We get so many albums through the mailbox here at Moshville Times that it’s impossible to check everything out. As a result, Rumahoy slipped through the (barnacle encrusted) net until I saw them opening for Alestorm a few days ago and discovered that their debut album, The Triumph of Piracy, had already been released.
However, they were that much bloody fun at the ABC that I had to check out the full release so I backtracked through our mail and grabbed our review copy. I am glad to say that it’s every bit as good as I’d hoped for.
Frontman Captain Yarrface has a very deep, gruff voice and he uses this to good effect throughout the album, often dropping into a near death metal growl. I wouldn’t say it’s a great singing voice (at least not to his face, he’s f’ing huge), but he does sound more like a pirate captain than just about any other pirate metal vocalist. And given that this whole thematic genre is about capturing that spirit, there’s no fault there at all.
The songs are varied from the jigging “Huffman The Pirate King” through the pouring earworms in your ear until your ear can’t take any more earworms “Forest Party” to the rather heavy “Quest For Heritage” which features the timeless lyrics “Yo ho, Yo ho, Fiddledy fiddledy dee”. Then there’s introductory opener “AHOY!” which begins with the phrase “I AM CAPTAIN YARRFACE, WELCOME TO THE SEA” which was roughly half of what the man himself said in our interview (online soon).
Topping the pile, though, is the hairspray-tastic, pink spandex-bedecked, homo-erotic techno-led Eurovision classic that is “Pirateship”. The highlight of their live show, if this doesn’t have you bouncing in your seat and trying to conjure up some kind of hand jive, then take a running leap off a very short gangplank right now. “Das ist mine pirate ship!”
Rumahoy have absolutely nailed the tongue-in-cheek humour of the pirate metal genre with a collection of catchy, funny, saltwater-soaked treasures. Miss it at your deep-sea peril.
Rumahoy: official | facebook | twitter | instagram | youtube
