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Chile has been a hotbed of quality Metal acts for quite some time now, and Runaway are absolutely no exception to this rule. On their debut EP, they crank out good old-fashioned Heavy Metal that is pretty similar to older Running Wild the speed and energy and mixed with the darker, more occult leanings of Mercyful Fate, albeit much more commercially viable than that would lead you to believe. That’s not to say this is a particularly dark album either, as everything here is catchy and upbeat, but it does have an underground mystique to it that’s difficult to fake and even harder to really describe. That would mean nothing if they sucked, but these guys understand that this sound is all about the Almighty Riff, and they rip out plenty of killers one after the other, only stopping for a brief acoustic interlude in the middle and at the end of the final track to really sell that mystical bent to their music. The vocals are a bit of a weakness, for while they’re delivered with energy and kept low in the mix and given reverb to cover their shortcomings, they don’t have the kind of power, range, and attitude the songs really need, and I think the band might be better off with a different singer in the future. Still, if you’re like any self-respecting metal head and can’t get enough of new bands recapturing the magic of the Golden Age, then Abandono is the next album you should listen to and Runaway the next band to watch out for.