ALBUM REVIEW: First Night Back In Port – Ye Banished Privateers
YE BANISHED PRIVATEERS have returned to the studio with their third album, First Night Back In Port, which comes three years after their previous record The Legend Of Libertalia. It is the first time the band have teamed up with Napalm Records, who have fellow pirate band ALESTORM on their books. If you know what the band is about, then you’ll know what to expect from this album – a take on old sea shanties which gives that authentic feel of what life would have been like in the 17th century in the Caribbean…
The first track off the new record is Annabel, which is a gentle introduction into the style of the band. Magda Märlprim’s vocal delivery is excellent throughout as she sings a harrowing tale, and the collaboration of recorder, percussion and accordion all helps to take you back in time as you discover what music was like during that time period.
In all honesty there isn’t really too much difference throughout the album between tracks; with YE BANISHED PRIVATEERS focusing their music on traditional folk the sound is pretty similar across all 15 tracks. The title track is one of the livelier tracks on the album, and you get the sense that it is a track that would have been played quite frequently in a tavern. This track focuses a lot more on the fiddle, which provides most of the tempo, and also has vocals from both Magda and Shameless Will. To put it into perspective, you can imagine being the perfect song to have in the background while a bar fight is happening.
One of the issues with focusing music on a particular genre or style is that it is hard to differentiate between tracks. Even though a lot of the tracks on this new record have one or two differences, mainly the tempo of the track, the overall sound is very similar.
What doesn’t help is the sheer number of members that feature in YE BANISHED PRIVATEERS; because there are so many different musical elements which help to deliver authentic sea shanties and pirate folk music, then more and more members are needed. While it works well overall, it does get very confusing trying to pick out one particular member or instrument, and it is also difficult to see who the main singer is, as there are at least three members who all contribute to the vocals.
That aside, First Night Back In Port itself is pretty decent – there’s a good mix of songs, and it does capture the pirate theme exceptionally well. Despite the large number of musicians in the band, when it all comes together the sound is very good and authentic. It’s something different to what you might expect, which can be a breath of fresh air, but the music itself is perhaps something you’d listen to occasionally to break up your playlist. On the whole though, for the target audience they have in mind and the style of music they perform, YE BANISHED PRIVATEERS have delivered a solid record.
Rating: 6/10
First Night Back In Port is set for release on June 30th via Napalm Records.
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