here I lay in my 23rd year
I'm now 23 years old and lying here
It's been 6 years since we sailed away
It's been 6 years since we left on this adventure
And I just made Halifax yesterday
I've just arrived in Halifax yesterday
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind