Despite being around since 2011, Rumahoy has just started to make some waves within the metal world, with their upcoming debut The Triumph of Piracy. The mysterious band of pirates from North Carolina joined forces with Napalm Records to release this debut, and are soon to be setting sail with some fellow pirates-in-arms Alestorm and The Dread Crew of Oddwood. Indeed, it seems the future is ripe for the taking (or plundering) for this bunch.
But how does one distinguish themselves from the other pirates of the sea? It’s quite easy for Rumahoy, who take a varied approach to their debut. Fun and sometimes silly songs await, but there’s plenty of folk, thrash, speed, and power metal to back them up from a musical standpoint. With a pleasing debut in front of them, we grabbed Rumahoy’s Captain Yarrface, vocalist and leader of the seafaring bunch, to get us up to speed on all matters of “Yarr,” “Ahoy,” and “Rum,” and some nifty details about their debut too.
Dead Rhetoric: How did the pirate gang of Rumahoy come to be?
Captain Yarrface: Ahoy! I remember it well. It was a dark and stormy night filled with heritage and yarr, and I was standing on the pier in Ocracoke firing my gun into the sea. The loud noise attracted the attention of some other pirates, namely Cabinboy Treasurequest, Bootsman Walktheplank, and Swashbuckling Pete. We all shared a love of the SEA and drinking RUM, so we decided to start a band. Naturally they chose me, Captain Yarrface, the greatest living pirate in all of North Carolina, to be the singer and leader of the band, as I already held the rank of Captain. The rest, as they say, is pirate history.
Dead Rhetoric: With the growing popularity of pirates and pirate-themes in heavy metal, what makes Rumahoy stand out?
Captain Yarrface: No other band says AHOY or drinks RUM as much as the mighty RUMAHOY! We 100% guarantee that to you right now. Of course there are many other pirate bands in the world right now, but none of them quite capture the authentic pirate heritage of their swashbuckling ancestors in the same way we do. We also have the best songs! And the best songs attracts the best wenches. AHOY!
Dead Rhetoric: Apart from rum and pirate talk, what’s Rumahoy all about, in a general sense?
Captain Yarrface: We are a group of pirates looking to recapture the lost heritage of the pirates of the 17th century, and apply them to the modern world. This is merely the first step in our global conquest. The Triumph of Piracy isn’t just our album title, it’s a way of life.
Dead Rhetoric: With songs like “Netflix and Yarr” and “Forest Party,” how important is the sense of fun that accompanies the music?
Captain Yarrface: Arrr! Pirates aren’t always serious, there’s plenty of time to be having fun. We feel that a lot of the more famous pirate metal bands take things too seriously and don’t enjoy the finer things in life (such as drinking rum and firing guns).
Dead Rhetoric: Does your geographic location of North Carolina give you some added pirate authenticity?
Captain Yarrface: Of course! As you will definitely know, the most famous pirate of all time (apart from me, Captain Yarrface), was the legendary Edward “Blackbeard” Teach. And he lived and died in our hometown of Ocracoke! I’d like to think I’m directly descended from him…of course there’s no proof, but it’s a 100% verifiable fact.
Dead Rhetoric: As a pirate-themed band on Napalm Records, are you concerned of the inevitable Alestorm comparisons?
Captain Yarrface: Alas, there are always those who try and compare the mighty RUMAHOY to lesser pirate metal bands. Soon people will come to learn that they should not compare us to other bands; instead a more accurate thing to do would be to compare us to the sound of gunfire, or to the sound of the ocean. Only then will you discover the true heritage of piracy.
Dead Rhetoric: Speaking of Alestorm, you’ll be on the PirateFest 2018 tour that starts soon. What type of live shenanigans can be expected from this tour?
Captain Yarrface: Many pirate shenanigans will be afoot! Most importantly, I will have a rum drinking competition with Beef Guy from Alestorm. His drinking prowess is legendary, but I can conquer all! The whole of the United Kingdom will learn who the most YARR pirate of all is (it’s me, of course).
Dead Rhetoric: Do you intend to keep the band member’s identities a mystery or will you end up revealing them at some point? Is there a purpose for the masked identities?
Captain Yarrface: We are actually wanted by the Royal Navy for crimes of piracy, so we wear the masks to protect ourselves! If we took them off, we would be recognised by the police and immediately arrested. So this is the only way we can safely perform music.
Dead Rhetoric: “The Triumph of Piracy” doesn’t seem to be about this from a lyrical standpoint, but it’s hard not to think about it in a musical sense, given today’s shifting landscape and downloading music. What do you think?
Captain Yarrface: Ahoy! Any true heritage pirate knows that to best hear the sound of Rumahoy, you should only listen on exclusive 180gram vinyl. The vinyl version, which doesn’t exist yet, was specially mastered at sea by our producer Lasse, to incorporate the motion of the waves into the grooves. So when someone downloads our album, they’re just making it worse for themselves. They will never achieve the triumph of piracy.
Dead Rhetoric: With a name like Rumahoy, what’s your rum of choice?
Captain Yarrface: Kill Devil Pecan Honey Rum, made locally in the Outer Banks! It is the taste of piracy and yarr!
Dead Rhetoric: If you had to choose between “Yarr” and “Ahoy,” which word would ‘walk the plank,’ so to speak?
Captain Yarrface: The most difficult question you could ever ask a pirate! Apart from maybe having to decide between firing guns and drinking rum. I suppose the word AHOY is more important to RUMAHOY, otherwise we would just be called RUM.
Dead Rhetoric: What other plans do you have for 2018 apart from the tour and album release?
Captain Yarrface: We’re already working on our second album, which we will unleash onto the world when you truly deserve it. Until then, we will drink rum, plunder wenches, and keep firing our guns into the sea. AHOY!