Written By Kevin McSweeney
Calico Jack
I simply had to review this one. Partly because I love metal but am also partial to a bit of folk music (especially when the drink is flowing,) but mainly because it was a strange pleasure to hear an Italian band, purporting to be pirates, going on about “setting sail from Plymouth Sound”, as they do in the second song on the EP, Don’t Forget Your Old Shipmate. OK, so these songs are not their own compositions. They are modern metal takes on traditional sea shanties, but as a resident of Britain’s so-called Ocean City, with its illustrious maritime heritage, I was compelled to pin a review to the mast.
Calico Jack are named in honour of the pirate John Rackham, who is credited, possibly erroneously, with the invention of the “Jolly Roger” flag, and this is a collection of folk and metal mashups designed to appeal to the saltiest sea dog as much as the most pit-hardened metalhead. These are songs that will have been heard many times around Plymouth’s historic Barbican or Sutton Harbour area throughout the centuries, though never quite performed like this before. That said, one could almost imagine this band themselves blaring out from such ancient taverns as Kitty O’Hanlon’s or The Dolphin Inn in the modern day, as rum-addled seamen go sprawling across the cobblestones to the sound of it.
Opening track Wellerman will be familiar to anyone who has been anywhere near social media the last half decade or so. It is instantly recognisable, from its violin and pulsing bass drum intro, as the soundtrack of God knows how many TikToks, though never in this form, with growled vocals replacing the usual harmonies, and thrashing guitars and double-kick drumming to upset the folk purists. (It’s a fairly faithful rendition besides all that. I really don’t know what they’d have to complain about!)
Next comes the song that inspired me to review the EP. Don’t Forget Your Old Shipmate commences with a major-key riff that could almost be The Offspring, and a percussive accompaniment that sounds like it’s being played on the lock of a treasure chest with human bones for drumsticks. It then opens up into a violin-led fast-paced thrasher that sounds like Gama Bomb covering The Levellers (now that’s something I’d love to hear). Off to Sea Once More features a pitching and rolling reel of a tom-tom groove that should have you do-si-doing your way around the mosh pit. I particularly love the fiddle/lead guitar duel that is the song’s centrepiece.
If I had to pick a song as heaviest in show, it would be The 24th of February. Something about the mournful nature of that violin melody verges on black metal, in the beginning at least. They hit their fastest pace on this track, though it features an old-school, mid-paced middle section, which lapses briefly into syncopation, that will get your head banging and your peg leg tapping.
Closing song Spanish Ladies will be as familiar to a wider audience as the EP’s opener. Anyone who has seen the movie Jaws (I once saw it on a big screen at an open-air event overlooking the aforementioned Plymouth Sound) will have heard the grizzled fisherman Quint singing snippets of it throughout. I never thought I’d ever hear a more gruff voice than that of Robert Shaw singing that famous farewell and adieu, but here we are. Slower and less frenetic than the other tracks, it is on this song more than any other that they assert their classic rock and metal credentials, from the Adam and the Ants style drum intro to the fiddle seemingly emulating Iron Maiden’s Phantom of the Opera, and the overall vibe being akin to that of Thin Lizzy’s Emerald, with its jig-time beat and anthemic quality. Tis a fine way to shout “land ho!” and bring the voyage to a close!
I’ve managed to avoid the obvious point of reference so far, in the form of a certain swashbuckling Scottish band, but comparisons with Alestorm are inevitable, as the similarities are abundant. And like Alestorm, they’d be great fun to witness live, especially on a boozy night out. Whether their particular take on the gimmick could sustain my interest over the course of a full album is questionable, especially minus the comic interludes that we get from the aforementioned Perth pirate metallers, but in the context of a 22-minute EP, it’s very enjoyable indeed. Jack Speak Shanties was released via Rockshots Records on July 18th 2025 – we’re a bit tardy with the review. Don’t make us walk the plank over it! – and it’s packed full of precious musical booty that will blow the men down in the pit.
Metal Lair Rates Jack Speak Shanties 4-1/2 metal horns
BUY CALICO JACK – JACK SPEAK SHANTIES HERE
Tracklisting:
1.Wellerman
2.Don’t Forget Your Old Shipmate
3.Off to Sea Once More
4.The 24th of February
5.Spanish Ladies
Total run time: 22:03
Lineup:
Caps – Drums
Melo – Guitars (lead)
Toto – Guitars (rhythm)
Dave – Violin
Gió – Vocals
Giggi – Bass
Jack Speak Shanties by Calico Jack is available to stream via YouTube and Spotify and to purchase via Rockshots Records.
CALICO JACK ONLINE:
