Utter Foolishness and Debauchery Delivered in a Lively Package

Alestorm are well known for their care-free method of songwriting, bringing to the world songs of conquering the seas, drinking gallons of mead and fornicating with women — as a pirate is wont to do. No Grave But the Sea is no different in that regard; songs of drunken revelry, utter foolishness and debauchery are made fully available in a lively package. The album opens up with the title track “No Grave But the Sea,” which is a battle cry for the fictional troupe of pirates the band represent, stating that they will pillage and plunder and only die in the sea.

The next track, entitled “Mexico,” is an utterly nonsensical take on how to spend shore time, suggesting gratuitous consumption of tequila as well as watching people performing sexual acts with animals. It is nothing short of hilarity. Perhaps, the most surprising fact about the album is that, even though many of the songs discuss similar situations, the quality of the instrumental portions are often overshadowed by the lyrics, as listeners will find themselves deeply engaged in an effort to make out what off-the-wall line will come next.

Out of the entire album, the song that best illustrates the overall feel of No Grave But the Sea is “Fucked With an Anchor,” which already piques the interest of the average listener who needs to go no further than the title to understand the level of vulgarity and drollery contained within. The track features a catchy chorus mentioning punching adversaries in the genitals, whilst also hurling other classic Scottish insults that listeners will no doubt find themselves repeating at inopportune times throughout the day.

To sum it up, No Grave But the Sea is incredibly well constructed instrumentally, features a great sense of adventure and whimsy and is fun for the whole family as long as all family members are over the age of 18 or posses an incredibly dark sense of humor.