The quality just keeps coming from this band and they fail to disappoint with 'Pile of Skulls', notching up another cracking instalment of Power Metal 'Running Wild' style. Musically this differs little from it's superlative predecessors 'Blazon Stone' and 'Death or Glory', again illustrating their wonderful knack of combining catchy melodies with memorable Metal. The customary line-up changes are again prevalent, with the whole 'Blazon Stone' rhythm section walking the plank, bass duties fall to 'Thomas Smuszynski', while drummer 'Stefan Schwarzmann' returns to the fold, albeit briefly.

The short but impressive building instrumental 'Chamber of Lies' opens in a gothic / medieval style and leaves you off-balance for the onslaught that is 'Whirlwind'. This is a fine dose of 'Running Wild' Speed Metal, swift, intricate and with plenty of tempo tweaks to keep the song moving nicely, ultimately not quite up to the openers 'Blazon Stone' and 'Riding the Storm' but still a strong cut. The tempo falls somewhat for the pulsating 'Sinister Eyes' a nicely penned number, pretty melodic in places, while highlighting a strong almost commercial sounding chorus. Taking a slightly more gritty approach but still featuring that classic 'Running Wild' metallic sea shanty sound is 'Black Wings of Death', the epic sounding chorus hits all the right spots, while nicely blending melody with the driving rhythm. The momentum is lifted with the pulsating, riff driven 'Fistful of Dynamite' a song which incorporates all the elements 'Running Wild' should be, energetic, catchy and ultimately top notch. The pace falls for 'Roaring Thunder' and as much as I hate to say it, this comes across as a little pedestrian, can't justifiably see why the track is 6 minutes long, despite the fine instrumental break. At this point 'Running Wild' simply change gear, firstly with the title track, a stunning, frenetically fast, riff driven jewel, catchy to the extreme and further complimented by a sublime solo and great gang chanted chorus. The single release 'Lead or Gold' ensues and is equally brilliant, at this stage of their career possibly their catchiest song to date, which masterfully balances melody with a galloping rhythm, to make this yet another album highlight. Next up is 'White Buffalo' and while lyrically it's of similar handwriting to 'Little Big Horn' and 'Uaschitschun', is musically still another treat, constantly moving throughout and further braced by another cracking guitar fuelled instrumental break. The overlooked gem 'Jenning's Revenge' follows and is another great chunk of 'RW' History inspired Power Metal, being based on privateer Henry Jennings, musically and lyrically this is just top drawer and in my opinion a classic. Speaking of classics none and I mean none come more so than the final track 'Treasure Island', admittedly the spoken intro is a little clunky, but this is just 9 minutes of sublime Metal. Opening melodically and generally building throughout until the halfway point, when the tempo is lifted further and just becomes wonderfully brisk yet still harmonious -one of the finest Metal epics to be heard, masterful!

Four bonus tracks are included with the remastered version of 'Pile of Skulls' and the first of which is a reworking of 'Beggar's Night' from 'Under Jolly Roger', this betters the original by some margin, although a lot of this is down to the superior production. The heavier 'Axel Morgan' penned 'Hanged Drawn and Quartered' ensues and recalls some of their earlier work, but still with the precision and melody of '90's 'Running Wild', ultimately it all comes together very well. Not too dissimilar and also included on the single release of 'Lead or Gold' is 'Win or be Drowned', not quite as strong as the previous cut, but a solid rhythm carries it. Last up is a reworking of 'Uaschitschun', personally not one of my favourite songs by the band, but as with 'Beggar's Night' betters the original thanks to better production values.

Another gem from 'Running Wild', if you like the band this should be in your collection!