Running Wild
Masquerade

They have been a safe haven for all lovers of the purest heavy metal, the kind that reeks of beer and whiskey. Their piratical and combative attitude has guaranteed them a strong position within the Valhalla of classic metal, a position reinforced by works like "Under Jolly Roger," "Port Royal," "Death or Glory," "Blazon Stone," "Black Hand Inn." The symbolic figure of the German band, the captain who never abandoned the ship, is the vocalist and leader Rolf Kasparek. Since the birth of Running Wild, in the mid-70s, he has been the pivot of the entire artistic creation of the group.

Within their long career, dotted with excellent works and others less successful, "Masquerade" is considered by many as the album that marked the beginning of the "decline," although the Germans have continued with passion and dedication their long musical journey. The year 1995 is the release year of "Masquerade," the ninth studio album of Running Wild, which like the others (except for the first two), carries on the band's "pirate philosophy" that owes part of its success also to the choice of surrounding themselves with that repertoire of images that have associated them with the world of naval battles, the adventures of pirates and corsairs.

This is the atmosphere that can be felt in the furious speed of the title track, the first emblem of the band's style: nothing remotely akin to orchestras and various melodic experiments. The sound of Kasparek and Herrmann's guitars, along with Jorg Michael's drums, dominate everything and are the congenial elements of that artistically combative spirit that has distinguished them for thirty years. The same script applies to "Demonized" and "Black Soul", even more accentuated in the two splendid "Lions of the Sea" and "Rebel at Heart" where the choruses seem to come out of albums like "Port Royal" or "Pile of Skulls." Two tracks that showcase the maritime world that inspires the band, thus inspiring Kasparek, being the person thanks to whom Running Wild managed to continue existing. In fact, he has changed his lineup partners many times, while remaining the "supreme leader" of the band, so much so that some have highlighted this factor and declared that Running Wild can very well be considered as a solo project of Rock 'n' Rolf.

"Masquerade" is the perfect reflection of its creator, that is, a heavy metal composer who probably had exhausted the best and was proceeding more out of compositional inertia than urgency, driven mainly by passion, always remarkable in Kasparek. In fact, despite the good episodes mentioned, this album adds nothing new to the glorious German band, given the second half of the CD: powerful in sound, weak in ideas. Songs like "Soleil Royal" and "Men in Black" are for Running Wild only exercises in style.

With "Masquerade," the last part of Running Wild's professional path begins, where the glory of some previous works will never be reached again. This slow descent led Rolf Kasparek to end their story with "Rogues en Vogue" in 2005, being aware of the musical exhaustion the band moniker had reached. This withdrawal from the scene is the farewell of a true musician: certainly not as famous as others, probably not very technically gifted but who knew how to compensate for all this with a passion and attitude out of the ordinary. To him my admiration.

1. "The Contract - The Crypts Of Hades" (2:19)
2. "Masquerade" (4:20)
3. "Demonized" (4:40)
4. "Black Soul" (5:17)
5. "Lions Of The Sea" (5:48)
6. "Rebel At Heart" (5:44)
7. "Wheel Of Doom" (4:02)
8. "Metalhead" (4:56)
9. "Soleil Royal" (4:45)
10. "Men In Black" (4:35)
11. "Underworld" (6:14)