Pirate Takeover: Alestorm Brings Quirky Yet Perfect Performance to the Varisty Theater

There's nothing quite like hitting the ground running. I surely could have used a night off to recover from Riot Fest, but the concert Gods had something else in plan for me. I knew that Tuesday night's show wasn't going to be exactly for me, but I also knew that missing the almighty Alestorm was not an option. I've seen them before and know that their show is one that is as fun and quirky as it is flawless and energized. Who was I to say no to a show like that?

Although I knew about the headlining act, I knew nothing about the two openers walking into the night, but they instantly caught my attention. Power metal band Glyph was first to take the stage at the Varsity Theater. This group is more than just your standard power metal band; they are a group of "intergalactic mercenaries escaping a dying planet in their spaceship, the VSS Dragonlord." That's right, like GWAR, like Glyph, is a kind of band with a giant backstory. Although I don't know the whole backstory of this band and their dying planet, they were quick to lay out the land and welcome me into their world. It was quirky and slightly funny, with how dramatic it was, but what wasn't dramatic was their talent.

The first thing that really caught me was the vocals from frontwoman Barbara Blackthorne (who also fronts Empress). Her vocals were high-pitched, but they didn't feel forced. Although they weren't quite for me stylistically, there's no denying the power of this beautiful songstress. The way she was able to sing in such a high register yet still retain an immense amount of power left me floored. When you added the musicality of the band behind her, you were left with something that was as much of an assault on the ears as it was a beautiful piece of art. I loved how everything about this band seemed so curated, from the songs they played to the outfits they wore, but there was still a sense of whimsical wonder that came with journeying through the worlds they created with their sound.

Following Glyph was Gloryhammer. Although, unlike Glyph, I had seen this band name time and time again, I had never heard their music. Like the sound of Glyph, Gloryhammer's tone definitely felt very power metal, but there was something a bit more epic about it. It had a bit more of that Viking metal influence behind that, as you may know, I am a sucker for. Although their sound was intense, the lyrical content seemed to revolve around unicorns. Okay, maybe that's not quite true, but I definitely heard the word "unicorn" used multiple times throughout their set, and that made me chuckle a wee bit. Here was this band of men all dressed up in outfits that would surely win awards at a Renaissance Festival, but they were screaming about unicorns? The juxtaposition was as real as the fun was.

From the roaring guitars to the soaring vocals, Gloryhammer was intense, and even if the music wasn't quite your cup of tea, there was no ignoring the sound pumping through the speakers. I'll be the first to admit that Gloryhammer's sound felt a bit more 80s hair metal than I tend to go for; yet, somehow, this band had me hooked. Everything was crisp and clean. Every note and intricate detail of Gloryhammer's sound could be heard loud and clear. At the same time, you could see that this band was loving every moment of being on stage. They didn't really have to do much to get the crowd amped up. The audience was shouting all of the words as they started passing the crowd surfers up and over the barricade to the security personnel.

Closing out the Tuesday night show was the almighty Alestorm. As mentioned, I've seen this Scottish pirate metal band multiple times at this point and, yes, they are as quirky as you may think. The self-dubbed "True Scottish Pirate Metal" band, Alestorm, has lyrics, like their performance, that are based around pirates and rubber ducks. Okay, not sure where the rubber ducks come into play, but I will say that the giant inflatable duck at the back of the stage made for a perfect backdrop to photos, and the small duck on top of vocalist Christopher Bowes' head made me laugh every time I stopped to look at it. The magic of Alestorm is in these quirky details. From their dress to these props to the way they use traditional folk metal sounds but make it "pirate-y", there's really not too much that's serious about this band outside of their serious talent.

Really, if you take away the pirate gimmick and their hilarious antics on stage, you are left with a hell of a talented band. The way this group incorporates everything from a traditional folk metal sound to elements of pop, punk, and even dubstep into their music is truly insane. It's like a web, connecting genre to genre, but when you really start to dissect it, you realize that this web is impossible to unweave. There's just too much creativity and too much bending the rules to the point where, eventually, all you can do is get lost in the talent and uniqueness of the group. On top of all of this is the immense amount of energy that Alestorm brings to a stage. I was beyond tired as the band was setting up, but as soon as they took the stage, that tired feeling turned into pure adrenaline and excitement. Some of that came from the crowd and the way they were moshing and screaming their way through the set, but the majority of that feeling came straight from this band. Alestorm has been doing this for years, but that hasn't changed them. They still feel like a band with everything to prove, nothing to lose, and they have no problem conquering and captivating every venue that they visit.

Pirate metal is a niche thing. I understand that. But why? Why can't we all believe that we are pirates for just one night? If not pirates, how about an alien who is trying to escape their dying planet? Tuesday night was all about imagination and power wrapped up into one perfectly curated, albeit quirky, concert.