Wednesday, August 11: Stormwarrior, “To Foreign Shores”
For a band that was known for one very specific thing, Running Wild proved to be a remarkably influential force within European power metal. And it wasn’t limited to like-minded pirate metal acts like Swashbuckle and Blazon Stone: Stormwarrior was ostensibly more about Vikings, but “To Foreign Shores” was practically a tribute to Rock n’ Rolf and Jolly Roger. There was a supercharged gallop, catchy guitar melodies and a general sense of unstoppable momentum that immediately recalled Death or Glory and Black Hand Inn. And by extension, the track was great fun- the vocals were maybe a bit snarlier, but the whole thing marauded with the purpose of scallywags clanking their swords and strapping on their eyepatches. And since “To Foreign Shores” happened to come out during a low point for Running Wild, the track proved to be the perfect alternative, even if its characters were more likely to wield hammers than poofy shirts.
