Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Running Wild
Label: SPV Records
Release: 2016
Length: 58:01
Rating: 4/5
Germany’s metal pirates Running Wild had their ship rotting on the sea floor for ages, and it looked like it would stay down there for a good while longer. But they’re finally back in old form, as their latest album, »Rapid Foray«, proves. The previous two Running Wild albums, »Shadowmaker« (2012) and »Resilent« (2013), made after the (un)expected revival of Rock’n’Rolf’s pirate brotherhood, were nothing to be proud of, even though »Resilent« already showed signs of gradual improvement and a move in the right direction. Still, even the most devoted fans didn’t expect this kind of leap on »Rapid Foray«, especially after news arrived before the album’s release that Kasparek had injured his shoulder, which pushed the release back by about a year.
Sadly, the indestructible Captain Kasparek still hasn’t used a real band on »Rapid Foray«. He’s only got guitarist Peter Jordan keeping him company, while the drums are programmed once again. It’s not hard to tell, though they sound a lot better than on some albums from the not-so-distant past. It’s a shame, because a year before »Rapid Foray« came out, Rolf had finally revealed the names of the new Running Wild members. They turned out to be two rather unknown musicians, Ole Hempelmann on bass and Michael Wolpers on drums. Most of the songs on »Rapid Foray« were written with noticeably more fire and inspiration than we’ve been used to from Running Wild over the last fifteen years. In places the album strongly recalls the creative era of the early nineties, when Running Wild were at the peak of their powers. That goes for the opening banger »Black Skies, Red Flag«, whose fierce riffs wouldn’t sound out of place on a classic like »Pile of Skulls« (1992). »Warmonger«, with its tasty guitar harmonies, also feels like some forgotten gem from »Black Hand Inn« (1994), even if it sounds a bit generic at times.
This time, everyone who’s missed the pirate lyrics that put Running Wild on the musical map in the second half of the eighties will get what they came for. There are quite a few of them on »Rapid Foray«, and rightly so, since celebrating pirate rebellion has always been the most distinctive part of Running Wild’s identity. Kasparek, who even after turning ‘a certain age’ still sounds like Long John Silver after a few too many grogs, has gone back to his favorite historical themes on »Rapid Foray«: the golden age of Caribbean pirates, colonial battles, and the conquest of the Wild West, along with the tragic fate of Native Americans that came with it.
On the surprisingly good instrumental »The Depth of the Sea (Nautilus)«, where guitarist Jordan shows off some energetic soloing, the unruly captain of the Running Wild crew even remembered ‘good old’ Captain Nemo from the literary masterpieces of Jules Verne, though there are no lyrics here. What you do get are epic guitar harmonies between Kasparek and Jordan and a slowly building dramatic atmosphere. On the other hand, like most Running Wild albums of the new century, »Rapid Foray« can’t boast an enviable production. Despite Kasparek’s efforts, it’s still pretty thin.
The album has just one stinker that I really wouldn’t miss: the hopelessly generic hard rocker »Stick to Your Guns«, which has more in common with AC/DC than with Runnig Wild. The title track is a typical rebel anthem with a cheerful chorus that doesn’t stand out in any special way, but it still shines with that classic Runnig Wild sound. »By the Blood in Your Heart« is just as rowdy, but a bit more interesting as a pirate anthem, and its atmosphere recalls the ‘glory days’. A sudden burst of Scottish bagpipes adds a nice ambient touch in the background. Maybe in the future they could try another experiment like that, with a light, fitting dash of folk, considering that the original Caribbean pirate songs had quite a lot of Celtic and Anglo-Saxon melody (and typical folk instruments) in them.
Among the album’s highlights is definitely the epic »Black Bart«, which also got a promo video and tells the story of one of the most notorious Caribbean pirates, Black Bart. By number of ships captured, he was undisputedly the most successful pirate of the ‘golden age of piracy’, so it’s no wonder countless legends still swirl around him. Among other things, he was one of the main villains in the video game »Assassin’s Creed IV – Black Flag«. »Hellectrified« and the even more interesting »Blood Moon Rising«, which features triple-guitar harmonies, are two solid, uncompromising and above all punchy rockers with a speed metal ethos when it comes to the guitar runs.
The second highlight is without a doubt the two closing ‘frontier’ songs: the fun »Into The West«, which will remind many, thanks to its driving riff and the atmosphere itself, of the classic »Little Big Horn«, and the epic treat »Last of the Mohicans«, inspired by the historical novel of the same name by James Fenimore Cooper about the last member of the Native American Mohican people. Any last doubts that Kasparek has pulled off the long-awaited rebirth finally melt away here. In structure, ambience and message, »Last of the Mohicans« can go toe to toe with the best of the Running Wild treasure chest, and we can only hope they manage to hold on to this level of quality for as long as possible.
»Rapid Foray« is finally the real deal, the classic Running Wild album that the followers of Captain Kasparek and his crew have been waiting for since the late nineties. Their trademark version of power metal has at last found a new spring, and even though they came back to the scene in 2011 after a brief breakup, it feels like the real »Runnig Wild only actually returned with »Rapid Foray«, which is without a doubt their best achievement since »Rivalry«. Of course there’s still plenty of room for improvement and the album is far from flawless, but the progress compared to the last three efforts is almost gigantic. Since the late nineties Rock’n’Rolf made a string of dubious decisions that nearly buried his band, but it seems he’s finally found the right recipe for getting back on the road to former glory. Let’s hope his pirate-metal adventures keep going for a long time yet.
Runnig Wild – “Black Bart” (official lyric video):
Lineup
Rolf Kasparek – vocals, guitar, bass guitar
Peter Jordan – guitar
Production
Rolf Kasparek
Tracklist
1. Black Skies, Red Flag (04:44)
2. Warmongers (04:29)
3. Stick to Your Guns (05:08)
4. Rapid Foray (04:47)
5. By the Blood in Your Heart (05:27)
6. The Depth of the Sea (Nautilus) (03:53)
7. Black Bart (05:06)
8. Hellectrified (04:22)
9. Blood Moon Rising (04:20)
10. Into the West (04:34)
11. Last of the Mohicans (11:11)
