Photo credit: Lucia Bellapianta

Pirate metal party crashers Alestorm strike with new single “Killed to Death by Piracy” and official video

Author Benedetta Baldin - 20.5.2025

Explosions, entrails, and glorious seafaring chaos — Alestorm are back with their latest anthem of absurdity, “Killed to Death by Piracy”! Taken from their upcoming album, “The Thunderfist Chronicles”, out June 20, 2025 via Napalm Records, the track hits hard with razor-sharp riffs, rowdy gang vocals, and lyrics packed with death, doom, and pirate lunacy. From undead hordes to rusty spoons, nothing is safe — least of all your eardrums. It’s loud, it’s fast, it’s ridiculous – and it comes with a brand-new music video that’s as over-the-top as the song itself. Raise your sails and prepare to die… the pirate’s way!

Following the success of their epic seventh studio album, “Seventh Rum of a Seventh Rum” – which stormed the charts with a #7 debut in Germany and #5 on both the US Current Hard Music and Top New Artist Albums charts – Alestorm are back with a vengeance. Their upcoming eighth album, “The Thunderfist Chronicles”, is the next chapter in their outrageous saga, featuring eight brand-new anthems brimming with rowdy, shanty-fueled melodies and hilariously over-the-top lyrics that plunge the pirate metal genre to glorious new depths.

Fresh off last year’s “Voyage of the Dead Marauder” EP and relentless touring across the globe, the Scottish pirate metal legends are more than ready to set sail once again. Renowned for transforming every venue into a rum-soaked, high-energy pirate party, Alestorm continue to command both fan devotion and critical acclaim. So raise your tankards – the wildest adventure yet begins with “The Thunderfist Chronicles” – louder, bolder, and more ridiculous than ever before!

Christopher Bowes about “Killed to Death by Piracy”:

Thanks for listening to our new song, we hope you enjoy it! Several species of swan, like the Bewick’s swan and the whooper swan, are facing real threats from habitat loss, climate change, power lines, and lead poisoning from fishing weights. These are incredible birds, and vital to wetland ecosystems. Please consider supporting conservation efforts like those led by the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust.

Alestorm once again teamed up with Lasse Lammert of LSD-Studios (GloryhammerWind Rose) for production, recording, mixing, and mastering of “The Thunderfist Chronicles”. The new album promises a wild ride through raging storms, absurd adventures, and epic battles across the vast ocean blue.
 
With explosive opener “Hyperion Omniriff”Alestorm unleashes a tidal wave of melodies that will sweep you off your feet. Of course, no album would be complete without a dose of their signature humor—“Banana” is a ridiculously catchy singalong banger that will turn every concert into a drunken pirate celebration. Meanwhile, “Frozen Piss 2” is packed with icy grooves and razor-sharp wit. But it’s not all just chaos and rum-fueled madness—“The Storm” offers a dramatic, sweeping atmosphere, leading into “Mountains of the Deep”, a grandiose, anthem-filled voyage into the ocean’s depths. Then comes the Nekrogoblikon cover “Goblins Ahoy!”, a rowdy, fantasy-infused riot, before the album culminates in its climactic masterpiece: “Mega-Supreme Treasure of the Eternal Thunderfist”. This colossal, 17 minute long, over-the-top epic features heroic choirs, thundering guitars, and a swashbuckling tale that will turn every pirate into a legend.
 
Christopher Bowes on the new album:

This album is weird and full of difficult riffs that I already regret. There’s a bunch of fun things to discover on the record though – we’ve got a cover of a song by our friends in Nekrogoblikon, a whole lot of other heavy stuff, plus the longest song I’ve ever written (over 17 minutes long) which features guest vocals from Patty Gurdy (everyone’s favorite hurdy gurdy player) and Sir Russell Allen (Symphony X singer and my favorite vocalist of all time).

Pre-Order “The Thunderfist Chronicles” NOW!

“Thunderfist Chronicles” track listing:
1. Hyperion Omniriff
2. Killed to Death by Piracy
3. Banana
4. Frozen Piss 2
5. The Storm
6. Mountains of the Deep
7. Goblins Ahoy!
8. Mega-Supreme Treasure of the Eternal Thunderfist
 
“Thunderfist Chronicles” will be available in the following formats:
1 LP Gatefold Liquid (Poster, Lyric Sheet, Hand-numbered Certificate, Booklet 16p) – Napalm mailorder (RoW) exclusive – strictly limited
1 LP Gatefold Translucent Lime Green (Poster, Lyric Sheet) – Napalm mail order exclusive – strictly limited
1-LP Gatefold Splattered Orange/Black (Poster, Lyric Sheet, Booklet 16p) – Napalm mail order exclusive – strictly limited
1 LP Gatefold Black                       
2-CD Mediabook, 24p (Album + Live Album)
1-CD Mediabook, Digisleeve (Instrumental Album), 7″ Single (2-Tracks) – (wooden box, flag) – Napalm mailorder exclusive – strictly limited
1-CD Jewel Case, 16p              

Experience Alestorm live:
07.06.25 CZ – Plzeň / Metalfest
13.06.25 ES – Zamora / Z! Live Rock Fest
19.06.25 BE – Dessel / Graspop
21.06.25 FI – Nummijärvi / Nummirock
25.06.25 NO – Oslo / Tons of Rock
27.06.25 CH – Grenchen / Summerside
29.06.25 ES – Barcelona / Rockfest
01.08.25 RO – Rasnov / Rockstadt Extreme
22.08.25 PT – Pindelo dos Milagres / Milagre Metaleiro
24.08.25 FR – Chateau Gontier / V & B Festival
19.09.25 US – Louisville / Louder than Life
19.10.25 NL – Den Bosch / The Rock Circus
 
Alestorm are:
Christopher Bowes – Vocals, Keytar
Gareth Murdock – Bass
Máté Bodor – Guitar
Peter Alcorn – Drums
Elliot Vernon – Keyboard