Alestorm The Thunderfist Chronicles Review
Alestorm
The Thunderfist Chronicles
Napalm Records
2025
I still remember walking into my local FYE perusing the new heavy metal releases and stumbling across Alestorm’s ‘Leviathan’ EP. The album artwork caught my eye immediately and it looked like I was in store for an epic adventure with its ominous dark clouds casting over tumultuous black waves and a sea creature attacking ships with a sinister and ghastly skeletal pirate overseeing it all. I hadn’t heard of the band prior to this, but was fortunate that at the time their debut full-length ‘Captain Morgan’s Revenge’ was already out so I was able to indulge further in heavy metal pirate debauchery! It’s hard to believe that it was over 15 years ago and the band is still tearing through the water like the Kraken hunting its next victims.
Over the next several years, the band became one of my favorites and I was constantly listening to them. Their first four albums are impeccable and hold up well, even compared to much of today’s power and folk metal. It wasn’t until ‘Curse of the Crystal Coconut’ that I started to lose interest. I saw the music video for “Treasure Chest Party Quest” and was immediately turned off. One of the things that I always appreciated about the band was that they never took themselves too seriously, but that video stopped me from checking out any more of the album. I found it too jokey, even for them. It wasn’t until their latest release, “The Thunderfist Chronicles”, that they registered in my brain once more.
The album starts off strong with the keyboard driven “Hyperion Omniriff”. I know it’s a bizarre comparison, but between the keyboard solos and Chris’ more gruff and haggard death metal style vocals in parts of the song, I was picking up Children of Bodom vibes. I’m quickly jarred in the transition in tone and atmosphere by songs like “Banana” and “Killed to Death by Piracy” as there are elements of industrial and techno that are throwing me off. Someway, somehow, it all comes together and works though. Is it what I come to the band for? No, but it’s impressive and it’s cohesive. And while the album only consists of eight songs, the band makes up for it with the over 17-minute closer, “Mega-Supreme Treasure of the Eternal Thunderfist”. This song makes every other adventure the band has taken us on up to this point pale in comparison. It showcases a few different elements such as some killer lead guitar work in the throes of battle, beautiful female vocals courtesy of Patty Gurdy and a standout vocal performance from Russell Allen of Symphony X and Adrenaline Mob.
~TJ