ALESTORM one about pirates was the best one.” WHEN IT COMES TO WRITING LYRICS, WIKIPEDIA PROVIDES ALL THE The irony of the situation is that even though the vast majority of their songs are nautically themed, the ANSWERS FOR COTTISH PIRATE METALLERS TO KEEP THEIR S ALESTORM guys have absolutely no interest in pirates and no first- BOAT AFLOAT. BUT RIGHT NOW, FRONTMAN CHRISTOPHER BOWES hand knowledge of anything to do with them. Lyrics are written with the aid of Wikipedia and the tactical JUST WANTS PEOPLE TO TAKE THEIR MUSIC SERIOUSLY inclusion of the words ‘ship’ and ‘tavern’ in the right WORDS: ANGELA DAVEY places. “One of the tracks on the new album is about ost bands, when talking about a on the album,” Chris tells us, “It’s a stupid, vulgar a historical battle and, I’ll be honest, I just went on new album, would say ‘we’ve gone song. It’s basically the idea of channeling a bunch Wikipedia and looked for battles in the Caribbean heavier and darker with this release’, of drunken idiots screaming at a football match ‘the in the 18th Century. I took all the lyrics from the but we haven’t,” says Christopher Bowes, vocalist and referee’s a fucking wanker!’” Wikipedia entry,” he admits. “I don’t know anything “Mkeyboardist of the UK’s favorite pirate metal band, Despite the image that the band have cultivated about pirates or the history surrounding them, I think Alestorm. “If anything,” he continues, “We’ve gone over the years, ‘pirate metal’ is something that Chris it’s all very silly, but it makes for good songs. None of lighter; this is just a collection of pop songs refined to and co. fell into purely by accident. us care about pirates, we think pirates are dumb – to their very essence; full of big bangers.” “Back when this band started, which would have be honest, it’s just silly, dressing up nonsense. We just At their primary core, Alestorm are a band designed been 2004, the very formative years, it was me and a like stuff, like regular, human stuff, but it’s fun to to play live, and they treat every release as such; the bunch of friends just like ‘hey, let’s start a power metal pretend.” bigger the sing-a-long anthem, the better. It’s with band, because it’ll be funny’,” the Alestorm frontman The persona that Alestorm have crafted for this in mind that latest release ‘No Grave But The Sea’ explains. “We didn’t have any songs, so I just sat at themselves is clearly working for them and has was written. home one day writing about stuff like pirates, ninjas acquired a huge worldwide following, however, Chris “‘Fucked With An Anchor’ is my favorite song and battles with dragons. It just so happened that the wishes that people would take the time to look past 22 TERRORIZER #284 alestorm 2 pages.indd 1 10/07/2017 13:52.