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Running Wild (band)

January 20, 2023

Running Wild is a German heavy metal band formed in Hamburg in 1976. They were part of the German metal scene to emerge in the early to mid-1980s, and are also considered to be one of the country's so-called "big four" of power metal, along with Grave Digger, Helloween and Rage.[1] Over the course of their career, they have released 17 studio albums, three live albums, five compilation albums, and six singles/EPs.

Running Wild
Running Wild at Wacken Open Air 2018
Background information
Also known asGranite Heart (1976–1979)
OriginHamburg, Germany
Genres
Years active1976–2009, 2011–present
LabelsGUN, Noise, SPV/Steamhammer
MembersRolf Kasparek
Peter Jordan
Ole Hempelmann
Michael Wolpers
Past membersSee below
Websiterunning-wild.net

Although their earlier releases contained Satanic themes and imagery, from the third album on, the band's primary subject matter centered around pirates, sailing and other historical events. In 1987, the band released the album Under Jolly Roger, which was a switch to pirate-based and historical themes, creating and influencing the later named pirate metal subgenre of heavy metal in the 2000s in the process. While the historical lyrics were very superficial at first, the lyrics for later albums were intensively researched, by frontman Rolf Kasparek in particular.[2]

After this album, from 1988 to 1992 (for the albums Port Royal, Death or Glory, Blazon Stone and Pile of Skulls), Running Wild mainly wrote historically based lyrics. In addition to lyrics about pirates, the band also addressed subjects like the Wars of the Roses, the Battle of Waterloo, or the colonization of the New World by the Conquistadors.[2]

In April 2009, Kasparek announced that Running Wild had split up. Their intended last show was at Wacken Open Air in July that year. It was recorded for CD and DVD release and appeared as The Final Jolly Roger in 2011. The split would prove temporary as they reunited in 2012. Running Wild played live for the Wacken Open Air festival in 2015. As of 2021, the band had released 17 studio albums, with their most recent being Blood on Blood.

History

 
The band's logo

Early years and first albums

The band formed in 1976 under the name Granite Heart, but they would change their name in 1979 to Running Wild after the Judas Priest song of the same name. The band recorded their first demo in 1981 and featured the songs "Hallow the Hell", "War Child" and "King of the Midnight Fire". The first two of these tracks appeared on the compilation album "Debüt №1" on the Raubbau Label. In June 1984, the band started work on their debut album Gates to Purgatory, which was released by Noise Records, featuring satanic lyrics. The album proved to be a success, and the band quickly gained a cult following. Guitarist Gerald "Preacher" Warnecke left the band soon after the album's release. (Gerald "Preacher" Warnecke was studying theology at the time and is now a pastor in Cologne.)[3][4] The band soon recruited Majk Moti to take his place, and soon recorded their follow up Branded and Exiled in 1985. This album would prove to be the final release of the band with satanic imagery in their music.

Rise in popularity, success and later albums

For the following release, the band shifted their sound and image and adopted a pirate theme. The band released Under Jolly Roger in 1987. This would prove a significant change because the band would be more known as a "pirate metal" band, with lyrics dealing with pirates and historical events. With this album, the band found their identity, and the pirate theme would be prominent on their future releases. Their 1988 follow-up release Port Royal featured a more mature style of songwriting and expanded on the pirate theme explored on their previous album. The album featured one of the band's first epics, Calico Jack. In 1989, the release of the band's fifth studio recording Death or Glory, proved to be the band's most successful album to date.[citation needed] The tour was also a success and a concert during the tour was filmed and was released as Death or Glory Tour. This album and tour would be the final release to feature guitarist Majk Moti and drummer Ian Finlay.

Upon the departure of Moti and Finlay, Kasparek recruited guitarist Axel Morgan and drummer Rudiger Dreffein (better known as "AC") to record the band's first album in two years, Blazon Stone, released in 1991. The album continued the band's trend of writing about historical themes, and according to band leader, Rolf Kasparek, it was to be the band's best-selling album of the 1990s.[citation needed] The album proved to be a slight shift in their overall sound, as the band brought a more speed metal approach to their songs, which would be prevalent throughout their releases during the decade. In 1992, the band began work on Pile of Skulls which was regarded by many as one of the band's strongest efforts.[citation needed] Around this time, Kasparek started becoming more interested in conspiracy theories, becoming the basis of the next album, 1994's Black Hand Inn.

