Alestorm

Scottish alternative metal band Alestorm have the distinction of occupying a niche within the music business shared by no other band; they are the founding (and only) members of a genre which has become known as 'pirate metal'. The group started out life in 2004 as a fairly conventional power metal outfit called Battleheart. It was a studio project created by vocalist Christopher Bowes and guitarist Gavin Harper and the success of their song 'Heavy Metal Pirates' that convinced the band to adopt a pirate theme for all their future material and band image.

Their debut album performed as Alestorm was 'Captain Morgan's Revenge' released by Napalm in 2008. Shortly after the release of the album, founding member Harper quit the band leaving Bowes in charge of the ship. By combining metal with traditional folk influences the band have created a unique sound which can best be compared to a series of heavy metal sea shanties, an unusual combination but one which has worked successfully for the group. In 2014 their fourth album 'Sunset On the Golden Age' went to number one in the UK Rock Chart.