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Running Wild: Resilient
22/11/13 || Habakuk
Few bands I know have worked as hard tarnishing their reputation as Rock ‘n Rolf and…well, whoever he took along for his numerous efforts. Generally speaking, turning Rvminq Wild largely into a one-man show has proven a catastrophe so far. Last year’s ““Shadowmaker” showcased an aging ego completely out of touch with reality. I mean, just look at that cover alone: Anyone who hasn’t been living under a rock / in their own little world would have dismissed that bad excuse for a five year olds Photoshop attempt at a Space Marine as the train wreck that it is – but let’s just say at least it fits the music perfectly, for all that’s worth.
Coming off a base like that, even a minor fuck-up might count as an improvement in the Running Wild camp, but I was and still am somewhat baffled as this new album truly just isn’t that bad. No idea what happened, but no matter how I look at it, “Resilient” is a solid hard rock / heavy metal album in – well I won’t say classic, but Running Wild fashion.
It’s all about Rolf riffing away to a steady 4/4 beat from a drum machine that he seems to have somewhat understood after years of practice, at least he doesn’t make it sound like a non-stop sample loop any more. And maybe the second dude on guitars, Peter Jordan, helped in actually putting together material that survives contact with reality.
Don’t get me wrong, this is not a “return to form”, for which the handbrake is still pulled too firmly (“The drift”!), but I’ll be damned if not some of the gritty bite is back that I enjoy about Running Wild’s straightforward style. Combine that with some undeniable catchiness that Rolf has never shied away from in countless choruses, and believe it or not, we get a listenable, almost cringe-less album! And hey, there’s a ten-minute song on pirates, too. What a surprise.
I’ve certainly read other opinions about this album, but I, for one, stand reconciled with the name Running Wild for the time being and can almost forget “Shadowmaker”. At least we’re back to “The Brotherhood” levels here at times – and that’s good enough for my occasional Rvminq Wild listen.
- Information
- Released: 2013
- Label: SPV/Steamhammer
- Website: Running Wild MySpace
- Band
- Rock’n Rolf: vocals, guitars
- Peter Jordan: guitars
- Robots: the rest
- Tracklist
- 01. Soldiers of fortune
- 02. Resilient
- 03. Adventure highway
- 04. The drift
- 05. Desert rose
- 06. Fireheart
- 07. Run riot
- 08. Down to the wire
- 09. Crystal gold
- 10. Bloody island
