Customer Reviews

Leviathan

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was questioning everything I'd heard about this band until about half way through "Heavy Metal Pirates," and then somehow it all clicked. Give the next descriptions their due as I'm not trying to be mean and it all works out in a big way in the end. On first listen, "Leviathan" was okay, the musicianship actually is pretty good. But you get a strange mixture of about four rhyming lyrics and jarring groups of lines ending with "beast," "tail," "name," "grail," / "head," "hell," "morning," "flame," and others. On one hand, it was kind of foolishly cool just to throw lyrics in there and let everyone have their WTF? moment. And another WTF? with a weirdly moaning "oh-oh-oh" refrain." "Wolves of the Sea" was neat, but it sounded a lot like things I used to hear on Saturday morning cartoons. And "Weiber und Wein" was pretty good musically, actually it was d**n good musically, but I couldn't understand a thing they were singing. And then "Heavy Metal Pirates" opens with the worst of metal conventions (over-the-top singing trying to sound metal tough, peeling guitars), but then all of a sudden Chistopher Bowes opens this song up with a keyboard solo that is out of this world. And that's when it all clicked. And I've listened to this thing about twenty times since in just a few days. And I've been noticing all the stuff I didn't notice the first time around. The double bass drums and the keyboard work that leads into the gloomy tone-shift in "Leviathan," the time shifts in nearly all the songs, the awesome militaristic drumbeat opening to "Weiber und Wein" and its practically Scottish rhythms, and the corny tavern music that sounds like bad Red Lobster muzak fare but in the context of "Wolves of the Sea" gives it a maturity and thoughtfulness that it would lack without it. I don't know how, but I've listened to his over and over and over since. Every thing Bowes sings with his pirate cant is awesome, Lasse Lamert and Gavin Harper have some fine guitar work here, and Dani Evans and Migo Wagner provide a consant bass-drum core throughout the EP. One testament to Alestorm's genius is the way they take the way too painfully Euro Eurovision "Wolves of the Sea" piece by Pirates of the Sea (a group of Swedish peformers who wrote the song to represent Latvia in the Eurovision Song Contest of 2008 that was held in Serbia) and turn it into a credible metal piece instead of leaving it as some sort of modern day too-blue take on, if I may say so, The Village People. (If you don't believe me, check out the differences between the Pirates of the Sea and Alestorm version of this song on you tube. Everybody's privileged to their own taste, but I think most everybody will agree that Alestorm strengthened this song for the better.) All in all, this is a blazing EP by a new band that's doing things like nobody else's pirate business. Soon, if they're not already, these guys are going to be pulling the big shows. Before that, just enjoy this uniquely metal voyage of discovery.

Although i wish they had another full album, this is a real treat from the band that (in my opinion) released the best album last year. every track is pure gold, some of the most fun you'll have listening to music. its heavy and sometimes angry, but you just cant take that smile of your thrashing head when these swashbucklers blare through the speakers.

more of a teaser of things to come than a full album, but more than i could've ever hoped for just a year after one of the best albums in recent memory. a must buy for fans of unique metal. if you dig Amon Amarth, Finntroll, Korpiklaani, ect. you will probably love Alestorm. so buy it now, support this fantastic band.

* "Weiber Und Wein" is just a remix of "Wenches and Mead" in german. so technically its just 3 new songs, but when those songs are so great, its hard for one to complain.

Leviathan - more epic in tone than most of their songs, strong instumental focus

Wolves of the Sea - one of their best songs, deffinitely in the top 3, catchy, fun, and heavy

Heavy Metal Pirates - another top notch entry by this consistantly solid band

Track Listing:
1.Leviathan
2.Wolves of the Sea
3.Weiber und Wein
4.Heavy Metal Pirates

I thought This Alestorm's album was fantastic. Very Cool Album Art. Its Good Scottish Pirate Metal and fun to listin to; However, it's a bit short for 4 songs and I do have to complain.

Track one is a song about A legendary sea creature called The Leviathan that rips people limb from limb, witch is great but I found that its on the same CD as (Black Sails at Midnight) witch also has the song "Wolvs of the sea".

so that's 2 songs on another CD...so what dose this have to have to offer over (Black Sails at Midnight)?
A good song called "Heavy Metal Pirates" and "Weiber und Wein".

I was also surprised to Learn that "Weiber und Wein" is the same song as "Wenches and Mead" on (Captain Morgan's Revenge) witch I also got. The Difference is its in German.
I can get That song along with 9 other songs on the album (Captain Morgan's Revenge)...so 3 out of 4 songs are on 2 other CD's witch kinda makes it rip off.
Granted this is the Very first Album and its that 1 song I would not have IF I did not buy it, but I did. So If u want 4 Realy good songs get this album, Otherwise get the other 2 CD's (Captain Morgan's Revenge)&(Black Sails at Midnight).

The only song not on their other albums is a German version of Wenches and Mead (Weiber und Wein). I'm hoping they'll put out another full album soon. This is probably the only band I've taken a liking to in the last 20 years. If you like old fashioned heavy metal (reminiscent of '80's Iron Maiden in ways) check out their other albums.

if you love power metal, pirates and good values, look no further. this ep rules!