PIRATE POPE come from the quaint town of Strausberg near Berlin. A place that is just barely connected to the Berlin S-Bahn network, but has several train stations because the town is incredibly long. Between the beautiful spots, there is also a hefty prefab housing district in the district of Hegermühle. So everything is included in this town. Ghetto, garden gnomes, youth club, and tranquility, yet still close to the metropolis of Berlin. So almost like in Berlin itself, just further away.
The band was founded in this lovely place and has been causing a stir for several years in Brandenburg, Berlin, and the surrounding areas.
The band name is explained on the insert of the CD EP, or rather, information from Wikipedia is provided to the reader as fodder. While it doesn't explain why the band chose this name, it is certainly a catchy name that can raise questions. All in all, not a bad name. In keeping with the pirate style, the 5-track CD is titled “Hoist the Flag.” Let's see if it's worth it.
The intro to the first song “Valley of Tears” tells us that there are talkers and doers, and only the doers leave traces. Well, during the speech, I think of my boss, not a doer but a talker, but what comes next? After all, many dictators and war mongers were doers too. A song comes that musically reminds me of Fahnenflucht but also of Soifass. Strange but true, those are the first bands that come to mind. Beautiful melodic arcs, lyrically somewhat cryptic and abstract, but quite fitting, only the part about the holy light feels a bit foreign to me, but never mind.
The second song “Why” strongly reminds me of the song “Remember Stalingrad” by the German punk band Veto from Potsdam. Most people probably won't know them, but it should be said that the Potsdam band deserves more attention, and this song is among the best they have ever written. PIRATE POPE clearly takes a stand against the right and poses the good question of why nothing happens when the brown idiots kick people. Thematically nothing new, but a good song in the same style as the opener of this record.
The third song “Piracy” is a sing-along drinking song from the category of anthem that fits well with the fifth or sixth beer. Nice also as a closing track.
Song number four “Mother Nature” I find great just because there are few songs about animal and nature conservation in punk. This is also a very important topic. Good lyrics, albeit a bit clichéd, powerful sound, fits so far. It almost goes in the direction of Toxpack, especially in terms of the drumbeat.
Then comes the last song “Move.” Here it also goes in the direction of fast, powerful streetcore a la Toxpack. The vocals are more in the punk rock realm, and the melody could once again come from Fahnenflucht or Alarmsignal.
The lyrics might be a bit too long, but the chorus fits well and is also suitable for all the Facebook junkies, as it says in the chorus, “...I tell you, go back outside your door...”. Because outside is where real life happens. Reality is the new life.
The five songs that PIRATE POPE present here leave me wondering why the band isn't more active live. On record, it sounds very decent. Even if their own style could perhaps be further developed, “Hoist the Flag” is a tasty appetizer that whets the appetite for the album, which is set to be released in autumn 2011.
