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│ METAL CLASSICS ARCHIVE │
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│ P R E S E N T S │
│ │
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│ + Running Wild - Pile Of Skulls + │
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│ │
│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Information ║ │
│╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Release Date.Oct-20-2017 Encoder......L3.97 -V2 --vbr-new ║ │
│║ Genre........Metal Graber.......EAC ║ │
│║ Year.........2017 Khz/Bitrate..44,1/ Br ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Ripper.......The_Patriarch Songs........cd1: 11 cd2: 6 ║ │
│║ Covers.......Yes Url... www.running-wild.net ║ │
│║ ║ │
│╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │
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│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Notes ║ │
│╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Artist : Running Wild Rating : You Decide! ║ │
│║ Album : Pile Of Skulls Label : Noise ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│╠════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Description : ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Assuming that you like heavy metal, you're going ║ │
│║ to want to check out Running Wild. All of the ║ │
│║ really important elements of the music we love ║ │
│║ are included in the Germans' songs, sometimes to ║ │
│║ excess, but then what is heavy metal without a ║ │
│║ bit of excess? Subtlety is not the order of the ║ │
│║ day on Pile of Skulls, nor has the word ever ║ │
│║ been in Running WIld's vocabulary, though that's ║ │
│║ not to say that an album such as Death or Glory ║ │
│║ didn't have emotional resonance in addition to ║ │
│║ great riffs and roaring vocals. Here, we get a ║ │
│║ fairly simple helping of fast yet traditional ║ │
│║ heavy metal that's well-executed but offers ║ │
│║ little new. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ First up, you will be sated for riffs before you ║ │
│║ even get to 'Treasure Island', which is an 11 ║ │
│║ minute epic conspicuously loaded chock-full with ║ │
│║ the things. That's a big positive for the album, ║ │
│║ since the guitars are placed up front: thick, ║ │
│║ loud, and twisting guitars that know how to thud ║ │
│║ and groove like the hard rock bands of old, as ║ │
│║ well as sprinting off like a wolf after a ║ │
│║ fleeing rabbit when things start to hot up. A ║ │
│║ song like 'Fistful of Dynamite' puts the speedy ║ │
│║ riffs in the open spaces to power the song ║ │
│║ along, then takes strong surges of power chords ║ │
│║ to prop up the muscular vocals of Rock 'n' Rolf ║ │
│║ Kasparek, dashing forward when the leads come ║ │
│║ into play. There are some all-out fast numbers, ║ │
│║ such as 'Whirlwind' and 'Pile of Skulls', which ║ │
│║ really get the adrenaline flowing, while there ║ │
│║ are steadier songs like 'Roaring Thunder' that ║ │
│║ are more stadium/hard rock than metal, with ║ │
│║ stomping drums and emphatic stabs of guitar. The ║ │
│║ faster and more varied songs tend to have the ║ │
│║ pick of the riffs, particularly 'Treasure ║ │
│║ Island', which takes its time to detour through ║ │
│║ a full set of mid-paced and twin guitar speed ║ │
│║ riffs. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ As for the other elements of the band, the ║ │
│║ vocals are going to be an important feature in ║ │
│║ deciding whether you like the album. Kasparek ║ │
│║ has a rough and strong voice that will frighten ║ │
│║ away fans of power metal, although the gang ║ │
│║ vocals that crop up in most of the choruses ║ │
│║ might bring a few crawling back. For the most ║ │
│║ part, Kasparek sings in a low register (I don't ║ │
│║ want to imagine him straining for high notes) ║ │
│║ and has strong rhythmic patterns in his vocals, ║ │
│║ which counter the more high-pitched and dancing ║ │
│║ guitar melodies quite well. Like the rest of the ║ │
│║ music, he isn't that subtle, though can still ║ │
│║ produce some passion or emotion at times. 'Black ║ │
│║ Wings of Death' has some nostalgia and feeling ║ │