1995's Masquerade was the first in a trilogy of albums dealing with a specific theme. The album would go on to be one of Running Wild's worst selling albums up to that point. The second album followed with the 1998 album The Rivalry under their new label GUN Records with the conclusion of the trilogy culminating with 2000's Victory. It would be the final album featuring drummer Jörg Michael. With so many line-up changes, Running Wild was considered a solo project due to the fact that guitarist and main songwriter Rolf Kasparek remained the sole constant member of the band. The album The Brotherhood was released in 2002. It was to be another three years before Running Wild released another album Rogues en Vogue in 2005.

The Final Jolly Roger, hiatus and reunion

 
Running Wild in 2005

On 17 April 2009, Rolf Kasparek announced the disbandment of Running Wild. The band performed their final show at Wacken Open Air on 30 July 2009, which would be recorded for a future DVD release.[5] The resulting effort The Final Jolly Roger was released on 24 June 2011 on CD and DVD format.[6] In May 2011, Kasparek explained that he did not want the band to return due to other desires of his own.[7] A biography, titled Death and Glory: The Story of a Heavy Metal Legend, was announced in June 2011 that was tentatively scheduled for release in 2013 or 2014, but no more information was given since then.[8] In October 2011, Running Wild reformed and announced that they would record a new album titled Shadowmaker,[9] which was released on 20 April 2012 via SPV/Steamhammer.[10][11][12] In November 2012, Kasparek and guitarist Peter Jordan formed a side project called Giant X, releasing an album titled I in January 2013.[13]

The next album Resilient was released on 4 October 2013.[14][15][16] The band made their return appearance at the 2015 edition of Wacken and included a brand new song from an upcoming album.[17][18]

The sixteenth album Rapid Foray was released on 26 August 2016.[19][20]

On 6 December 2019, an EP titled Crossing the Blades was released as an early hint for a new album.[21]

Running Wild's seventeenth album Blood on Blood was released on 29 October 2021.[22][23] Their song "Diamonds and Pearls" was elected by Loudwire as the 31st best metal song of 2021.[24]

Members

Current

  • Rolf Kasparek – vocals, guitars (1976–2009, 2011–present)
  • Peter Jordan – guitars (2004–2009, 2011–present)
  • Ole Hempelmann – bass (2015–present)
  • Michael Wolpers – drums (2015–present)

Former

Timeline

Discography

References

  1. ^ "The BNR Metal Pages – Helloween". bnrmetal.com. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  2. ^ a b "RUNNING WILD – the official website". Running-wild.de. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  3. ^ "Wacken Open Air 2015 starts with Metal worship". Evangelisch.de. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  4. ^ "Ev. Gemeinde Sürth/Weiß – Kontakt". kirche-suerth.de. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  5. ^ "RUNNING WILD – "IT'S TIME TO LOWER THE FLAG AND TAKE DOWN THE SAILS"; FINAL SHOW AT WACKEN OPEN AIR TO BE RECORDED FOR UPCOMING RELEASE". Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles. Retrieved 17 April 2009.
  6. ^ "RUNNING WILD To Release 'The Final Jolly Roger' In June". Blabbermouth.net. 29 April 2011. Retrieved 29 April 2011.
  7. ^ "Former RUNNING WILD Mainman Is 'Not Thinking' About Possible Reunion". Blabbermouth.net. 7 May 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2011.
  8. ^ "RUNNING WILD: 'Death And Glory: The Story Of A Heavy Metal Legend' Biography Cover Revealed". Blabbermouth.net. 18 June 2011. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  9. ^ Metal Dude. "Running Wild reunite and begin work on new album". Metal Riot. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
  10. ^ "RUNNING WILD: 'Shadowmaker' Release Date Confirmed". Blabbermouth.net. 11 November 2011. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  11. ^ "RUNNING WILD: 'Shadowmaker' Cover And Track Listing Revealed". Blabbermouth.net. 24 January 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  12. ^ "RUNNING WILD: New Audio Interview With ROLF KASPAREK". Blabbermouth.net. 19 August 2012. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  13. ^ "RUNNING WILD MEMBERS LAUNCH GIANT X". Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  14. ^ "RUNNING WILD: New Album Due In October". Blabbermouth.net. 19 June 2013. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
  15. ^ "RUNNING WILD: 'Resilient' Track Listing Revealed". Blabbermouth.net. 11 August 2013. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
  16. ^ "RUNNING WILD: Complete 'Resilient' Album Details Revealed". Blabbermouth.net. 23 August 2013. Retrieved 23 August 2013.
  17. ^ "Next Year's WACKEN OPEN AIR Festival Sells Out In Record 12 Hours". Blabbermouth.net. 4 August 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  18. ^ "RUNNING WILD To Perform New Song At Germany's WACKEN OPEN AIR". Blabbermouth.net. 5 June 2015. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  19. ^ "RUNNING WILD: 'Rapid Foray' Album Details Revealed". Blabbermouth.net. 10 June 2016. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
  20. ^ "RUNNING WILD: Lyric Video For New Song 'Black Bart'". Blabbermouth.net. 19 August 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  21. ^ "RUNNING WILD To Release 'Crossing The Blades' EP In December". Blabbermouth.net. 15 October 2019. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
  22. ^ Metal Invader Team. "Running Wild: new album entitled "Blood On Blood" in October". Metal Invader. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  23. ^ "RUNNING WILD To Release 'Blood On Blood' Album In October". Blabbermouth.net. 30 July 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  24. ^ Al-Sharif, Rabab; DiVita, Joe; Hartmann, Graham; Richardson, Jake; Trapp, Philip; Summan, Yasmine (6 December 2021). "The 35 Best Metal Songs of 2021". Loudwire. Townsquare Media. Retrieved 31 December 2021.

