dead men tell no tales

 Welcome back to your midweek addiction the Wacky Music Wednesday!  Yaarrr, we be speakin' pirate talk today... no not really. Are you kidding me? I couldn't keep that up for an entire column, or could I? No I couldn't.... Also, I keep referencing this as a column, haha. oh my, I need to wash down this donut with some gin. 

 But seriously, PIRATE METAL or just pirate music in general is so crazy hot right now. Bands like Alestorm, Swashbuckle, and Ensiferum have crushed the waves with epic pirate metal that continues to grow! But where did it all begin?

 The 80s metal sensation "Black Jack" were actually considered the VERY FIRST pirate metal band with their EP "Five Pieces O' Eight" 

- mixing an incredible 80s punch with pirate themes seems the perfect match!

Now I want to see a pirate music video with 80s retro tech film, wouldn't that be amazing?  Finding these songs in better quality is damn near impossible, but seriously listen to that guitar solo in Highwayman's Inn!  I LOVE IT!!  How would Pirate metal evolve over the years?

Let's jump to just 10 years ago with one of my favorite acts; 'Privateer' and their incredible "Ember Sea" and share just how technically impressive this genre can grind. Privateer are an incredible group of artists that I've really enjoyed for a while now. Matter of fact, I started listening to them long before I even heard of acts like Alestorm or Ensiferum!

Ember Sea is a track I constantly go back to, I love the harsh vocals punctuation as well as the clean chorus. I often find myself humming it:

"Ember sea, we grab for the horizon

And put the tyrants to the torch

And only the ashes on the water

Will be a token of what went forth"

The Privateer are more of what I'd consider a "serious" style band that while singing of sailing the open sea and singing shanties. The acoustic opening, and the incredible build to the above chorus should not be missed. If you dig this song, I'd suggest checking out the rest of "Monolith" and more of their discography.   Matter of fact, it looks like "Kingdom of Exiles" their 2023 album JUST released!  So now I'll be spending the rest of WMW catching up on their latest!!  I hope you enjoy until next week's WACKY METAL WEDNESDAY!! ⁠<3