Pirates + Metal = Awesome, yaaar.

Ahoy mateys, it's Talk Like A Pirate Day, and pretty much Autumn now. A damn fine time t' enjoy a mug o' glog, some pipin' hot mutton, and a slab o' hea'y metal, or I be a scurvy dog who ortin' t' be keel hauled!

Amon Amarth's Twilight O' The Thunder God has nearly a score o' albums, all pretty interchangeable as far as epic, melodic Swedish 'ikin' death metal goes, though this compares fa'orably t' 2004's Fate o' Norns.

Take the 'ocalist from Opeth and the guitarist from Katatonia and you'd think it would be a progressi'e wankfest less fun that a bout o' scurvy. Instead, you have a Bloodbath o' raw, thrashin' fury, perfect for swabbin' the gore off the decks after a 'icious pirate battle, aye. Fathomless Mystery it's called.

Burst's latest album Lazarus Bird is a far more clean, controlled sort o' beast. Rather than sla'erin' o'er your boots, it skulks and stalks quietly before pouncin' and slashin' with giant claw-filled paws. A fair bit more appealin' t' these long sufferin' ears than the fairly acclaimed Origo (2006).

Gama Bomb's debut on Earache, Citizen Brain is an 80s throwback reminiscent o' thrash titans Anthrax, Exodus and Nuclear Assault. The 'ocalist's yelp sound more akin t' hardcore punk, and I suspect the most appealin' thin' about the album is the co'er art. Worth at least half a gold dubloon for fans o' the genre.

As a fan o' Slayer, Me have always appreciated Haunted's homage t' that great band while still maintainin' their own 'oice and identity. While they be havin' had trouble matchin' th' glorious squalls o' Made Me Do 't (2000), Versus looks t' be a candidate fer th' proper followup after three other less than thrillin' attempts. I would keel haul th' plank any tide fer these Swedish Davy Jones' locker merchants. Even horn swogglin' landlubbers will love 't.

What t' say about Motörhead other than Lemmy continues t' be on a roll wi' his slyly evil lyrical genius. Metallica's comeaft be nay th' buried booty we all seek, but 't's nay bad. I would say Testament's Th' Formation O' Damnation has a fair bit more o' honest metal energy t' 't.

Dragonforce sounds remarkably like Journey, wi' multi-tracked vocals resemblin' a rovin' band o' lassies. Matters be improved considerably o' course when th' guitarist hits warp speed. Nay bad fer cartoon metal.

I'm still absorbin' Enslaved, Gates O' Slumber, Gorjira an' Harvey Grog. Thar's only so much metal a cap'n can digest in one sittin'. Aye, me parrot concurs.

Now this here be an album a seadog cap'n can relate t'