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CUTLASS
Walk The Plank

Self-released (2024)
Rating: 7/10

If ever there was a band that needed to change their name it was Pirates Of Metal. This UK metal act began life in 2003 then dissolved in 2008 before returning just a couple of years ago. I guess the back story is somewhat irrelevant as recorded output didn’t emerge until 2022 with the Cuts From The Deep EP where the band still appeared under the dreadful Pirates Of Metal moniker. I think the name change to Cutlass will do them good, but surely the subject of pirates has been done to death? Even so, this is a solid debut album and if you have the patience or a penchant for pirate metal then you’ll enjoy this.

What really drew me in was the rich guitar sound, a warm, nostalgic and often comforting tide that reminds me of some of the 80s Noise International releases from the likes of Running Wild and Scanner, alongside Judas Priest, especially on ‘Blood In The Water’ with its varying tempos. You’ll get a good, strong mix of heroic gallops bolstered by Teutonic steel, but where the band really comes into its own is with the crunchier mid-tempo grooves, such as on the killer ‘No Escape’.

Horns up to drummer Milan Jejina for a burly performance throughout, especially on ‘The Kraken’. What this track also proves is that Cutlass are not just hell-bent on seafaring tales of contraband and ale. Instead, ‘The Kraken’ is a brooding yarn of a monstrous legend ’neath waves, and this is where the gruff mid-range vocals of Ewan MacKay come to the fore. An acquired taste for some, MacKay’s steady growls, although somewhat limited, do bring a gritty charm as if he were some weathered sea captain barking orders between gulps of salty air and a tankard of beery sediment.

Thankfully, not all the tracks on deck are as annoying as I thought they might be, although the opening shanty metal chords of ‘We Came For The Battle (We Stayed For The Beer)’ is predictable tomfoolery. But even with obvious titles such as ‘Walk The Plank’ and ‘Quest For Treasure’, the musicianship remains steadfast and serious, especially when the guys slap you with the thrashy ‘Buried At Sea’. It’s just a pity there weren’t more cuts of this design.

So enjoyable are the romps here I tend to overlook some of the teenage lyrics and instead opt for a hearty jig by the fire. I expected a powder-puff pantomime villain, but instead I received a punch from an old sea dog. Ahoy there!.

Neil Arnold

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