Style: Heavy metal, pirate metal
Primary Emotions/Themes: Pillaging, having fun, the joy of being a pirate
Thoughts: Running Wild, the lost child of the 1st wave of black metal. The first two albums are nearly as satanic as anything Merciful Fate put out, but they seem to be forgotten in the annals of time. That's not what we're talking about today though, today we're talking about the first album that Running Wild put out in their most famous style: pirate metal.
Pirate metal is one of those genres that is defined solely by the lyrics. You have so many different styles lumped into the genre. Anything from traditional heavy metal, black metal, death metal, or just about anything else you can throw in. Just put on a peg leg and adopt a parrot and you're good to go.
Running Wild fits strongly into the traditional heavy metal category. These songs are out to do two things: rock your ass off and take all your booty. Rolf's deep and gruff voice is perfect for this. There is no refinement, just some dude who's been drinking too much singing about different adventures of pirates on the seven seas.
The riffs here are the main star of the show though. They are simple, they are plenty, and they kick booty. Almost every song on here has the verse/chorus/solo structure - and that's perfectly fine by me. There are so many riffs that succeed so greatly in creating a fun and festive atmosphere while still having that heavy metal grit that so few bands have.
I don't have many records in the traditional heavy metal styles, but I'm glad that this is one of them. I'd been wanting to pick up a few of Rock 'n' Rolf's records at some point and I'm glad they finally got the repress that they deserved. Long live the Jolly Roger.
Written January 12 2024
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