Description
A rare and limited numbered cd release featuring the complete live show with Running Wild recorded at the Metal Hammer festival at the Freilichtbuhne in Loreley, St Goarshausen in Germany on the 14th of September 1985. This rare disc also includes the classic early ‘Heavy Metal Like A Hammerblow’ demo 1984 and the even earlier Rock From Hell demo 1981. Like this wasn’t enough the album packs in the rare compilation material from the classic Death metal album. Death Metal has become a famous album as it was among the first teasers of the central European heavy metal scene. You could always have wished for a better sound quality but on the other hand it really doesn’t matter because its just so great to hear the old demo and live material from Running Wild recorded during the years when they still played raw speed metal. First out on the album is the live show from the Metal Hammer festival. The German metal magazine Metal Hammer was founded in 1983 and the first issue was released in January of 1984 and it was printed in 50 000 copies. The Metal Hammer festival that was held on the 14th of September of 1985 was the first festival arranged by the magazine and it had approx 30 000 visitors. The line-up for the day included Venom, Running Wild, Nazareth, Warlock, Wishbone Ash, Pretty Maids, Heavy Pettin, Savage Grace, Restless, Tyran Pace and the still little-known Metallica. Runing Wild performed 8-track on that day and all can be found on this disc. Second out comes the Rock From Hell demo which was the first Running Wild demo presented to the public, all I can say is that the band has come a long way. Even during their golden age, this stuff sounds incredibly primitive, yet starkly similar. Revamp the production, give the guitars more harmonies, and let Rolf’s vocals go clean and you’ll pretty much have the sound of the late ‘80s / early ‘90s albums – songwriting is needed to actually reach that quality though, but even then the band doesn’t disappoint with these early tunes. ‘Warchild’ isn’t the same song as the one on Port Royal, yet it is laudable enough to keep the name. The drumming is extremely quiet, though: drum bass sounds like pillows being dropped on floors, the snares bongos in a cave, and the cymbals are practically static. The guitars are the most apparent instrument that you can actually hear, and the bass just resonates with booms to give the guitars some backing. The drumming is the same pummelling the entire song, but Rolf and the guitars are carrying the song entirely by themselves. I love the tone of the guitar, though – so powerful, wretched, and crusty. Rolf does the same harsh speaking / hoarse singing that characterized the band early on. ‘Hallow The Hell’ is an even shorter song that’s a fast-paced menace with the same production shortcomings. While it may look like I’m very harsh on the production, I actually dig it – I understand that this is an early demo and that Rolf was just about 20 years old by the time this was released, so the band was still developing. Anyway, ‘Hallow The Hell’ is too short for a real liking. ‘King Of The Midnight Fire’ is a song that wasn’t added to the first Running Wild compilation, which is sad because it’s too awesome to dismiss. The clean intro, the dual guitar shark attack, Rolf letting loose some great lines – it’s the most put-together track on the demo. In fact, it sounds like something that came off the first full-length debut – reminds me of ‘Soldiers Of Hell’ without the glorious lead bridge. In fact, I’m pretty sure it is the same song – the riffs are similar and Rolf sings with the same tempo. The only main difference is the spacey shredding that’s going on throughout the song. So I guess the song was later released, but just reworked a bit to become one of the better tracks on the debut. The atmosphere brought about by the velocity of the riffs by Preacher and Kasparek on the ‘Heavy Metal Like A Hammerblow’ demo could only be achieved in a dungeon of ghouls, and the solos hidden around were the divine liquid dispersed in human blood. By 1983, the band already had a few songs together that would later become part of the full-lengths, but they weren’t yet perfected. Nonetheless, they’re essentially the same songs as their full-length counterparts – the final four tracks of this release – but just imagine them with less refined production. “Adrian S.O.S.” starts off with a sweet, vintage intro with ringing bells and cryptic atmosphere (straight out of a 1930s horror flick), which is unlike its debut full-length counterpart. The guitar tone on this demo is what I love the most, even though Rolf’s vocals aren’t focused and the songs are sloppy. That doom-distortion is so sharp that it could shred through paper, and adding this grubby tone gives the songs a badass attitude. The live tracks, “Genghis Khan” and “Soldiers Of Hell,” are included, with guitar tones so prominent and thunderous (better quality than the other recorded tracks), though the solo section on “Soldiers Of Hell” is too scratchy and high, so it doesn’t even come close to the one on the debut album. Bass often gets mixed with the double bass from the drum kit, but most of the time I never heard it. The exceptions are “Hallow The Hell” and “Warchild” because of the certain production allowing the booms to reverberate. While these songs have atmosphere and style, the sloppiness does show, and Rolf is the first one to become a victim. For a lad in his early 20s (at the time), Rolf has (and always has) sounded older until he got to middle era albums. Here, his performance is akin to the one on Gates To Purgatory: crude, grouchy, kind of throaty, and as if he were speaking with a scorched throat. His timing is fine, but he gets submerged by the guitars, and his performance gets shoddy occasionally. “Chains And Leather” is probably where his vocals shine the most, as it’s a mid-paced sing-a-long track without any problems like the other songs – even the solos are nailed perfectly. Last on the disc is the ‘Death Metal’ compilation tracks and both of those songs have some groovy riffs. The uncooked guitar tone plays the early Iron Maiden card by dashing forward regardless of how clean and neat it sounds. The vibe settles with the grumbly bass sticking around despite the charred, demo-like quality and some sloppy playing. “Bone To Ashes” really slays in the rhythm department, thanks in no small part to the consistent drumming and synchronized-headbangable riff. The atmosphere alone with these two tracks move away from the satanic themes, instead opting for a zombie-themed after-school extravaganza! Rolf doesn’t show too much range aside from rare Halford-like wails; get used to his deep talking with a hint of whining. It works for the tone at hand, but anywhere else and these vocals would be ganged up on. “Bones To Ashes” does drag on a little longer than necessary – the longest song on the split, in fact, though the solo at the end does make up for that extra minute or so of waiting. Running Wild fans, check this one out to get some insight on the early days of the band. It’s a crammed pack disc well worth your money and I promise you the more you hear from the band, the more you’ll admire them.
Track list:
1. Diabolic Force-live Lorely 85
2. Black Demon-live Lorely 85
3. Mordor-live Lorely 85
4. Preacher-live Lorely 85
5. Victim Of States Power-live Lorely 85
6. Genghis Khan-live Lorely 85
7. Fight The Oppression-live Lorely 85
8. Branded And Exiled-live Lorely 85
9. Hallow The Hell-demo 81
10. Warchild-demo 81
11. King Of The Midnight Fire-demo 81
12. Intro/Warchild-demo 84
13. Hallow The Hell-demo 84
14. Genghis Khan live-demo 84
15. Adrian S.O.S-demo 84
16. Chains And Leather-demo 84
17. Soldiers Of Hell live-demo 84
18. Iron Heads-Death Metal compilation album 84
19. Bones To Ashes-Death Metal compilation album 84