RUNAWAY - Runaway CD

Belgian obscure Melodic Hard Rock band that released back in 1998 this album on CD-r sold only at gigs, Runaway includes two Shannah members (reissued by Blood and Iron and Lost Realm back in 2016). Frank Deroubaix, apart from Shannah was years before on Axel an 80's Heavy Metal band from the Belgian underground. Runaway will finally see their debut album released properly remastered by Frank himself and we promise it will appeal to all connoisseurs of european styled AORish Hard Rock.

RUNAWAY Biography:

As guitar player Frank Deroubaix was looking for a new “Shannah” singer, in May 1995 he met Dave Varlet (leadvocals / bass) who was looking for a guitar player. That was most convenient. Almost immediately Dave and Frank started writing songs together and because of their mutual passion for Melodic Hard Rock and A.O.R. it was clear that was the style of music they wanted to pursue. In September ‘95 they were asked to perform a benefit concert in October so they put together an occasional 5-piece band under a new name “Runaway”. Alain De Kegel (keyboard player from Shannah), Jo De Boeck (drums) and Nathalie Renders (backing vocals) completed the band.

With hardly a month of rehearsing their first performance was a great success and soon new gigs were booked so they decided to continue “Runaway”. More songs were written and demos were recorded but the line-up was not stable yet. Nathalie and Jo left and by April ‘96 Wim Van Kerkhove joined as the new drummer so “Runaway” continued as a 4-piece band. After a lot of gigs in ’96 to try out the new material 3 songs are recorded at D.K. studios (Destelbergen – Belgium) in February ’97. These songs are released as a self-produced demo called “Act Of Romance”. Lots of electric and acoustic gigs followed and a few festivals in the summer of ’97. In September ’97 the band returned to D.K. studios to record 10 songs for their first cd and to shop for a record deal to release it. Tired of waiting for record companies’ interest, they released their self-produced debut-album independent in 1998 with a number of excellent reviews as a result. Unfortunately not much had happened since the release and some members start losing faith in Runaway. By January ’99 Dave decides to concentrate on the vocals, musicians come and go, original drummer Jo De Boeck returns to the fold but Frank had a bad feeling about all these changes, it was a different band.

In May ‘99 Frank announces he will leave the band, Dave continues with a different line-up but that version of Runaway died a quiet death within a few months. During the following years everybody did join different bands, Alain De Kegel (Beyond The Labyrinth / WACO), Dave Varlet (Beyond The Labyrinth / Shellcase) and Jo De Boeck also joined “Beyond The Labyrinth” but at a different time as the others. Frank Deroubaix formed the band “2nd Skin” together with Wim Van Kerkhove and they released an album in the same style of Runaway in 2005.

File Under: Melodic Hard Rock, AOR

For fans of: Terra Nova, Emergency (Hol), Masquerade (Swe), Crime, Subway, etc.

TRACK LISTING:
1. Red Haired Woman
2. My Life As A God
3. Darkened Room
4. Till The End Of Time
5. Down For The Count
6. Look At Yourself
7. 9 To 5
8. Seventeen
9. Hangover
10. Before I Forget
11. Dark Ending (Darkened Room Reprise)
12. Trouble (Bonus Track)