Alestorm — not to be confused with Halestorm — the pirate-themed power metal band, set sail earlier this month to embark on a tour for their most recent release, The Thunderfist Chronicles— an album made for the swashbuckling adventurers of the high seas. Alestorm was an accidental discovery I made last year. I work at a concert venue and was needed at the last minute to cover someone’s shift. I fell in love with the whole power metal vibe from the first note of the opening band that night. When Alestorm announced their return to Milwaukee, I knew that I needed to cover that night. My husband tagged along that night because one of the openers is a band that he’s been wanting to see for a really long time. We were both in for a crazy good time.

The first band to take stage actually toured with them last year. However, due to several events over the past twelve months, the band made some changes and introduced a new lead vocalist, Barbara Blackthorne. I do my best to not support bands that have controversies surrounding them, especially about having problematic members in the group. I think Glyph handled their situation in one of the best ways possible. I’m not going to dig in too much on this because it happened in the past and does not offer any insight to how much I love their music. Barbara Blackthorne had a powerful stage presence and has a beautifully melodic voice that ties in perfectly with the band’s overall sound. In my opinion, she is a much better fit for them, especially with those giant belts. Amazing opening set, and I could feel the crowd feeding off the energy on stage as the members interacted with the crowd.

Moments before the next band took the stage, a crew member came out on stage with a cardboard cutout of Tom Jones as his song “Delilah” played over the speakers. Confusion arose among the crowd, venue staff, and me. I vaguely recognized the cutout as it was initially brought out, but I’m so bad with names that I had to Google search later and use Shazam to figure out what song was playing. Tom Jones is Welsh, and the band is also Welsh — my husband deduced these facts after the show, and I guess that was why they did that? I’m not really sure, but it was an entertaining moment. However, some people in the crowd seemed unfazed as a loud singalong and hand-waving were in motion. When the song ended, the same crew member ran back out and removed the cutout. Then the stage and house lights turned off. It was time.

Gloryhammer came out in full force. My husband explained to me that their theme is supposed to be space wizards in time or something like that. Each member came out dressed in that part, I guess? I don’t go out of my way to listen to power metal, but I totally enjoy it. Either way, they were phenomenal. Crowd surfers started, a pit opened up, and there were dozens of fans at the barricade screaming along to the songs. Their set-up was fun and gave off Camelot notes with the brick covers. The vocalist, Sozos Michael, flipped his hair around as he also held the microphone towards the crowd as they continued to sing back. Their little stage theatrics lent a hand to the fun as an alien came out on stage playing a saxophone — followed by a beat-down with the GLORYHAMMER carved with a rune symbol changing colors as it lit up. Vocalist Sozos Michael continued to march around stage with the mic in one hand and the hammer in the other for the remainder of the set. Even if that hammer is super light, I can’t imagine having to carry that around over your head for an extended amount of time. It was a cool prop to include. Can you really call your band Gloryhammer without a hammer? HAMMERTIME.

After they played, it was time for the pirates to take the stage. But first, inflate the GIANT RUBBER DUCK. This was my favorite part of watching Alestorm perform last year at this venue. Their first song had crazy lights flashing and swirling around the room as they entered. The crowd was screaming, and inflatable swords were waving around the crowd. The pirates took no captors as everyone was on board singing along to their chanties. Crowd surfers were coming up left and right in the pit. I even saw someone wearing a duck mask make their way up. It was a wonderful show, and they even brought Glyph’s vocalist, Barbara Blackthorne, on stage to provide vocals for some of their songs. I love guest features. There was also the return of MC Shark, who helped out with some of the songs as well as chasing guitarist Máté Bodor around the stage. He even chewed on his head a little bit. Their music is fun, lighthearted, and about pirates. What more could you want from them?

Alestorm is still out there, so you can buy a ticket to catch a show near you. Don’t miss out on a fun time, or you might end up walking the plank of sadness. I don’t think you want to let this good time pass you by. See the poster below for upcoming shows!

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