External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Running Wild.
  • Official website
  • Running Wild at AllMusic  
  • Running Wild on noiserecords.net

January 20, 2023
running, wild, band, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, running, wild, band, news, newspapers, books, s. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Running Wild band news newspapers books scholar JSTOR November 2019 Learn how and when to remove this template message Running Wild is a German heavy metal band formed in Hamburg in 1976 They were part of the German metal scene to emerge in the early to mid 1980s and are also considered to be one of the country s so called big four of power metal along with Grave Digger Helloween and Rage 1 Over the course of their career they have released 17 studio albums three live albums five compilation albums and six singles EPs Running WildRunning Wild at Wacken Open Air 2018Background informationAlso known asGranite Heart 1976 1979 OriginHamburg GermanyGenresHeavy metal power metal speed metal pirate metalYears active1976 2009 2011 presentLabelsGUN Noise SPV SteamhammerMembersRolf KasparekPeter JordanOle HempelmannMichael WolpersPast membersSee belowWebsiterunning wild wbr netAlthough their earlier releases contained Satanic themes and imagery from the third album on the band s primary subject matter centered around pirates sailing and other historical events In 1987 the band released the album Under Jolly Roger which was a switch to pirate based and historical themes creating and influencing the later named pirate metal subgenre of heavy metal in the 2000s in the process While the historical lyrics were very superficial at first the lyrics for later albums were intensively researched by frontman Rolf Kasparek in particular 2 After this album from 1988 to 1992 for the albums Port Royal Death or Glory Blazon Stone and Pile of Skulls Running Wild mainly wrote historically based lyrics In addition to lyrics about pirates the band also addressed subjects like the Wars of the Roses the Battle of Waterloo or the colonization of the New World by the Conquistadors 2 In April 2009 Kasparek announced that Running Wild had split up Their intended last show was at Wacken Open Air in July that year It was recorded for CD and DVD release and appeared as The Final Jolly Roger in 2011 The split would prove temporary as they reunited in 2012 Running Wild played live for the Wacken Open Air festival in 2015 As of 2021 the band had released 17 studio albums with their most recent being Blood on Blood Contents 1 History 1 1 Early years and first albums 1 2 Rise in popularity success and later albums 1 3 The Final Jolly Roger hiatus and reunion 2 Members 2 1 Current 2 2 Former 2 3 Timeline 3 Discography 4 References 5 External linksHistory Edit The band s logo Early years and first albums Edit The band formed in 1976 under the name Granite Heart but they would change their name in 1979 to Running Wild after the Judas Priest song of the same name The band recorded their first demo in 1981 and featured the songs Hallow the Hell War Child and King of the Midnight Fire The first two of these tracks appeared on the compilation album Debut 1 on the Raubbau Label In June 1984 the band started work on their debut album Gates to Purgatory which was released by Noise Records featuring satanic lyrics The album proved to be a success and the band quickly gained a cult following Guitarist Gerald Preacher Warnecke left the band soon after the album s release Gerald Preacher Warnecke was studying theology at the time and is now a pastor in Cologne 3 4 The band soon recruited Majk Moti to take his place and soon recorded their follow up Branded and Exiled in 1985 This album would prove to be the final release of the band with satanic imagery in their music Rise in popularity success and later albums Edit For the following release the band shifted their sound and image and adopted a pirate theme The band released Under Jolly Roger in 1987 This would prove a significant change because the band would be more known as a pirate metal band with lyrics dealing with pirates and historical events With this album the band found their identity and the pirate theme would be prominent on their future releases Their 1988 follow up release Port Royal featured a more mature style