Swashbuckle - Back To The Noose (Nuclear Blast/Riot)

Ever since Alice Cooper and his vaudevillian antics, there's always been a place in metal for the mental and weird themed band. We all know that some of the most serious-seeming black and death metal is more Satanic Circus than serious darkness, so it's only natural that those with a more entertaining method find their way to the genre.

Swashbuckle are a trio from New Jersey in the US (actually a foursome if you count Shithead the parrot) and were the winners of the 2008 Nuclear Blast MySpace Contest. In their own words:

"We pirates three be proud and honoured to announce that Swashbuckle has inked an accord with Nuclear Blast Records! They have heeded the call of piracy and have prepared for conquests of pillage, plunder, and piratical metal alongside our malicious high-seas hi-jinks. Here us now, world! The pirates three sail under the Nuclear Blast flag! Grab yar swords, tighten yar peglegs, 'n hide yar booty... We be comin' for ye!!! YARRRRRRRR!!!!!!!"

The band claims to mix punk influenced thrash with a hardcore edge and Carribean/piratical themes. Back To The Noose is their second album, though their debut for Nuclear Blast, produced by Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (Guns'n'Roses, etc.) They certainly start with the obvious punk and thrash influences. A moment of melodic guitar opens the album, then the assault begins, hard and fast, with rum on its breath. The power and pace continues through some excellently named tracks, some little more than a minute long. Then we come to track 4, the superbly titled Cloudy With A Chance Of Piracy. This track is a melodic instrumental guitar piece, half sea shanty reel, half almost classical guitar. Then track 5, We Sunk Our Battleship, comes pounding out and the mayhem returns.

The sound of the band is definitely old fashioned thrash. Imagine Anthrax or Slayer, with eye patches and Arrrrs! and you'll start to get the idea. There is a distinct old sailing ship feel to even the fastest and thrashiest tracks, interspersed with the tropical Carribean melodies, like Cloudy With A Chance Of Piracy that I mentioned before and track 7, Carnivale Boat Ride. These guys are top musicians, with a great sense of timing and fun. Track 7, melodic and fun as it is, gets quicker and quicker before slipping out to a two minute vocal piece, a story titled Rime Of The Haggard Mariner, which subsequently (after a quick steel drum interlude) leads into screams and horror that become track 8, Cruise Ship Terror, and the thrash is back. This record really is enormous fun.

The story of Swashbuckle's genesis is entertaining in itself. From their own site:

"Their tale began in the early year of 2005, as Commodore RedRum and Admiral Nobeard ventured off on a quest to pillage and plunder the All-You-Can-Eat Shrimp line at a Red Lobster along the coast of New Jersey, USA. Realizing their mutual love for all things piratical, thrash metal, and surf-n-turf, they commandeered a vessel and set sail to start what would be renowned as one of the fastest, heaviest and most outrageous metal bands to sail the seven seas.  Thus, Swashbuckle was born.

After completion of their first demo, they scoured the world for a seaworthy crew as vile as themselves. Venturing towards a group of uncharted islands, Captain Crashride was found drunk and marooned wielding a newly whittled set of drumsticks. Other than his desires for wenches and rum, Nobeard and RedRum found he was a bitchin' skin basher and could thrash alongside them in their quest for glory and high seas hi-jinks! With the forces of the pirates three combined, they raided, pillaged and plundered their local metal scene with tales of traitors, boozing, wenches, and thrashing lore."

Their mixture of fancy little shanties and absolutely ripping thrash should be a complete mess, but they make it work. They look like three nerds, better suited to an Xbox than a thrash stage, they dress like pirates, they sing about rum and tradewinds. The whole thing is ridiculous. They should be an absolute joke. But they're not. They're brilliant.

Swashbuckle describe Back To The Noose as "a vicious aural assailment of speedy riffs, anthemic drinking jigs, and timeless panty-droppin’ shanties: An overall thrashterpiece." I'm inclined to agree with them. What a laugh.

Swashbuckle's Back to the Noose is out on 24 July on Nuclear Blast/Riot.