This really isn't a true genre, but Running Wild is closer one to it.

I wonder if Johnny Kidd & the Pirates had something do with pirate metal. They were an early British rock band with Johnny Kidd and members dressed up as pirates. However, they did not have songs about being a pirate and such.

Amazes me people argued over this tag. Pirate metal isn't a genre. It's just a tag for pirate themed metal.

yar har

Pirataria aqui é vida.Viva a pirataria. . .

Swashbuckle are the truest pirate metal band! LOL!

I love Running Wild, but the name of this genre will never stop making me lurl.

как по мне, тру Пират метал Running Wild!

Blackbeard approved

"There is a war metal genre lol" - It's not really a genre, but there's at least a certain sound to it. So the label makes much more sense than this one.

Swashbuckle is fucking

There is a war metal genre lol

Rum is a power!

Yo-ho-ho!

oh yeah also look at black metal bands look how diverse it is does Mercyful fate sound like you know bands like mayhem nope.does Behemoth sounds like Demoniac no!

well i could say from ur guy agruement is that their some u dont talk about and do talk about in metal subgenre for example would a power metal like Power Quest talk about death or satan ever no! would idk Bon jovi talk bout WWll no but Sabaton would i thinks that y their r sub genre beside how fast or where it came also the lyrics well u could talk bout anything in metal but to me its type of metal or very small changes they will be a christan thash metal or black

First time I've heard of any of these bands. With the exception of Alestorm who I only heard about because someone told me they were like Amon Amarth. Some of these bands have nothing in common exceppt a gimmick and lyrical content. How is this a 'genre' you might as well make a war metal genre and a torture metal genre.

Well, maybe you're right in regard of the marketing, I didn't realy think about it. The market for pirate-related bands doesn't seem to be that big, you know, with only 3 majorly known bands with that gimmick. But a tag as it is simply exist to help find themed bands. As to why I think Alestorm is the most pirate-like it's because they use melodies and progressions associated with the pirate-related pop culture, such as Pirate of the Carribean movies and Cid Meier's Pirates! So they kinda expand their gimmick to the music as well. That's what I originally intended to get across )

I simply addressed some shouts before mine. Egyptian metal: Built by 47 people (Used 67 times), party thrash: Built by 36 people (Used 60 times). Pirate metal however: Built by 2,770 people (Used 5,890 times). And my problem with them is that they don't say anything about the music and are (in some cases) pure marketing ploys. After Alestorm successfully made their pirate gimmick work other labels jumped on to cash in. Nuclear Blast picked up Swashbuckle (who had gotten nowhere in their 4 years of existence because their music is really mediocre) and really started pushing them, even giving one of the members a segment on their official youtube channel. And when labels start picking up mediocre and bad bands to cash in rather than trying to support the actual metal genre, that's a problem. For me, at least.

Then I don't get the point of you coming in this shoutbox saying how much you like RW and how much Alestorm sucks. Also Nile totally has "egyptian metal" tag, and Municipal Waste is tagged, among other things, as "party thrash". And Ex Deo has something about roman whatever. That are all gimmicks. Nobody even suggests otherwise, so what seems to be a problem?

So? Does that mean I have to think it's a legitimate tag? Calling Alestorm and Running Wild pirate metal is as useless as calling Nile Egyptian metal or Municipal Waste party metal. All it describes is the lyrical themes. The average Alestorm fan won't be interested in http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53A4GyB96RI . What's the point of a tag if the bands classified under it are this drastically different? I'm just trying to understand why people even bother with it.

Well, we're having this conversation in the "pirate metal" tag shoutbox, aren't we? As in "not a genre definition, but a kind of gimmick pirate metal"

I never called anyone pirate metal. Pirate metal isn't a legitimate genre. Running Wild plays power/heavy metal, Alestorm plays power/folk metal, Swashbuckle plays death/thrash metal, etc. How could the music be pirate centred? What's a 'pirate vibe? Pirates didn't make any music. Why do you consider Alestorm more pirate-y than Running Wild? Because they have folk elements? That just makes them folk metal. There is no definitive 'pirate vibe', that's just as subjective as which band is better. If you cut off Alestorm's lyrics entirely they would be nothing more than just power/folk metal. Lyrical themes don't define genres.

Ok, will you still be able to call RW "pirate metal" if they cut off the lyrics entirely? Or do they suddenly become just heavy-power stuff? The question is not who's the better band (witch is subjective anyway), but who have the most pirate vibe to their songs. And I don't think gimmicks a bad thing.

Treasure Island alone trumps everything Alestorm has ever done. Running Wild don't feel the need to beat you over the head with the pirate theme every single song because their songs actually have substance, and unlike Alestorm, they aren't using it as a lame gimmick. Having a sense of humour doesn't mean much when the music you make blows.

I don't know, Running Wild just doesn't seem to have pirate atmosphere in their music (lyrics have that a lot, sure). Just heavy-power metal with songs about pirates. Alestorm captures that cheesy-pirate-movie-soundtrack sound.

Running Wild was the first and only pirate metal band. All the others just wanted to be like them. Not like I'd call the other "pirate" bands 100% copycats, but well... there was KISS and there were hundreds of Motley Crues, Ratts, Poisons etc, if you know what I mean.

Alestorm is prabably the best and most piratey band of them all, with a lot of realy catchy and really immersive songs and, not like RW, they have sense of humor.

Bieber is Captain J. Sparrow in disguise

Justin Bieber wtf?

Turisas isn't pirate metal. Just because it has a song called Hunting Pirates?

You'ar shit...

Alestorm is shit, Running wild > All

haaaa? i can't believe

@DeathHeretik [tag]Samurai metal[/tag], you said?

Running Wild isn't #1 because Alestorm is, that's simple. But i don't care. And if you take tags numbers and shit seriously, you're an idiot. [3]

Only RW is worth a shit. Rest is total boring crap for drunkards.

Polish Pirate Metal band - Strefa Mocnych Wiatrów is the best!

Only Running Wild can be excluded [3]

this genre is awesome, fuq da haters [2]

gay metal [2]

gay metal

Running Wild isn't #1 because Alestorm is, that's simple. But i don't care. And if you take tags numbers and shit seriously, you're an idiot.

Goddammit, why isn't Running Wild #1?