Running Wild
Rapid Foray

[Contains the comment by Dragonstar]

If I had to define the path that Running Wild have taken from 2012, the year of the release of "Shadowmaker," up to today with one word, it would be "redemption." Officially disbanded in 2009 by leader Rock N' Rolf – due to a significant "sense of detachment" in a fearful evolutionary phase – the group remained inactive until 2012, the year Kasparek decided to release a new album, based on material that was originally supposed to appear as bonus tracks for the reissues of historical records, but which was ultimately boldly used to create that sonic monstrosity known as "Shadowmaker," to this day the most bland and useless discographic testimony of the Hamburg crew.

After such a misstep, it was inevitable to try to regain the inspiration and songwriting of the magical nineties, or at least the compositional firmness and modest effectiveness of the early 2000s. This sense of responsibility and belonging were partially retained in "Resilient" (2013), an album that managed to kindle a faint light in the hearts of fans, since it evoked – in a small shard of its duration – the emotion of albums like "Black Hand Inn" or "Pile Of Skulls." At this point, it remained only to wonder when the decisive and complete recovery of the "Runningwildian" maritime tradition would arrive…

After much talk, in August 2016, "Rapid Foray" was released, an album that already from the first impressions seems to be the definitive resumption of that restoration process started after the disappointing "Shadowmaker." A cover as simple as it is symbolic, a very interesting booklet, and a single released a week before the album's launch; "Black Bart," to be precise, a hopeful piece for the German combo's adherents, with strong references to pieces like "Black Gold" from the successful "Rogues En Vogue."

The album enjoys good versatility in the tracks, right from the song that opens the album "Black Skies, Red Flag" in which the digital drums, which had so much contaminated albums like "Victory" and "The Brotherhood," masked in those episodes in "Angelo Sasso," seem to have disappeared once and for all. However, there is also room for very static and repetitive pieces like "Stick To Your Guns" and "Hellectrified," proof that Rock N' Rolf has not yet fully abandoned the way of "Shadowmaker." But there's also time for a good instrumental, "The Depth Of The Sea (Nautilus)," which, I confess, brought me back to the days of "Death Or Glory." There are also more aggressive tracks like the title track and "Warmongers," which, while not taking us back to the days of "Black Hand Inn," manage to leave a good memory and a chorus capable of penetrating the listener's eardrums decently. But what I appreciated most about this album is the final suite, "The Last Of The Mohicans," a piece which, according to Rolf himself, was supposed to be included in "Shadowmaker," but for outside reasons became an integral part of "Rapid Foray." If with "Bloody Island" we had confirmed that RW had maintained their approach to more sophisticated compositions, this "Last Of The Mohicans" is further proof of that. Good execution of every single instrument, with truly exciting guitars, and with Rolf's voice perfectly fitting the style, resonating exactly as in 1992, when that jewel of "Treasure Island" was released.

Speaking personally, at the end of the listen, I felt satisfied, because I felt that the spirit of Running Wild, and especially their leader, had finally been found. Of course, the sharp riffs of "Masquerade" or "Black Hand Inn" can never return, and it would be stupid to expect them; but there remains at least a strong and evident return to the band’s traditional style. One thing that saddens me: this "Rapid Foray" is only the third release after the reunion! I mean, if this album had been released instead of "Shadowmaker," today we wouldn't be making comparisons with the past. So let's try to focus on the present, on this valid sound testimony that finally shows us the true "Wildian" identity; and believe it or not... I knew they would truly return!

Dragonstar:
Here I am! First of all, I thank Harlan for allowing me to insinuate myself into his review to conclude it with this broad integrative comment that I wanted to explain so much, since we're talking about a musical reality that is particularly close to my heart, namely the legendary sonic epic of Rolf Kasparek, a man who managed to create a songwriting with a salty water and gunpowder aftertaste. Like it or not, the emotion that pervades Running Wild's albums is unique and particular. Equipped especially with an appropriate and sublime guitar work, made of adventurous and sharp sounds, sounds that take us back to the seafaring raids of the 13th century, but also among gloomy and explosive war scenarios where human beings are coated with blood, sweat, mud, and dust.

Experiencing in part the aforementioned sensations in a work like Rapid Foray is quite satisfying. On the other hand, however, it's not even worth waving the flag of triumph. In this regard, I would like to focus on what was not explored in Harlan's already impeccable text: the production. True that the sounds have improved, but personally I don't quite believe that the digital drums have disappeared once and for all. True that in Metallus' microphones, Kasparek assured that "some parts of the drums were played by Michael Wolpers" and that the production indeed made the drumming more sumptuous and thundering; however, the sound remains the same fake and excessively digital. True that fillers adorned "Wildian" productions even in the golden period, so – thinking about it – the core of the problem lies elsewhere, and it presents itself with the semblance of a collective complaint: there is a lack of a real band, and it is time to recover it because an album of pure heavy/power metal needs the support of a real rhythmic session, the one that would have made the sound more genuine and credible. This explains why the guitars too – as much as explosive and "buzzing" – sound so artificial and have therefore been adapted to the many "artificial sounds" that cruelly besmirch this work.

If we add to this some subdued tracks within the tracklist, it's clear that Rapid Foray fails to be more than a good album. Good because the aforementioned Black Bart really brings back the piratical atmosphere of the good times; good because By The Blood In Your Heart is an anthem to shout at the top of your lungs, a mid-tempo adorned with synthesized bagpipes but (in this case) extraordinarily credible; good because The Depth Of The Sea is the most beautiful instrumental since Siberian Winter, good because Last of the Mohicans concretizes the "Kasparekian" expertise in daring more tortuous and verbose compositions.

In conclusion, Rapid Foray does not question Kasparek’s compositional inspiration, but reveals a process of rebirth still in progressive phase, a resurrection possible thanks to greater credibility in the sounds; a credibility achievable, not with true session musicians, but with a real band: the most classic, simple, and effective formula when you want to release a heavy metal album.

Harlan & Dragonstar.