The Rivalry

Think about it. This album shares many similarities to the Judas Priest's finest hour. Both bands released their best albums (yes, I'm calling this the best RW album) well into their career. While not a huge break from their previous music, this and "Painkiller" represent everything awesome about the band. What we have here are songs that are instantly catchy, kick profound amounts of ass and hold up under repeated listens. The only difference between this and "Painkiller" is that the latter is recognized and hailed by much of the community, while this album is unfortunately overlooked.

Running Wild has always been one thing. No, not pirates. They've always been consistent. You put in a RW album, and you get speedy, memorable metal with a fuckload of nice riffs and catchy, shout-along choruses. How does "The Rivalry" differentiate itself from other releases by the band. Well, as previously mentioned, this is where the band gets their shit in top-form. Everything is better than ever and it really shows. Time for a song by song run-through:

- "March of the Final Battle" - a two-minute long introduction track that should get you sufficiently pumped for what's to come.

- "The Rivlary" - the album really kicks off with the probably my favorite track. Fucking speedy with an awesome riff set and a great chorus. The song is a bit on the long side, but I never find it to drag on.

- "Kiss of Death" - this is a fun little song that continues in the speedy-vein of the title track. This song WILL get stuck in your head. Listen for the grunt in the middle of the song: fucking great!

- "Firebreather" - this song isn't quite as absolutely fucking awesome as the last two, but it definitely speeds things up even more without letting up.

-"Return of the Dragon" - this song is quite good. The guitarwork is excellent, but the chorus is a bit silly-sounding, although catchy as always.

- "Ressurection" - this is probably my least favorite song on the album, but in no way is it bad. It's just the lyrics are fucking silly and the stupid bit about heaven and hell sounds like a fucking Bon Jovi lyric. Also the chorus, albeit memorable, is dumb.

- "Ballad of Willliam Kidd" - maybe I was so tough on the last song because of what follows: this gem. The band slows things down and delivers the first epic of the album, with well-written lyrics and guitars that place melody above speed and precision.

- "Agents of Black" - just as the last song, a slower number, finishes, you're instantly kicked in the nuts by pure speed metal. Lethal and relentless, this song shreds through in four minutes, complimented by a speedy chorus a la "Firebreather", but only better this time around.

- "Fire & Thunder" - this song rules. Unlike the last song and most of the album, this one is just mid-paced, but doesn't sacrifice any ownage as a result. I'm almost tired of saying "great chorus" in every description, but this needs to be emphasized. This song is all hooks and for that reason, it ranks high on this album. In other words, one of the best RW songs.

- "The Poison" - back to speed metal. Nice lyrics. Not quite as speedy as "Agents of Black", but the chorus is just catchy. Nice riffs on this song.

- "Adventure Galley" - the speed continues. The thing most standout about this track is the nature of the chorus, which differentiates by being a bit more subdued than anything else on this album, but the change works, and this song is great as a result.

- "Man on the Moon" - another favorite for me, probably my second favorite song. This song just kills and representative of why this band is just so awesome; on paper, the band may not sound like anything special, but RW manages to execute everything with such precision and excellence that you can't just help but love songs like this. The chorus and the "hold on..." part, accompanied by some nice guitar, make this a standout track among other excellent songs.

- "War & Peace" - this song closes the album and does an absolutely competent job. At times, it feels like part 2 of "Ballad of William Kidd", but the strength of the chorus and catchy melody keep this song great after many listens.

In retrospect, maybe a track by track review wasn't the best course of action. By reading it, you may think this album is repetitive. It's not. Sure, the band is consistent, but when you're Running Wild, consistenty pays off when you kick ass. And that's exactly what this album does, even moreso than the rest of the band's quite accomplished discography. Reccomended to all fans of heavy, speedy metal.