For me (I'm not sure exactly how the powers that be feel about this) the term "speed metal" refers to a very specific sound, and almost any tweaking of it changes it to heavy metal or power metal, possibly even thrash if it's weird enough, and Running Wild doesn't really fit that sound for a majority of their career. The sound I think of is like Helloween's Walls of Jericho, Blind Guardian's Battalions of Fear, bits of Heathen's first album or for a more obscure example, Vectom's Rules of Mystery. Now with that specific sound in mind, I think it's pretty clear that Running Wild's first two albums (coincidentally, before the piratey shtick was introduced) are pretty much a textbook example of what the quintessential German speed metal sound is. Under Jolly Roger and Port Royal had moments but on the whole were mostly a more traditional heavy metal, Death or Glory and Blazon Stone mostly the same idea but with arguable bits of power metal and hard rock thrown in with the bits of speed metal and predominant trad metal. Pile of Skulls, I can understand calling a speed metal album, thanks to tracks like "Whirlwind" and the title track, but most of the record is still just straight up, awesome heavy metal with bits of the other melodic genres sprinkled in. Black Hand Inn is actually probably the closest to power metal they ever got, and the addition of Jorg Michael certainly helped that transformation, while Masquerade and The Rivalry kept up with the heavy blend of trad/power metal while introducing more prominent hard-rockish numbers on the latter especially. Victory is kind of hard to classify for me as it's probably the most melodic album but it's almost a perfect trifecta of trad metal, hard rock, and power metal. The Brotherhood flip flops between light power metal and hard rock, while Rogues en Vogue flip flops between light trad metal and hard rock. Shadowmaker is basically entirely hard rock with the odd metal moment here and there.

In short, in the scope of their career, heavy/power metal is probably the most accurate as a whole of their work, but the first two albums are undeniably speed metal albums, with Gates to Purgatory being my favorite speed metal album of all time. So I think the genre tag is acceptable as is, but adding speed into it as a "Speed metal (early) / heavy/power metal (later)" would be fine albeit a tad unnecessary. But with that said, the lyrical themes field does differentiate between their earlier satanic and hard rocking themes and their new pirates and history themes, and considering those old themes are pretty much exclusive to the two speed metal albums, you could probably make a case for adding the speed metal tag back. BUT, overall, it's fine and I don't really think it's that big of a deal.

I don't remember which thread I read this this in but a few days ago, someone said that Running Wild seems to be like "their kind of band", and I would also say the same about them myself.

Edge Of Sanity - Crimson

By far the darkest and most sinister Death Metal song ever. A triumph of progressive metal and one of the best Metal epics ever. 40 minutes that feels so short.

There we go, I've been waiting for the BH RW post. You seriously need to review them all! Your posts on them made me check them out in the first place, but when I went to read your reviews... there was only one.

Edguy - King of Fools EP

If you like Edguy from Theater to Hellfire Club, give this one a go. I prefer the Superheroes EP, though.

Mutant - Pleiades

Best Prog/Tech Thrash album in years!

This got me irrationally excited that the UK Mutant had reformed and put out an album without anyone noticing, but it's a different band. They were easily one of the most hyped bands of 2009 and 100% deserving. The Laserdrome EP is still one of the best thrash releases ever.

Yeah, "Laserdrome" was a very strong EP and some years ago there were rumours about Mutant coming back, but nothing came.

The spanish Mutant started under "Mutant Squad" and released two great EPs in 2009/2012 and the furious full-length "Titanomakhi" in 2013. They then made straight Thrash with a technical and light prog touch. After renaming to "Mutant", they got much more progressive and groovy, but even better. Their last years album "Pleiades" leaves the recent Vektor behind imho.

Pleaides was indeed a good album for the most part. Pretty creative too. I dunno if it was better or more creative than Terminal Redux, but I'd certainly take it over that new Sepultura.