ALESTORM are docking in Sulingen for the first time – and this should be a long overdue shore leave for all those who appreciate folk, power and extreme metal in pirate garb. Since the mid-2000s, the Scottish crew has developed from a quirky scene insider to a permanent fixture, without ever losing their sense of humor. Anyone who only expects party metal here is underestimating the mixture of powerful riffs, folky hooklines and a thematic consistency that is anchored somewhere between sea adventure, sailor’s yarn and self-irony.

Musically, ALESTORM navigate confidently through storm and calm: from anthemic choruses that can tip over into blast-like turbulence without warning, to danceable, almost deliberately exaggerated melodies. The pirate label serves less as a costume than as an aesthetic playing field – sometimes brute, sometimes absurd. The fact that the band regularly deconstructs itself and the genre with a wink makes its status in the metal cosmos more stable than fragile.

Live: If you’re looking for peace and quiet, you should avoid the deck. ALESTORM shows resemble an eventful voyage between crowdsurfers, collective roaring and a surprisingly precise joy of playing. Keytar salvos, rum chorales and an audience that drifts in the right direction without being asked are part of the basic package. There’s also festival energy with a salty spray and the necessary self-irony that we wouldn’t want to miss in the Reload line-up in 2026.

In short: ALESTORM don’t come to knock politely. They break down the door, throw a barrel overboard and bring a show that stays in your memory – whether you like it or not. Sulingen, clear the planks.