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To get the most leveling criticism out of the way to begin with, it should be duly noted that at no point while listening to this record did I manage to take it the least bit seriously. Some might well argue that a batch of goofballs hailing from New Jersey who first see fit to sing about nothing but piracy (of the high seas, not digital, variety) set to blistering death/thrash deserve just that sort of dismissive scorn and little more. I only wish that I could defer to such wishes and move on to love or loathe the next record on my playlist, but dammit, this does have enough riff and punch to warrant attention and...yeesh, praise. While growling about rum-quaffing and plank-walking in a thrash-riffed milieu is seemingly incongruous to a fault, it's really no more or less anachronistic than the traditional metal mainstay that is Running Wild, who've been plying the selfsame lyrical trade with ubiquity for twenty-some-odd years now. For me, it all boils down to approach and technique, and this is where Swashbuckle more than holds its own. Alternately crushing and swinging, tight as hell and varied in its musical scope, it comes closer to emulating vintage Exodus than any band I've heard in recent history, which, of course, shouldn't be mistaken for anything but the highest of compliments. It's helped along by a production and mix that would pass scrutiny as a major-label funded release. Now, the negatives, most glaringly being the populous acoustic and atmospheric musical interludes that litter the proper metal tracks on the album. Presumably, they're used to lend a pirate-exotic vibe to the proceedings but really just serve to both pad the album's length and kill its flow and dynamics. A few here and there would have been far more effective and memorable. The vocals flat out suck, too. Piss-take or not, this band deserves more up front than just a mediocre barker.
With such perfunctory drawbacks, however, it's obvious to me that Swashbuckle is a band to look out for, though, as mentioned, it'll take a few tweaks before I'm aboard. Ugh, a pun.
| Tracklist |
| 1. Under the Black Flag |
| 2. Welcome Aboard |
| 3. Drink Up |
| 4. Set Sail |
| 5. Walk the Plank |
| 6. What a Ship Is |
| 7. Dead Men Tell No Lies |
| 8. The Wooden World |
| 9. "X" Marks the Spot |
| 10. Rum Runners |
| 11. Upon the Spanish Main |
| 12. The Bazaar |
| 13. Jolly Roger |
| 14. Paradise Defined |
| 15. Crewed by the Damned |
| 16. A Fool's Errand |
: 42:31
| Buy other Swashbuckle albums |
