RUNNING WILD
Black Hand Inn
(Noise Records / BMG)
74:34min

This, my friends, is what a band needs to do once in a while. For their 8th album, and for reasons unknown (although I can think of some, regaining fans I guess), the band returned to a sound more in the style of their early albums, still with the sound they have gained, and drifting a bit away from the stints at Hardrock they did on some songs of the previous album. Even Rock’n’Rolf’s vocals are rougher here than on the albums released just a few years back! And it shows a lot, that he is now doing “the best of both worlds” and works as a marvel. Also, here they took the pirate thing a darker way, I might be wrong but I think this could be a conceptual album, thus probably making it the perfect pirate Power / Speed Metal album. Also the fact that great drummer Jörg Michael (of RAGE, MEKONG DELTA, AXEL RUDI PELL and many more) is here, truly showcases that the man was on fire and that took the band back to their Speed Metal roots. Rolf was also smart enough to fit in his vocals as a cross between Lemmy and Blackie Lawless but with his own touch. I think the production here is one of the best the band has done. The riffs do have an IRON MAIDEN vibe here and there, although they are done in a heavier way. Back in the day this was the kind of album that restored faith in a band, although it was not that these bunch of German pirates were losing it. But some things in the previous album were dangerously indicating that they might wanted to go into softer waters, yet they decided to navigate where dangerous sharks go and we can only thank them for that. Also, in this album we can find the band doing songs with a quite a variety of tempos, making this a very balanced album, that plays perfect from start to finish (and it includes one of their most ambitious and overlooked gems, the approximately 15 minutes long epic masterpiece ‘Genesis (The Making And The Fall Of Man)’ – Frank). There are two bonus tracks included, although they were like that in some other editions, yet they fit the album well. If you have not heard this gem, you must correct that and enjoy a great record! More information at: www.running-wild.net, www.facebook.com/runningwildmusic, www.noiserecords.net

Julián “Mr. Deadhead” Núñez

Julián “Mr. Deadhead” Núñez

Related reviews / interviews:
RUNNING WILD - Crossing The Blades (Julián "Stargazed" Núñez)
RUNNING WILD - Gates To Purgatory (Thomas Meyer)
RUNNING WILD - Branded And Exiled (Thomas Meyer)
RUNNING WILD - Under Jolly Roger (Ricardo Campos)
RUNNING WILD - Port Royal (David Simonton)
RUNNING WILD - Death Or Glory (Anders Peter Jørgensen)
RUNNING WILD - Blazon Stone (Julián “Lonewolf” Núñez)
RUNNING WILD - Pile Of Skulls (Julián “Whirlwind” Núñez)
RUNNING WILD - Masquerade (Julián “Rebel At Heart” Núñez)
RUNNING WILD - Rapid Foray (Thomas Meyer)

Leave a Reply