Claim the Throne - Aletales (Prime Cuts)

Perth folk metallers Claim the Throne give us a bit of an insight into what they're capable of with their five-track EP (CD/DVD digipack) Aletales. And it's pretty damn good.

Renowned for their rollicking good-times live shows, Claim the Throne is an Australian band worth experiencing if you ever get the chance to see them grace a stage with their beer bongs, beach balls, and generally large presence. Which is why I was a little bit apprehensive about how well they would come across in a recording. Happily, they manage to pull it off.

Aletales is the band's second CD release, and it is a lot better – especially production-wise – than their first one, Only the brave return. Aletales is a slick production from the packaging to the music itself.

The CD is a good representation of what Claim the Throne are capable of; and it contains two tracks – Set sail on ale and Two pints of honey & a barrel full of beer – that, live, are crowd favourites.

Musically, Claim the Throne are fairly typical folk metal; some would say Viking metal perhaps, which some others would also say is bizarre coming from Australians, given that Australia, as a nation, wasn't even in existence, really, til 1901. But the point is the theme rather than the cultural or national ties, and Claim the Throne work the theme really well.

They're a tight band, the vocals are good, the occasional acoustic passages are nicely placed and well constructed, and overall this EP is well worth your cash.

The DVD component is only short – it contains just the Set sail on ale film clip, and footage of the Only the brave return album launch party. Both are well worth watching – especially the launch party, because it gives you a bit of an insight into the nature of a Claim the Throne live show. The recording could have been better, the audio tracks could have been better, but you do get a sense of the vibe at a Claim the Throne show, which, really, is what you need to fully appreciate the music.

Aletales isn't long, but it is good fun, and if you like your folk metal then it's well worth shelling out the cash that you pillaged from your neighbour.

Claim the Throne's Aletales is out now on Prime Cuts Music. You can get your copy here.