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. Over the course of their career, they have released 17 studio albums, three live albums, five compilation albums, and six singles/EPs.
Black Hand Inn is the eighth studio album by German heavy metal band Running Wild, released on 24 March 1994 through Noise Records. It is a loose concept album about a resurrected man, against a backdrop of piracy, foreseeing Armageddon.
Gates to Purgatory is the debut studio album by German heavy metal band Running Wild, released in 1984. It predates their piracy themes and has mostly satanically-influenced lyrics but also features songs with anarchic and libertarian themes. It was in part of Gerald "Preacher" Warnecke's studies in theology. He left the band soon after the album's release to become a vicar.
Branded and Exiled is the second studio album by German heavy metal band Running Wild, released in 1985.
Port Royal is the fourth album by German heavy metal band Running Wild. It expanded on the pirate theme introduced in their album Under Jolly Roger (1987) and established them as "pirate metal" in the metal community. The album takes its name from the location of Calico Jack's death.
Rogues en Vogue is the thirteenth studio album by German heavy metal band Running Wild, released in 2005.
Pile of Skulls is the seventh studio album by Running Wild, released in 1992. It is their last album with guitarist Axel Morgan.
Under Jolly Roger is the third studio album by German heavy metal band Running Wild. It marked a stylistic turning point in which the group dropped the Satanic imagery they had previously used and adopted the pirate theme they would become known for, creating and influencing the later named pirate metal subgenre of heavy metal in the 2000s in the process. The album's title comes from the famous Jolly Roger, the flag used by pirates to identify their ships.
Masquerade is the ninth album by German band Running Wild. It is the first in a trilogy of a theme of good versus evil, continued with The Rivalry and concluded with Victory.
Victory is the eleventh studio album by German heavy metal band Running Wild. It is the third and final album in a trilogy of a theme of good versus evil, started with Masquerade and continued with The Rivalry.
The Brotherhood is the twelfth studio album by German heavy metal band Running Wild.
Blazon Stone is the sixth album by German heavy metal band Running Wild, released in 1991. According to Rolf Kasparek in an interview to a Brazilian heavy metal/hard rock magazine, Blazon Stone is the best-selling album by the band, in the 1990s. It is also their first album with both guitarist Axel Morgan and drummer AC.
The Rivalry is the tenth album by German heavy metal band Running Wild. It is the second in a trilogy of a theme of good versus evil, which began with Masquerade and concluded with Victory. It is also their last album with drummer Jörg Michael.
Death or Glory is the fifth studio album by German heavy metal band Running Wild, released 8 November 1989 through Noise Records. It is the band's last album with both guitarist Majk Moti and drummer Ian Finlay. Being one of their most successful releases, it contains the concert favourites "Riding the Storm" and "Bad to the Bone". The final track, "March On", was not included on the vinyl release due to space constraints.
Pirate metal is a style of heavy metal music characterized by its incorporation of pirate mythology within the music and sometimes in stage performances. Lyrics often use piratical jargon and various musical genres, such as thrash metal, speed metal, and folk metal, may be combined with traditional-sounding songs like sea shanties. Folk instruments, such as the concertina, can be incorporated or emulated with synthesizers. Band members often dress up in period costume during performances, and concert attendees may do so as well. Pirate metal is sometimes referred to by the media as a music scene.
Hammercult was an Israeli-based thrash metal band, founded in 2010. The band is regarded as the leading extreme metal band of the Israeli metal movement in the 2000s.
Shadowmaker is the fourteenth studio album by German heavy metal band Running Wild, released on 20 April 2012. It is the band's first studio album since 2005's Rogues en Vogue and the first since the band's return after breaking up in 2009.
Resilient is the fifteenth studio album by German heavy metal band Running Wild, released on 4 October 2013 via Steamhammer Records.
Rapid Foray is the sixteenth studio album by the German heavy metal band Running Wild. It was released by Steamhammer Records on 26 August 2016. The album was delayed due to Rolf Kasparek's shoulder injury, and their subsequent show at Wacken in 2015. A lyric video was made for "Black Bart".
Blood on Blood is the seventeenth studio album by the German heavy metal band Running Wild, their first album in five years since 2016's Rapid Foray. It was released by Steamhammer Records on 29 October 2021.
