RUNNING WILD
Victory
Pavement Music

BLIND GUARDIAN
Somewhere Far Beyond
Century Media

Victory marks Running Wild's eleventh studio album. Hailing from Germany, I can actually remember when they released their debut, Gates Of Purgatory back in 1984. The year when Germany started its reign on metal, inspired by the success of predecessors The Scorpions, Accept, and Krokus (from Switzerland), a whole new breed of kraut-metal would soon ensue. Let's see...there was Helloween, Trance, Bullet, Cutty Sark, Sinner, Running Wild (and countless others, including German thrash bands like Destruction and Sodom), that were making waves with their traditional brand of kraut-metal (most of them sounding identical to either Scorps, Accept, or Krokus!) Who would believe that same metallic sound and style would still today reign in Germany, Sweden and most of Europe?!

Needless to say, Running Wild haven't really changed their sound or style over the years (other than adopting a Pirate-like theme with Under Jolly Roger, or was that Under Cutty Sark?) Anyway, this band has stuck to their guns and I for one kinda dig it. Great, speedy metal displayed on Victory, and, although nothing truly original, the band displays a great deal of power, melody and talent. Apart from an occasional Accept rip-off (one of their tracks borrows the riff in Breaker) this CD should appease all you Euro-metal fanatics out there.

Blind Guardian also hail from Germany, and although they hit the scene a few years after the aforementioned bands made their Germanic mark, they carry on the metallic tradition with honor and grace. Somewhere Far Beyond was actually recorded back in spring of '92 but was recently re-issued in the states courtesy of Century Media.

Blind Guardian currently leads the new wave of power metal (that is ever so popular in Germany, Sweden, and Greece) along with Hammerfall and Iced Earth. In fact, Blind Guardian have recently collaborated with members of Iced Earth and released a great CD under the moniker of Demons and Wizards (Nuclear Blast) also worth checking out. Somewhere Far Beyond also contains the three bonus tracks; "Spread Your Wings" (the Queen song), "Trial By Fire" (The underground classic from the '80s British metal band Satan), and the classic version of "Theater Of Pain" (not the Motley Crue song!) All in all, this is a CD worth checking out.

* Next issue of Shockwaves Online will feature new CD reviews from Iron Maiden, Halford, Fates Warning, In Flames, Angel Dust and many others. If you have a nationally distributed CD and would like to submit it for review, please mail to:

* Shockwaves Magazine
Attn: Bob Nalbandian
P.O. Box 93213
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