I'm sure their tongues are planted firmly in their cheeks.

"Exploding in a hail of grapeshot onto the live music scene in September 2007, Skull Branded Pirates are a Pirate themed Heavy Metal band from Leeds." So says their promotional blurb.

Inspired by the likes of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Manowar with whom they grew and influenced by the more modern Metal sounds of Children Of Bodom, Amon Amarth and 3 Inches Of Blood, Skull Branded Pirates are looking to bring the fun back to Heavy Metal. Now it's worth noting that Skull Branded Pirates sound nothing like any of the afore-mentioned bands although, to be fair, the Maiden influence can be found in places with a sprinkling of Judas Priest here and there but they pretty much hammer away to their hearts content with their Pirate themed jolliness or nonsense, depending on one's particular perspective!

With titles like 'Man The Cannons', 'The Ballad Of One-Tooth McGuyver', 'Drink Till Dawn' and the title track, one can pretty much guess the nature of the lyrics – all based on pirate themes. There's even a rap/Metal crossover with 'Straight Outta Kingston (Doin' It For The Booty)', containing the lines "Piracy be purely for the pillage, I'll take my booty from the land, the port, the ship and the village". Played live I'm sure it's a hoot if one's had a few kegs of the brown stuff, but it sounds quite bonkers listening to it on CD!

Opening songs 'Man The Cannons' and 'Masters Of The Trade' are a frantic flurry of guitars and drumming with the rough, hoarse vocals of Captain One-Ayed Wilson and various pirate gang backing vocals. 'The Ballad Of One-Tooth McGuyver' has keyboard overtones over a slower paced rhythm and is actually about a vengeful female prostitute who would willingly cut out your innards to steal your coin. Nice! "HAIL! HO! It's One-Tooth McGuyver, she'll take on the crew for only a fiver, but don't turn your back, there's fire inside her". The title track is a ballad of sorts with the inspiration for the name being a result of two members suffering broken legs since forming the band but is still pirate themed of course, which is nothing new.

It doesn't surprise me to hear that they've played live with the likes of Finntroll, Alestorm and Týr as I'm sure their tongues are planted firmly in their cheeks. No doubt they're available to play at all pirate themed parties around the UK.

Carl Buxton