Pirate Queen - "Ghosts"
All-female Metal Band Takes the Scene by Storm
With their album "Ghosts", on May 3rd, Pirate Queen will release a record that will shake up the metal scene. The first all-female pirate metal band from the Bermuda Triangle shows how power metal mixed with fantasy fairy tales and playful melodies can work with this debut.
Five women stirring up metal—sounds good, doesn't it? Pirate Queen are doing this with a feministic statement. Pirate Queen released their first track, "Pirates from the Sea", on November 24th to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. You can also already listen to the third and eponymous piece on the record, "Ghosts". I've added both songs below.
Apart from the clear political stance, everything about this project is quite mystical—starting with the band's history, which began with women, demons and spirits meeting and forming a band in 1532. After 500 years, they returned to live in a community where women were in charge. Some of them were born in this world, others were sent from other worlds to serve their queen.
Political statements and mystical stories
"The old nautical chronicles speak of a time when a group of five women came together—all bound together by piracy. In the ungodly year 2023, the Pirate Queen took command and continued the tradition of her ancestors to plunder. The capital of her pirate universe, Lyxion, is a mystical floating island that floats around the Bermuda Triangle."
The album sounds exactly like this story. "Ghosts" is full of solid melodies and transports you to a parallel world where we are all pirates. Enriched with symphonic elements and the harmonious vocals of singer Maria Aurea, the production becomes a round piece of art.
If you like power metal, this record is made for you anyway. And if you also like pirate stories, that's even better! With their debut album, Pirate Queen don't just serve a niche market. The record is made for all those who want to experience something completely new and don't want to limit themselves to genre names or clichés—pirates from all musical backgrounds should enjoy "Ghosts". The record is finally once again something to listen to, party to and let your imagination run free.
Pirate Queen also enriches their cool guitar melodies and massive walls of sound with elements of piracy at their live shows. They combine their concerts with live-action role-playing, wear replica boots from the buccaneering era on stage, and produce their own QueenSikkim Gin. However, Pirate Queen don't just stand out from classic metal bands because of their eccentric live shows. As you listen to the eight songs, you'll witness how the five of them give metal a nudge—with their vocal harmonies, the omnipresent spooky atmosphere, and clearly worked-out peaks of the story they're telling, they play themselves straight onto the stages of the world's metal festivals.
Which brings me straight to the point: The first live shows to promote the album have already been booked. Pirate Queen will perform at an X-Mas Festival on 28 and 29 December 2024, for example.
If you imagine the metal scene like a heavy and rusty soul-selling trawler, these five musicians provide the shiny grappling hook that teaches the sailors what fear is. I can't wait to see what's next from the Pirate Queen Bay.
"Ghosts" will be released on Despotz Records on May 3rd. You can pre-order the album via Bandcamp1 in various vinyl versions and as a CD or digital download.
Pirate Queen - "Ghosts" - Tracklist
- Pirates from the Sea
- Siren's Tears
- Ghosts
- In the search of Eldorado
- Santa Lucia
- Open Fire
- Ghosts Radio Edit
- Ghosts Instrumental