Description
Running Wild in the early days were so wicked and raw that they bordered proto-black metal (Venom style). The atmosphere brought about by the velocity of the riffs by Preacher and Kasparek could only be achieved in a dungeon of ghouls, and the solos hidden around were the divine liquid dispersed in human blood. Their first demo was released already back in 1981 and those three tracks were quite muffled and raw in sound. Three more demos woud follow in 1983 and 1984 and these were a major step up both production and music wise. By the time of the second demo was released, Rolf was the last founding member, so the band fell on his shoulders. The line-up by this time became Hagemann, Boriss, Rolf, and the super cool Preacher who would go on to make the first couple of albums stand the test of time. This album features demo material from 1983 as well as two live tracks from the same period. The guitar tone on this compilation is what I love the most. That doom-distortion is so sharp that it could shred through paper, and adding this grubby tone gives the songs a badass attitude. 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. Enjoy this album as much as most Running Wild studio albums. There’s so much that the band gave us, so why not feast on it like kings? The more you hear from the band, the more you’ll admire the them.
Track list:
1. Intro-demo 1983
2. Warchild-demo 1983
3. Hallow The Hell-demo 1983
4. Genghis Khan-live 1983
5. Adrian S.O.S.-demo 1983
6. Chains And Leather-demo 1983
7. Soldiers Of Hell-live 1983