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Artist
Running Wild
12+ albums
heavy metalPower metalspeed metalpirate metalmetal
about
Running Wild is a German heavy metal band formed in Hamburg in 1976. They emerged as part of the German heavy metal scene of the early to mid-1980s and are commonly associated with a group of prominent acts from that movement alongside Grave Digger, Helloween, and Rage. Over the course of their career, Running Wild has released seventeen studio albums, as well as live recordings, compilation albums, and extended plays. The band’s early releases featured themes and imagery associated with Satanism, but beginning with their third studio album, their lyrical focus shifted toward pirates, maritime subjects, and historical events. This change became fully established with the 1987 album "Under Jolly Roger", which introduced a pirate-oriented concept that later became closely associated with the band’s identity. The thematic approach of combining heavy metal with historical and pirate imagery has been cited as an influence on what would later be termed pirate metal. While early historical references were comparatively general, later works incorporated more detailed research, particularly by bandleader Rolf Kasparek. Between 1988 and 1992, albums such as "Port Royal", "Death or Glory", "Blazon Stone", and "Pile of Skulls" expanded on historical subject matter, including references to events such as the Wars of the Roses, the Battle of Waterloo, and the European colonization of the Americas. Running Wild was originally formed under the name Granite Heart in 1976 and adopted its cur
