Scottish pirate metal band Alestorm brought their drunken antics the the US and kicked off their newest tour. With shows across the states (but none in Pennsylvania!), the House of Blues in Myrtle Beach was their second stop. The beach town was a perfect host for piraty debauchery.
Opening the show was Canadian metal band Lutharo. Lutharo has a unique sound that’s a mix of thrash, power, and melodic death metal, with both catchy riffs and hard-hitting power. It’s always refreshing to see women in metal, especially doing lead vocals, and vocalist Krista Shipperbottom is incredible. She perfectly balances the mix of genres and owns the stage from start to end. Lutharo got the energy set high for the rest of the night.
Right in the middle of the show was power metal band Gloryhammer. Gloryhammer is one of the most prominent names in power metal, with their intense melodic songs that are filled to the brim with storytelling. The narrative-driven music translates into an exciting live show, with each band member portraying their respective characters and interacting with each other as such. It’s very reminiscent of D&D, but with metal. You can’t go wrong with that.
Throughout the show, all eyes were on the newest band member, vocalist Sozos Michael. Sozos joined the band in 2021, replacing former vocalist Thomas Winkler. Fans have been sceptical, as Thomas provided unique gruff-ish vocals whereas Sozos takes the band in a different direct with the traditional clean power metal vocals. Three songs had already been released with Sozos on vocals at the time of the Myrtle Beach show, all of which are considered by many as some of Gloryhammer’s best work, but the true test of a vocalist is a live performance. From the moment he ran out on stage, Sozos exceeded all expectations. With unmatched energy, he commanded the stage while portraying his character, Angus McFife. His vocals were just as crisp and clear as the studio recordings, with an added layered of energy. With Sozos setting the tone, the rest of the band matched his energy and enthusiasm, which let to one of the best live shows that I’ve ever seen. Adding Sozos to the band was one of the best decisions for Gloryhammer.
After an incredible performance from Gloryhammer, it was finally time for the headliner Alestorm. But before they could take the stage, things needed to be prepped. This involved two things: inflating a giant duck, and setting out cups and cans of alcohol all across the stage. Two things very much needed for a bunch of pirates. But once ready, this ragtag bunch took to the stage and the pirate party started. Donning his kilt, keytar, and a shirt from the iconic Myrtle Beach store The Gay Dolphin, lead vocalist/keytarist/founder/writer/pirate Chris Bowes led the crowd on a journey of “90 minutes of high functioning alcoholism”. And what a journey it was! Their setlist covered all of the classics and fan favourites from their 15+ year history, including several from their newest album Seventh Rum of a Seventh Rum.
Throughout the show Bowes would interact with fans in the first few rows, which made for a unique experience. Two separate times, Bowes borrowed pirate hats from from fans, to complete his pirate look. Also joining the stage twice was a shark, to both take over vocals and eat various band members, as sharks do. And as is tradition, to close out the show the band wanted properly send off their fans with their truly heart-felt song Fucked With An Anchor, and flipped off the crowd the whole time. We’d expect nothing less! It was an incredibly memorable and exciting show!