of songwriting and expanded on the pirate theme explored on their previous album The album featured one of the band s first epics Calico Jack In 1989 the release of the band s fifth studio recording Death or Glory proved to be the band s most successful album to date citation needed The tour was also a success and a concert during the tour was filmed and was released as Death or Glory Tour This album and tour would be the final release to feature guitarist Majk Moti and drummer Ian Finlay Upon the departure of Moti and Finlay Kasparek recruited guitarist Axel Morgan and drummer Rudiger Dreffein better known as AC to record the band s first album in two years Blazon Stone released in 1991 The album continued the band s trend of writing about historical themes and according to band leader Rolf Kasparek it was to be the band s best selling album of the 1990s citation needed The album proved to be a slight shift in their overall sound as the band brought a more speed metal approach to their songs which would be prevalent throughout their releases during the decade In 1992 the band began work on Pile of Skulls which was regarded by many as one of the band s strongest efforts citation needed Around this time Kasparek started becoming more interested in conspiracy theories becoming the basis of the next album 1994 s Black Hand Inn 1995 s Masquerade was the first in a trilogy of albums dealing with a specific theme The album would go on to be one of Running Wild s worst selling albums up to that point The second album followed with the 1998 album The Rivalry under their new label GUN Records with the conclusion of the trilogy culminating with 2000 s Victory It would be the final album featuring drummer Jorg Michael With so many line up changes Running Wild was considered a solo project due to the fact that guitarist and main songwriter Rolf Kasparek remained the sole constant member of the band The album The Brotherhood was released in 2002 It was to be another three years before Running Wild released another album Rogues en Vogue in 2005 The Final Jolly Roger hiatus and reunion Edit Running Wild in 2005 On 17 April 2009 Rolf Kasparek announced the disbandment of Running Wild The band performed their final show at Wacken Open Air on 30 July 2009 which would be recorded for a future DVD release 5 The resulting effort The Final Jolly Roger was released on 24 June 2011 on CD and DVD format 6 In May 2011 Kasparek explained that he did not want the band to return due to other desires of his own 7 A biography titled Death and Glory The Story of a Heavy Metal Legend was announced in June 2011 that was tentatively scheduled for release in 2013 or 2014 but no more information was given since then 8 In October 2011 Running Wild reformed and announced that they would record a new album titled Shadowmaker 9 which was released on 20 April 2012 via SPV Steamhammer 10 11 12 In November 2012 Kasparek and guitarist Peter Jordan formed a side project called Giant X releasing an album titled I in January 2013 13 The next album Resilient was released on 4 October 2013 14 15 16 The band made their return appearance at the 2015 edition of Wacken and included a brand new song from an upcoming album 17 18 The sixteenth album Rapid Foray was released on 26 August 2016 19 20 On 6 December 2019 an EP titled Crossing the Blades was released as an early hint for a new album 21 Running Wild s seventeenth album Blood on Blood was released on 29 October 2021 22 23 Their song Diamonds and Pearls was elected by Loudwire as the 31st best metal song of 2021 24 Members EditCurrent Edit Rolf Kasparek vocals guitars 1976 2009 2011 present Peter Jordan guitars 2004 2009 2011 present Ole Hempelmann bass 2015 present Michael Wolpers drums 2015 present Former Edit Guitar Uwe Bendig 1976 1984 Gerald Preacher Warnecke 1984 1985 Majk Moti 1985 1990 Axel Morgan 1990 1993 Thilo Herrmann 1994 2001 Bernd Aufermann 2002 2004 Bass Jorg Schwarz 1976 Carsten David 1976 1979 Matthias Kaufmann 1980 1983 Stephan Boriss 1984 1987 Jens Becker 1987 1992 Thomas Smuszynski 1992 2002 Peter Pichl 2002 2009 Jan S Eckert 2009 Drums Michael Hoffmann 1976 1982 Wolfgang Hasche Hagemann 1982 1987 Stefan Schwarzmann 1987 1988 1992 1993 Iain Finlay 1988 1990 Jorg Michael 1990 1994 1998 Rudiger Dreffein 1990 1992 Christos Efthimiadis 1998 1999 2001 