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Running Wild – Blood on Blood

Florian Buechting Media Review No Comments

Running Wild - Blood on Blood

Running Wild - Blood on Blood
4.4

Rating

 4.4/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Very good and straight hard rock / metal album
  • Very good songs with good instrumental skills

Seventeen studio albums so far – #17 on 29th October 2021 – the German band Running Wild has quite an impressive discography already. Their latest album, five years after their last major release is called Blood on Blood. Here are my thoughts.

 

Running Wild – About The Artists

Running Wild is a metal band from Hamburg. The original band name was Granite Heart, but the name has been altered briefly after the bands initial forming in 1976. In 2009, Running Wild decided to split, but some two years later, they went for a reunion. The current lineup of the band is Ralf Rock’n’Roll Kasparek (guitar, vocals), Peter Jordan (guitar), Ole Hempelmann (bass) and drummer Michael Wolpers. Kasparek is the only founding member. All other band members have a comparably short history with the project – Peter Jordan joined Running Wild in 2005.

If you only look at the chart placements, the best years of band history have been the recent ones after the reforming / reunion. Three albums in the previous decades, Shadowmaker (2012), Resilient (2013) and Rapid Foray all made it to the German Top 25. The latter album has even peaked on the second spot of the German album charts. Two 1990’s single peak in the German single charts as well, with Little Big Horn (1991) bein the biggest one with peaking 30tth.

 

Running Wild – Blood on Blood – Track by Track

The ten track album lasts 52 minutes.

1. Blood On Blood

Time to rock: Running Wild don’t dare to wait too long and hammer the riffs from the very first second. Especially the chorus turns the song into a track which is a great on-stage track with a lot of sing-a-long qualities.

One for all and all for one
Back to back, whatever we’ve done
One for all and all for one
Blood on blood – stand as one.

2. Wings Of Fire

Wings Of Fire, the second track, is a straight hard rocker with great work on the guitar and a chorus which is just easy to keep in mind. Good one.

3. Say Your Prayers

Four minutes of prayers, Running Wild style. A touch of AC/DC is spread over the album while listening to this song. The good, old hard rock times – Running Wild tell us that they are not finished yet.

4. Diamonds And Pearls

Diamonds And Pearls is slightly leaning towards melodic metal sounds. Again, Running Wild creates a lovely drive and power. The songs so far create a very own character. The chorus come with a catching melody line – and if you want to bang your head, the smashing guitars give you sufficient boost for that. Metal heart, do you need more than that?

5. Wild And Free

One of the coolest songs of the album to me. Not the hardest and most rocking sound of the album, but a fine rock sound and a great, catching chorus. Cool listen, which is overall 5:30 minutes.

6. Crossing The Blades

The beginning of Crossing The Blades may make you feel you are running into a power ballad here – but Crossing The Blades is definitely quite opposite. A metal anthem and one of the best sing-alongs of the album. The chorus is short, but gets the job done and the verses create a lot of good atmosphere.

7. One Night, One Day

Did I write something about power ballads before? Here we go! The roaring vocal performance gives just another proof that rockers are the best ballad writers. A song which a lot of power and energy, love it.

8. The Shellback

The beginning of the song and some elements of The Shellback give a slight folk music feeling – but finally, the guitars and the drums are just too keen to play powerful riffs. Good listen.

9. Wild, Wild Nights

The Blood on Blood album so far gave no doubt that Running Wild tours are nothing like Wild, Wild Nights. The second last track explicitly points on this topic. Wild party nights need to come with having some fun with your fans – this song is a nice soundtrack for that.

10. The Iron Times (1618-1648)

A song about thirty years of history just cannot be done in three minutes – thus, The Iron Times (1618-1648) also uses some ten minutes of the album’s playtime. The epic track is truly a masterpiece and a lovely listen at the end of the album.

 

Running Wild – Blood on Blood – Spotify

Here is the album on Spotify:

 

Running Wild – Blood on Blood – My View

Blood on Blood is an album with ten straight rockers, each with its very own character. Running Wild did a really nice recording here. And that’s why a high rating almost feels mandatory.

 

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