There is nothing really difficult to understand about Running Wild's metal musical formula. And that's the secret - make it sound simple.
Guitarist, vocalist, mainman and borderline genius, "Rolf 'n'Roll" Kasparek made sure of that.
But it wasn't always so. This commendable series of reissues from
Sanctuary (respect), begins at the beginning, and it's hardly an auspicious start.
1984 and the '
Gates To Purgatory' album shows a metal band still in short trousers, working hard at old school metal, (along with classmates, Demon and Witchfynde) with Thrash, the Occult and NWOBHM very much on the curriculum.
This reissue is nicely packaged with 2 bonus tracks, and at the very least highlights Kasparek's emerging skill in writing a compact chorus and underplaying a razoring axe solo. Less is more is hardly a metal maxim, but this guy knows what he's doing.
1985's '
Branded And Exiled' saw Kasparek and his band consolidate their position. An improved production sanded down the debut's rough edges - not necessarily a good thing - and despite song titles like '
Evil Spirit' and '
Mordor', there didn't seem to be quite the same enthusiasm for that whole Satanism thing.
Third album
'Under Jolly Roger' (1987) was the one. Pirate Metal was born (the album title being something of a giveaway).
The band's beautifully balanced combination of celtic rock, speed metal and over the top theatrics was a marriage made in heavy metal heaven and hell. This album abounds with great RW tracks, though few of them seem lyrically committed to the buccaneering concept. But as celtic speed metal goes, there were few better tracks in 1987 than '
War In The Gutter' and
'Raise Your Fist'.
(As a side note,
Sanctuary have lovingly reproduced the original LP cover, back and front, here. An excellent idea).
By 1989's
'Port Royal' the Pirate Metal concept had been fleshed out into a fully fledged heavy metal niche. The album is alive with pantomime images of tough, grizzled, taciturn sailors looting and pillaging with a song in their hearts and a sparkle in their eyes.
There's an undeniable melodic heaviness to songs like
'Into The Arena' and '
Raging Fire', all torqued up guitars and locomotive drums, topped off with Kasparek's Blackie Lawless like rasp. These songs and others - '
Conquistadores' and
'Calico Jack' to name but two - will stick to your memory like a skull & crossbones tattoo.
Clearly, Kasparek had perfected the formula. More of the same was now demanded.
'Death Or Glory', '
Black Hand Inn', '
Blazon Stone' and '
Masquerade' reviews next week.
Ratings
GTP 6/10
BAE 5.5/10
UJR 7/10
PR 7.5/10
Written by
Brian Sunday, May 13, 2007
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 | notrap
Rating: 9/10
It's rather difficult for me to rate this band in 2009.
My emotional side tells me to giv... · Read more · |
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