Angelo Sasso 2000 2002 died 2007 Matthias Liebetruth 2002 2009 Timeline EditDiscography EditStudio albumsGates to Purgatory 1984 Branded and Exiled 1985 Under Jolly Roger 1987 Port Royal 1988 Death or Glory 1989 Blazon Stone 1991 Pile of Skulls 1992 Black Hand Inn 1994 Masquerade 1995 The Rivalry 1998 Victory 2000 The Brotherhood 2002 Rogues en Vogue 2005 Shadowmaker 2012 Resilient 2013 Rapid Foray 2016 Blood on Blood 2021 Live albumsReady for Boarding 1988 Death or Glory Tour Live 1989 Live 2002 The Final Jolly Roger 2011 Compilation albumsThe First Years of Piracy 1991 The Story of Jolly Roger 1998 The Legendary Tales 2002 20 Years in History 2003 Best of Adrian 2006 Black Demons on Stage 2010 Greatest Hits 2011 Riding the Storm Very Best of the Noise Years 1983 1995 2016 Singles and EPs Victim of States Power 1984 Bad to the Bone 1989 Wild Animal 1990 Little Big Horn 1991 Lead or Gold 1992 The Privateer 1994 The Rivalry 1998 Revolution 2000 Crossing the Blades 2019 DVDsRunning Wild Live DVD 2002 The Final Jolly Roger 2011 Split releasesRock From Hell German Metal Attack 1983 Death Metal 1984 Metal Attack Vol 1 1985 Tribute albumsRough Diamonds A Tribute to Running Wild 2005 available as a free download on the official website The Revivalry A Tribute to Running Wild 2005 ReUnation A Tribute to Running Wild 2009 References Edit The BNR Metal Pages Helloween bnrmetal com Retrieved 10 May 2021 a b RUNNING WILD the official website Running wild de Retrieved 28 July 2014 Wacken Open Air 2015 starts with Metal worship Evangelisch de Retrieved 21 November 2019 Ev Gemeinde Surth Weiss Kontakt kirche suerth de Retrieved 21 November 2019 RUNNING WILD IT S TIME TO LOWER THE FLAG AND TAKE DOWN THE SAILS FINAL SHOW AT WACKEN OPEN AIR TO BE RECORDED FOR UPCOMING RELEASE Brave Words amp Bloody Knuckles Retrieved 17 April 2009 RUNNING WILD To Release The Final Jolly Roger In June Blabbermouth net 29 April 2011 Retrieved 29 April 2011 Former RUNNING WILD Mainman Is Not Thinking About Possible Reunion Blabbermouth net 7 May 2011 Retrieved 7 May 2011 RUNNING WILD Death And Glory The Story Of A Heavy Metal Legend Biography Cover Revealed Blabbermouth net 18 June 2011 Retrieved 18 June 2011 Metal Dude Running Wild reunite and begin work on new album Metal Riot Retrieved 22 October 2011 RUNNING WILD Shadowmaker Release Date Confirmed Blabbermouth net 11 November 2011 Retrieved 11 November 2011 RUNNING WILD Shadowmaker Cover And Track Listing Revealed Blabbermouth net 24 January 2012 Retrieved 24 January 2012 RUNNING WILD New Audio Interview With ROLF KASPAREK Blabbermouth net 19 August 2012 Retrieved 19 August 2012 RUNNING WILD MEMBERS LAUNCH GIANT X Brave Words amp Bloody Knuckles Retrieved 16 November 2012 RUNNING WILD New Album Due In October Blabbermouth net 19 June 2013 Retrieved 19 June 2013 RUNNING WILD Resilient Track Listing Revealed Blabbermouth net 11 August 2013 Retrieved 11 August 2013 RUNNING WILD Complete Resilient Album Details Revealed Blabbermouth net 23 August 2013 Retrieved 23 August 2013 Next Year s WACKEN OPEN AIR Festival Sells Out In Record 12 Hours Blabbermouth net 4 August 2014 Retrieved 4 August 2014 RUNNING WILD To Perform New Song At Germany s WACKEN OPEN AIR Blabbermouth net 5 June 2015 Retrieved 5 June 2015 RUNNING WILD Rapid Foray Album Details Revealed Blabbermouth net 10 June 2016 Retrieved 10 June 2016 RUNNING WILD Lyric Video For New Song Black Bart Blabbermouth net 19 August 2016 Retrieved 19 August 2016 RUNNING WILD To Release Crossing The Blades EP In December Blabbermouth net 15 October 2019 Retrieved 15 October 2019 Metal Invader Team Running Wild new album entitled Blood On Blood in October Metal Invader Retrieved 5 July 2021 RUNNING WILD To Release Blood On Blood Album In October Blabbermouth net 30 July 2021 Retrieved 30 July 2021 Al Sharif Rabab DiVita Joe Hartmann Graham Richardson Jake Trapp Philip Summan Yasmine 6 December 2021 The 35 Best Metal Songs of 2021 Loudwire Townsquare Media Retrieved 31 December 2021 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Running Wild Official website Running Wild at AllMusic Running Wild on noiserecords net Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Running Wild band amp oldid 1134586826, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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