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Running Wild - Pile Of Skulls



8.4 | 253 votes |
Release date: 1992
Style: Heavy metal, Power metal, Speed metal

Owners:

231 have it
25 want it


01. Chamber Of Lies
02. Whirlwind
03. Sinister Eyes
04. Black Wings Of Death
05. Fistful Of Dynamite
06. Roaring Thunder
07. Pile Of Skulls
08. Lead Or Gold
09. White Buffalo
10. Jenning's Revenge
11. Treasure Island
12. Beggars' Night [Re-Recorded version] [bonus]
13. Hanged, Drawn And Quartered [bonus]
14. Win Or Be Drowned [bonus]
15. Uaschitschun '92 [bonus]

Top 20 albums of 1992: 15

Guest review by
Talvi
Rating:
9.2
Speed Metal is a very obscure subgenre. Those who think it is just fast power (because of the old Walls Of Jericho), is wrong, because DragonForce isn't speed metal. It has a different sound. Speed Metal is, mainly, seen at the late 80s in Germany. Running Wild is one of these bands, and this album the best of them.

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published 20.06.2006 | Comments (4)

Found in 18 lists
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Comments

Comments: 16   Visited by: 308 users
09.10.2013 - 22:58
Rating: 8
nicaZe
Savatage
I gave totally 8 to album but for song "Treasure Island" i gave 15 Greatest tune I ever heard....
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08.06.2016 - 10:36
Rating: 8
JOPE OF STEELE
Steelemeister
Written by nicaZe on 09.10.2013 at 22:58

I gave totally 8 to album but for song "Treasure Island" i gave 15 Greatest tune I ever heard....

I think you're right about this song, it's the best way to end the album
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My vision is augmented
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08.06.2016 - 10:53
Rating: 8
JOPE OF STEELE
Steelemeister
Pretty good album, again, but this time with some weak songs. If you'd ask me "Fistful Of Dynamite", "Roaring Thunder", "White Buffalo" and "Jenning's Revenge" can be easily skipped since those songs don't represent the better Running Wild. The rest of these songs are either great ("Whirlwind", "Pile Of Skulls" and "Treasure Island") or at least good ("Sinister Eyes", "Black Wings Of Death" and "Lead Or Gold"). When you've got ~60 min album and ~20 minutes is quite fillerish, it's not too shabby because there's still good stuff for about 1 full length album. Personally I'd rather take a shorter album w/o weak songs.
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My vision is augmented
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16.10.2016 - 00:06
Rating: 8
Redel
Moderator
Great album. Treasure island is epic. It is my all-time fav by RW.
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17.03.2018 - 12:32
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
Weakest album so far
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I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens.

Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"

I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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17.01.2021 - 19:46
Rating: 7
majormalfunction
For some reason I find this record to be a bit too safe and the songs aren't for most part up to the quality you would expect out of Running Wild during this era. Treasure Island is perhaps their finest moment but among the rest there aren't really that many great tracks, lots of good stuff though ofcourse. Solid power metal record.
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Everything's twice as bright with money in your hands
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17.01.2021 - 23:42
Rating: 8
Redel
Moderator
Written by majormalfunction on 17.01.2021 at 19:46

For some reason I find this record to be a bit too safe and the songs aren't for most part up to the quality you would expect out of Running Wild during this era. Treasure Island is perhaps their finest moment but among the rest there aren't really that many great tracks, lots of good stuff though ofcourse. Solid power metal record.

There are some quality songs here I think. No need mentioning Treasure Island. But also Whirlwind, Roaring Thunder are good, and Lead or Gold as well as Black wings of Death are excellent imo.
They make this album overall more than good, compensating for some filler material.

But "power metal"!?
Where is the power metal here for you?
Straight heavy/speed for me.
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18.01.2021 - 09:25
Rating: 7
majormalfunction
Written by Redel on 17.01.2021 at 23:42

There are some quality songs here I think. No need mentioning Treasure Island. But also Whirlwind, Roaring Thunder are good, and Lead or Gold as well as Black wings of Death are excellent imo.
They make this album overall more than good, compensating for some filler material.

None of those are excellent for me. The only excellent song is Treasure Island on the original release, and then I also love Hanged, Drawn And Quartered. When looking at all the other tracks I like most of them, but the whole middle part Fistful of Dynamite - Jenning's Revenge gets a bit dragging and that's why I I think a strong 7 is fair for this record.

Written by Redel on 17.01.2021 at 23:42

But "power metal"!?
Where is the power metal here for you?
Straight heavy/speed for me.

