Shadowmaker is the fourteenth studio album by German heavy metal band Running Wild, released on 20 April 2012. It is the band's first studio album since 2005's Rogues en Vogue and the first since the band's return after breaking up in 2009.[4]
| Shadowmaker | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 20 April 2012 | |||
| Genre | Heavy metal, power metal | |||
| Label | Steamhammer Records | |||
| Producer | Rolf Kasparek | |||
| Running Wild chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metal Underground |   [1] |
| Dangerdog |  [2] |
| Rock Hard | 6.0/10[3] |
Background edit
Since the band's return to the scene, Rolf wrote 10 new tracks for Shadowmaker, among them are the midtempo opener "Piece of the Action", the uptempo number "Shadowmaker" (roughly the same pace as "Angel of Mercy" from Rogues en Vogue) and the monumental eight-minute track "Dracula", based on Bram Stoker's novel and the Christopher Lee movies. In an interview, he talks about the album:[5][6]
"To me, Shadowmaker is a very special album because there was no pressure, time wise or otherwise. I feel it's clearly audible that this relaxed attitude helped me to write one of the strongest Running Wild recordings of all time."
Songs edit
"Me & the Boys" was originally composed for Rolf Kasparek's side project Toxic Taste.
Track listing edit
All songs written and composed by Rolf Kasparek.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Piece of the Action" | 4:25 |
| 2. | "Riding on the Tide" | 4:18 |
| 3. | "I Am Who I Am" | 4:51 |
| 4. | "Black Shadow" | 5:13 |
| 5. | "Locomotive" | 4:35 |
| 6. | "Me & the Boys" | 5:00 |
| 7. | "Shadowmaker" | 4:25 |
| 8. | "Sailing Fire" | 4:15 |
| 9. | "Into the Black" | 4:57 |
| 10. | "Dracula" | 7:29 |
| Total length: | 49:27 | |
Release edit
- The slipcase release contains a DVD with a track-by-track commentary session by Rolf Kasparek
- The 2x limited edition 12" vinyl release (showing the album cover with a dark silver coloured image than the original shown above) comes with the original CD, a DVD in a black jewel case containing the above features and also includes a postcard, stickers, a poster and a 30-page LP format book with the history of the band packaged in a cardboard box, limited to 1,000 copies worldwide
Personnel edit
- Rock 'n' Rolf – vocals, guitars
- Peter Jordan – lead guitar, vocals (choirs)
- (The bass and drums were recorded by anonymous guests that did not want to be identified.)
- Production
- Jens Reinhold – cover art, artwork
- Niki Nowy – engineering, mastering
- Peter Jordan – engineering
- Rock 'n' Rolf – producer
- Katharina Nowy – additional producing
- Markus "Max" Chemnitz – photography
Charts edit
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[7] | 63 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[8] | 12 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[9] | 43 |
References edit
- ^ "Metal Underground review".
- ^ "Dangerdog review".
- ^ Kühnemund, Götz; Schleutermann, Marcus (2012). "Review Album: Running Wild – Shadowmaker". Rock Hard (in German). No. 300. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
- ^ "RUNNING WILD: 'Shadowmaker' Cover And Track Listing Revealed". Blabbermouth.net. 24 January 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
- ^ "Reactivated RUNNING WILD To Release 'Shadowmaker' In April". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. 21 October 2011. Archived from the original on 13 April 2017. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
- ^ "RUNNING WILD – the official website". www.running-wild.de. Archived from the original on 13 April 2017. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Running Wild – Shadowmaker" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Running Wild – Shadowmaker" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Running Wild – Shadowmaker". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 April 2017.