│║ to it, though the vocals are only a part of it, ║ │
│║ since Kasparek mostly settles for simpler ║ │
│║ patterns than would elevate the song, leaving ║ │
│║ most of the resonance to the guitars, which are ║ │
│║ always handled more skilfully than the voice. ║ │
│║ The drumming performance is similarly important ║ │
│║ for a mostly fast-paced album, and it's easy to ║ │
│║ acknowledge that Stefan Scharzmann does his ║ │
│║ duty, keeping the energy levels up and never ║ │
│║ settling for merely timekeeping, even if he does ║ │
│║ overuse his snare at times. The bass is there or ║ │
│║ thereabouts, but there aren't any standout ║ │
│║ moments for Thomas Smuszynski. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ The songs on Pile of Skulls are mostly very ║ │
│║ catchy and infectious, whether that quality ║ │
│║ comes from the riffs, vocals, or melodies. ║ │
│║ 'Sinister Eyes' and 'Lead or Gold' are probably ║ │
│║ the best moments for singing along, while both ║ │
│║ also have a good selection of riffs; 'Pile of ║ │
│║ Skulls' and 'Treasure Island' are the places to ║ │
│║ go for guitar enthusiasts; 'Roaring Thunder' is ║ │
│║ the only real disappointment, taking too much ║ │
│║ time and providing too few highlights to fully ║ │
│║ merit its inclusion on a fairly long album. ║ │
│║ Given the style that speed metal tends to ║ │
│║ follow, 58 minutes seems quite lengthy, ║ │
│║ particularly considering that there isn't as ║ │
│║ much variety as in other musical genres, nor ║ │
│║ much in the way of surprises regarding song ║ │
│║ structure. All of the songs excepting 'Treasure ║ │
│║ Island' follow a repetitive formula of riff- ║ │
│║ verse-chorus-repeat-lead-chorus, which is a ║ │
│║ shame considering how Death or Glory had already ║ │
│║ proved that Running Wild could do a hell of a ║ │
│║ lot with a limited range of speed metal traits. ║ │
│║ As such, the songs tend to be fun but ║ │
│║ predictable, especially when we get to the mid- ║ │
│║ paced numbers, which can't provide the ║ │
│║ adrenaline to really excite. Added to this ║ │
│║ drawback, individual song lengths are slightly ║ │
│║ excessive, tending to hover around the 5 minute ║ │
│║ mark, which robs them of their impact. Take out ║ │
│║ a chorus, slap in a fast lead, pop in an ║ │
│║ instrumental in the place of 'Roaring Thunder' ║ │
│║ and you would be looking at a very solid album. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ As it is, Pile of Skulls is still good and ║ │
│║ should satisfy any metalhead's need for red- ║ │
│║ blooded heaviness, though it doesn't have the ║ │
│║ extra something needed to make it a compulsary ║ │
│║ listen. There are songs here that stand tall ║ │
│║ among Running Wild's discography and 'Treasure ║ │
│║ Island' is a masterclass in songwriting and ║ │
│║ riff-making, but you would do similarly well ║ │
│║ with any other 80s or 90s release from these ║ │
│║ guys. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │
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│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Tracklist ║ │
│╚═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════ │
│ │
│ - cd01 [ ] │
│ - [ ] │
│ 01 - Chamber Of Lies [02:23] │
│ 02 - Whirlwind [04:52] │
│ 03 - Sinister Eyes [05:07] │
│ 04 - Black Wings Of Death [05:17] │
│ 05 - Fistful Of Dynamite [04:05] │
│ 06 - Roaring Thunder [05:57] │
│ 07 - Pile Of Skulls [04:39] │
│ 08 - Lead Or Gold [05:07] │
│ 09 - White Buffalo [05:17] │
│ 10 - Jennings' Revenge [04:18] │
│ 11 - Treasure Island [11:16] │
│ - [ ] │
│ - cd02 [ ] │
│ - [ ] │
│ 01 - Beggar's Night ('92 Alternative Version) [04:59] │
│ 02 - Hanged, Drawn And Quartered [04:39] │
│ 03 - Win Or Be Drowned [04:18] │
│ 04 - Uaschitschun '92 [05:02] │
│ 05 - Whirlwind (Re-Recorded Version 2003) [04:53] │
│ 06 - Treasure Island (Re-Recorded Version 2003) [11:16] │
│ │
│ Total Length : [93:25 minn │
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│ ╔═════════════════════╗ │
│ ║ Greetings To: ║ │
│ ╚═════════════════════╝ │
│ │
│ Too all people who contributes to make this │
│ archive of good music in a exceptional conditions │
│ │
│ │
│ │
│■ ■│
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