You're right, that would be a better description.
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Everything's twice as bright with money in your hands
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19.01.2021 - 18:39
Rating: 8
JOPE OF STEELE
Steelemeister
Written by Redel on 17.01.2021 at 23:42

Written by majormalfunction on 17.01.2021 at 19:46

For some reason I find this record to be a bit too safe and the songs aren't for most part up to the quality you would expect out of Running Wild during this era. Treasure Island is perhaps their finest moment but among the rest there aren't really that many great tracks, lots of good stuff though ofcourse. Solid power metal record.

There are some quality songs here I think. No need mentioning Treasure Island. But also Whirlwind, Roaring Thunder are good, and Lead or Gold as well as Black wings of Death are excellent imo.

The title track isn't a quality song For me it could be the best here, a total Classic Kasparek/Morgan ass kicking galore on guitars. X-Wild's sound owns it's existence pretty much to this song
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My vision is augmented
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19.01.2021 - 20:49
Rating: 8
Redel
Moderator
Written by JOPE OF STEELE on 19.01.2021 at 18:39

The title track isn't a quality song For me it could be the best here, a total Classic Kasparek/Morgan ass kicking galore on guitars. X-Wild's sound owns it's existence pretty much to this song

Ok, I see, I should elaborate a bit more -- just respun it.
There is actually not a lot of filler material on this great record, I would probably consider White Buffalo one.
The title track, Sinister Eyes, and Fistful of Dynamite are all quite good songs, but they stand behind the earlier mentioned excellent ones for me.
Jennings Revenge is a track I initially forgot to mention among the great ones.
Overall a 7.7 for me, really great album, among the band's better approaches.
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19.01.2021 - 21:48
Rating: 8
JOPE OF STEELE
Steelemeister
Written by Redel on 19.01.2021 at 20:49

Written by JOPE OF STEELE on 19.01.2021 at 18:39

The title track isn't a quality song For me it could be the best here, a total Classic Kasparek/Morgan ass kicking galore on guitars. X-Wild's sound owns it's existence pretty much to this song

Ok, I see, I should elaborate a bit more -- just respun it.
There is actually not a lot of filler material on this great record, I would probably consider White Buffalo one.
The title track, Sinister Eyes, and Fistful of Dynamite are all quite good songs, but they stand behind the earlier mentioned excellent ones for me.
Jennings Revenge is a track I initially forgot to mention among the great ones.
Overall a 7.7 for me, really great album, among the band's better approaches.

Some killers, some fillers. Definitely one of their better ones, Could be a 10 album with less songs IMO.
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My vision is augmented
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20.01.2021 - 17:04
Rating: 7
majormalfunction
Written by JOPE OF STEELE on 19.01.2021 at 18:39

The title track isn't a quality song For me it could be the best here, a total Classic Kasparek/Morgan ass kicking galore on guitars. X-Wild's sound owns it's existence pretty much to this song

I like it. Nice chorus, decent riffing. Not really crazy about it though. I think when looking at all individual songs on each on their own it's a solid lineup. Listening to the whole album at once it gets a bit tedious, which drags it down from 8 to 7.

Haven't yet heard X-Wild, what album do you recommend?
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Everything's twice as bright with money in your hands
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20.01.2021 - 17:45
Rating: 8
JOPE OF STEELE
Steelemeister
Written by majormalfunction on 20.01.2021 at 17:04

Haven't yet heard X-Wild, what album do you recommend?

Not necessarily any of them. They're not masterpieces and all of them have plenty of fillers. Generally about this band I think the fast songs like Can't Tame the Wild, Wild Knight and Sinners Are Winners work better for me than the mid-paced ones. So, not highly impressive songwriting, but I think Axel is killing it on guitars.
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My vision is augmented
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21.01.2021 - 08:33
Rating: 7
majormalfunction
Written by JOPE OF STEELE on 20.01.2021 at 17:45

Not necessarily any of them. They're not masterpieces and all of them have plenty of fillers. Generally about this band I think the fast songs like Can't Tame the Wild, Wild Knight and Sinners Are Winners work better for me than the mid-paced ones. So, not highly impressive songwriting, but I think Axel is killing it on guitars.

Alright, will check out those songs and let's see if I find interest in listening to the entire records
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Everything's twice as bright with money in your hands
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04.04.2021 - 20:21
Rating: 8
AndyMetalFreak
A Nice Guy
Contributor
"Treasure Island" has to be one of the most epic songs I've heard, such incredible riffs and lyrics based on the epic story, it's one hell of a great song! "Lead or gold", and "black wings of death" also great songs too.
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05.06.2024 - 04:36
Rating: 9
Majesty1911
A classic 90s German Power Metal with strong and variety bunch of songs.

Do want to hear melodic Speed Metal?
- "Whirlwind" and the title track - check.

Or some mid-tempo catchy bangers?
- "Black Wings Of Death" and "Sinister Eyes" - check.

11 minute epic story?
- "Treasure Island" - check.

Essential work for all fans of the genre!
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Glory to the Nation!
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