Running Wild
Running Wild
Background information
Origin	Hamburg, Germany
Genre(s)	Heavy metal Speed metal Power metal
Years active	1976—present
Label(s)	Gun Records
Website	http://www.running-wild.net
Members
Rolf "Rock'n'Rolf" Kasparek (Vocals, Guitar) Peter Jordan (Guitar) Peter Pichl (Bass) Matthias "Metalmachine" Liebetruth (Drums)
Former members
See: Former members

Running Wild are a German heavy metal band, formed in 1976 in Hamburg. They were part of the German heavy/speed/power metal sceme to emerge in the early to mid 1980s, along with Helloween, Rage, Sinner, Grave Digger, etc. The band has carved its niche in the metal world as the first "pirate metal" band, a theme which took off with the release of Under Jolly Roger in 1987 (thus abandoning the Satanic imagery of their earlier work). In the texts of the band's biographies and album liner notes, some of the words found are some kind of pirate's dialect, with some songs even being untranslatable.^{citation needed}

Running Wild are still active today.

Members

Current members

• Rolf Kasparek (a.k.a. Rock'N'Rolf) - Vocals, guitars
• Peter Jordan - Guitar
• Peter Pichl - Bass
• Matthias "Metalmachine" Liebetruth - Drums

Former members

Guitar

• Uwe Bendig (1976-84)
• Gerald "Preacher" Warnecke (1984-85)
• Michael "Majk Moti" Kupper (1985-90)
• Axel "Morgan" Kohlmorgen (X-Wild) (1990-93)
• Thilo Hermann (Grave Digger, ex-Holy Moses, ex-Faithful Breath, ex-Risk) (1994-01)
• Bernd Aufermann (Angel Dust) (2002-04)

Bass

• Jörg Schwarz (1976)
• Carsten David (1976-79)
• Matthias Kaufmann (1980-83)
• Stephan Boris (1984-87)
• Jens Becker (Grave Digger, X-Wild) (1987-92)
• Thomas "Bodo" Smuszynski (ex-U.D.O., ex-Darxon) (1992-02)

Drums

• Michael Hoffmann (1976-82)
• Wolfgang "Hasche" Hagemann (1982-87)
• Stefan Schwarzmann (ex-Helloween, Paradox, ex-X-Wild, ex-Accept, ex-U.D.O., ex-Voice) (1987-88, 1992-93)
• Ian Finlay (ex-Justice, ex-Demon Pact) (1988-90)
• Jörg Michael (Stratovarius, ex-Saxon, Unleashed Power, ex-Axel Rudi Pell, ex-Avenger, ex-Rage, ex-Grave Digger, ex-Mekong Delta, ex-Tom Angelripper, ex-Headhunter) (1990, 1994-98)
• Rudiger "A.C." Dreffein (1990-92)
• Christos "Efti" Efthimiadis (1998-00)
• Angelo Sasso (2000-02)

Discography

Studio albums

• Gates 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)

Live albums

• Ready for Boarding (1988)
• Live (2002)

Compilation albums

• The First Years of Piracy (1991)
• The Story Of Jolly Roger (1998)
• 20 Years in History (2003)
• Best of Adrian (2006)

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)

Split releases

• Death Metal (1984)

Tribute albums

• The Revivalry - A Tribute to Running Wild (2005)
• Rough Diamonds - A Tribute to Running Wild (2005) (available as a free download on the official website)

External links

• Official homepage
• Official MySpace homepage

References

• Running Wild at allmusic.com