Well, ALESTORM’s gone to shite long ago, SWASHBUCKLE’s last yawnfest was a song about the movie Starship Troopers, and YE BANISHED PRIVATEERS – while fantastic – aren’t what I’d call metal, so it’s about time for another pirate-themed crew, aye? RUM RUNNERS think so, returning after 2015’s The Quest For Mead with Wreck And Revere, new crewmates aboard, and ready to (hopefully) hoist my not so Jolly but formidable Roger. ‘In Sirens’ Wake’ eschews the trappings of for a feisty, thrash-injected thrust of the prow into the open seas, a bit of EDGUY (sans comedic tomfoolery) in their delivery, a chorus catchier than scurvy setting us on our voyage.

Beginning slowly, but quickly enough building into a snappy yet roughshod assault, ‘The Glory Is Mine’ conjures the best of RUNNING WILD when they were first flirting with the tales of piracy that would become their trademark (or downfall, depending on who you ask). That we’re not subjected to some twee fiddling and jig-dancing throughout the whole of this 7+ minute tune speaks to RUM RUNNERS’ desire to do something within the style without sacrificing their metal hearts on the altar of the Napalm Effect. Solos tastier than a fathomed bowl of grog, riffs saucier than a wench’s booty make this centerpiece the standout.

‘Hull Of Your Mind’ leads with an almost contemplative tone, sounding almost as if it were recorded in the bowels of a ship, which adds to the aesthetic, the snarl of Cap’n Rawpipes reliable and ragged, yet understandable. Once the finale gets kickin’, seasonings of prog (imagine that!) flavor the rhythm section, not taking anything away from the ribaldry at play here and ending this short yet solid as a cannonball EP on a high note.

This review was fully intended to be in the Short Sharp Shocks section, and – in all honesty- I was looking forward to keelhauling yet another LARP-themed gimmick act. RUM RUNNERS has won me over, though, with Wreck And Revere. If this “Crew Of 5 Captains” can keep their gunpowder dry, decks wet with blood and ocean spray, and the guv’nment far behind, we might just have a new and glorious ship on the high seas of metal.
A tour with countrymen THE RUMJACKS might be in order.
Review By: Lord Randall

RUM RUNNERS
Wreck And Revere [EP]
Independent