Ancient Bards

Here's a band that definitely doesn't have the recognition they deserve. Ancient Bards is a female-fronted folk/symphonic metal band from Italy. Check them out!

-Zombie Viking

Kittenz are Metal

-Zombie Viking

Jari's Master Plan

I recently discovered an unexpected side effect of listening to Time I. It makes everything epic. Perhaps too epic. Just walking down the street, it is almost unnoticeable since I always listen to music walking to and from places. However, doing other mundane objects like making food or taking a piss...

Jari you trickster!

Now that almost everything I do is epic, I feel senses of accomplishment where I shouldn't. Sure, I may be all joyous now, but when someone tells me I did literally nothing different from any other day in my life, that's where I can feel the full weight of the situation. I become less productive and reward myself more because everything I do feels like an accomplishment. My productivity has come to a halt and I find myself writing in the blog I said less than a week ago that I would abandon.

Maybe this was Jari's plan all along. Maybe he's trying to stop time altogether. Surely everyone would notice if he was to execute his plan all at once, so he split it up into smaller pieces! Once Time II is released, everything will come to a grinding halt. We'll all feel so unmotivated to do anything because any little event will be met with a standing ovation and the most epic soundtrack known to man. I'm on to you Jari. I will personally put a warning label on every copy of Time II that reads "caution: take in small doses". The ball is in your court.

-Zombie Viking

Christian Balestorm

This is why you go to concerts on Halloween.

-Zombie Viking

Off to the Concert

In a few hours I'll be going to the Opera House again to see Epica and Alestorm (among other bands). It'll be my third time seeing Alestorm and first seeing any female-fronted metal band. Hopefully I'll even get an Alestorm shirt finally.. They even promised something special, so I'm really looking forward to seeing what it is!

Oh you guys

I'll be posting my concert impressions either Friday or this weekend, so stay tuned. It will also be the last post here for a bit.. I've decided to focus a bit more on school than my blog, and hopefully that will pay off in the long run. It's definitely not the end of anything though, as I will get back to blogging as soon as I can.

I'll leave you with this Epica music video. I think it just perfectly blends the beautiful symphonic music and metal. Enjoy!


-Zombie Viking

Metal Mondays: Alestorm

Yarr, there be pirate metal aboard!

YARRRR- wait, what?

Alestorm
Genre: Pirate Metal
Country: Scotland

Alestorm, the one and only True Scottish Pirate Metal band has made quite an impact in the relatively short time since their debut. They were formed in 2004 under the name Battleheart and released their first official record under the name Alestorm in 2008. After Captain Morgan's Revenge, Black Sails at Midnight and Back Through Time have followed. And already, the band is prepping for their first ever headlining festival.

Those crazy pirates.

Alestorm's music is unique in the sense that it's hilarious the first time, but as you continue to listen to it, there's a good musical backing as opposed to the music just being there for cheap laughs. Their lyrics range from grand adventures to just getting drunk. The songs do a good job of not breaking the pirate theme (besides maybe Scraping the Barrel, but that song's pretty awesome in its own right) so you always feel like a swashbuckler listening to an Alestorm album. The only thing I'd like to see more of is for the band to dive deeper into pirate lore. As countless movies and games have shown, there's a lot of pirate stuff to be explored. I did enjoy Back Through Time though, as it felt like the band responding to the current metal scene (viking metal specifically) and of course Swashbuckled served as a great call out to Swashbuckle. They have the unique spot of being one of the only pirate metal bands in existence (though there are finally some other bands catching on to the idea) so I think Alestorm should embrace it more.

Alestorm is also the only band I've seen live more than once. This Wednesday will be my third time seeing them in concert. Maybe I'll even finally get a t-shirt. The first time I saw them was one of my first concerts, so I didn't even bring enough money for merch. The second time they had completely sold out the day before. Hopefully the third time's the charm.

Speaking of seeing Alestorm live, they are a great live band. For some reason, they're the only band for which I know practically every word of every song. No matter what they play, I'll be singing along. Even driving in my car I sing along whenever I decide to play Back Through Time. The band itself is just so much fun. And I'm not the only one. The entire crowd goes crazy whenever Alestorm rolls through town. From every single person singing Nancy the Tavern Wench to a giant mosh pit erupting during Back Through Time, it's always a great time. I just wish they'd play Heavy Metal Pirates once! I think it would be an amazing live song.

Nothing needs to be said about this poster.

I definitely have a lot of Alestorm memories, as they keep coming to me as I'm writing. Chris Bowes is a great guy. He really knows how to keep a crowd entertained. He always has some joke to say in between songs or he just plays some catchy riff on his keytar. The first time I saw them, he even played for a good minute because the guitarist was having technical difficulties that the crew was fixing. Then there's Dani Evans who always always jumps off stage right when the band has finished their set and walks through the crowd to the bar. Once he has a drink in his hands, he takes the time to interact with fans, signing things or just talking to people. It's great to see a band that likes its fans so much. Chris Bowes also happens to be a part of a little band called Gloryhammer, who, as some of you may remember, linked to my blog on their Facebook page. These guys are pretty awesome.

I'm really looking forward to seeing this great band again this Wednesday. It's always a good time when Alestorm is in town!

-Zombie Viking

Instant Viking Headwear

With the added bonus of being warm! Now you can instantly grow a beard and become a real viking.

-Zombie Viking