Label: Electrola
Release date: 21. 10. 1992
Production: Rolf Kasparek & Karl-Ulrich Walterbach
Album length: 58.13 min
Genre: Heavy Metal
Rating: 9.5/10
In 1992, the Hamburg pirate metal crew under the command of the unruly Captain Rolf ‘Rock ‘n’ Rolf’ Kasparek was still flattening everything in its path and standing tall among the best of the power metal scene of the day (and not just in Germany). That year they dropped »Pile of Skulls«, which deservedly goes down as one of their best and most ambitious achievements. On it, Rolf’s pirate adventures, often seasoned with real history, hit their peak, and every later attempt to revive that pirate spirit across a whole album, the way it soaks »Pile of Skulls« from start to finish, mostly ended in miserable failure. Rolf’s well-documented contempt for all the corrupt institutions that keep people in check, led by (absolutist) monarchies and the (Roman Catholic) church, which have caused an enormous amount of misery throughout human history, is obvious from the brutally direct cover alone: a pyramid of human skulls piled up in front of huge wooden gates bearing an imperial and a papal symbol.
»Pile of Skulls« was the last album for guitarist Axel Morgan and the second for Stefan Schwarzmann, who was back behind the kit for a (brief) return. Stefan, who later played in such famous metal bands as Accept and Helloween, had last worked with Running Wild on the unforgettable gem »Port Royal« (1988). Jens Becker, who later made his name as the indispensable bassist of Grave Digger, was replaced by Thomas ‘Bodo’ Smuszynski. He came over ‘in a package deal’ with Stefan from U.D.O. and stayed with Running Wild for a full nine years.
Rolf’s pirate themes got even more convincing and direct on »Pile of Skulls« than on the previous albums, because the man actually started seriously studying the history of piracy and other historical topics, which replaced the earlier, far more romantic and fanciful images of maritime bandits. One of the main reasons Rolf fell so hard for pirates is that, while plundering English, French and Spanish galleons, they didn’t give a damn about the rulers of the day and their worldly and religious commandments, and with their renegade way of life (the peak being the founding of the short-lived pirate republic on Nassau) they were, in a way, the freest people of their time. Rolf neatly fused all of that with the traditional metal rebel stance toward corrupt institutions, which radiates from every single song and lyric on »Pile of Skulls«.
The epic instrumental intro »Chamber of Lies« opens like church choir music before quickly switching to a baroque-Celtic motif with rich guitar harmonies. It’s really the lead-in to the excellent power metal anthem »Whirlwind«, where Rolf and the pirate gang are bursting with energy and fighting spirit over a hugely wound-up, almost speed metal rhythm. Everything that made Running Wild great in their prime is here: Rolf’s irritated, rebellious, unmistakable singing, sprawling and powerful guitar passages, and a mighty rhythm section with smart transitions and the traditional emphasis on rattling bass drum pedals. The peak is the epic chorus, during which the listener can easily picture a pirate ship tearing across a stormy sea and beating treacherous whirlpools.
The uncompromising pirate metal wrecking ball »Sinister Eyes«, released as a single, is also marked by an epic-romantic atmosphere with effective guitar harmonies and light baroque touches typical of classic Running Wild. This is where Rolf’s conspiracy theories first came to the surface in the lyrics, with hidden puppeteers and rulers of the world pulling strings from the shadows and from distant galaxies, which would go on to play a big role on their future albums. The baroque seasoning that suited classic Running Wild so well comes through even more on the darker »Black Wings of Death«, with its epic central motif, grim message and superbly executed closing section. »Fistful of Dynamite« is a somewhat cheekier, more direct and playful number with an uplifting chorus that, this time, has nothing to do with Rolf’s favorite historical period between the 17th and 18th centuries, since Alfred Nobel patented dynamite ‘only’ in 1867, when pirates of the Caribbean had long been gone without a trace.
»Roaring Thunder« runs at a slower, somewhat more restrained pace, but there’s still room for an epic chorus that sounds like a pirate toast in the middle of Port Royal over overflowing mugs of beer. A splendid Morgan guitar solo adds some extra complexity. The title track, with its brutally accusing anti-monarchist chorus and a furious Mr. Kasparek, whose message brings to mind the lyrics of Black Sabbath’s evergreen »Heaven and Hell«, is without a doubt among the album’s highlights. And the great songs just keep coming, with the pirate metal anthem »Lead Or Gold« next, the album’s second single, which still belongs in the live set of the Hamburg power metal champions today. Fighting guitar passages over crushing drum transitions reach a thunderous peak in an epic chorus that would make all the ‘redcoats’ or ‘crveni mundiri’ (if you ever read Zagor and Chico comics, you’ll get the reference) soil themselves at the sight of an enraged Captain Rolf.
On »White Buffalo« we briefly leave the pirate era of the Caribbean for the age of conquering the Wild West, which Rolf and the crew also liked to visit now and then. For many Native American tribes, the white buffalo is the most sacred living creature on Earth. Rolf’s post-apocalyptic lyrics tell of an ecological catastrophe that destroyed humanity after the last white buffalo was killed. The excellent »Jennings’ Revenge« has a real historical basis in the British pirate captain Henry Jennings. During his pirate adventures he took down many a ‘merry’ ship and especially gave the Spanish royal navy a thorough fleecing, which you can hear in the slightly mocking chorus. Jennings, who was by no means poor, as he was a wealthy planter before his piracy career began, ended his life in wealth and peaceful retirement, an extremely rare feat for a former pirate captain.
For the grand finale comes the epic, 11-minute masterpiece »Treasure Island«, inspired of course by the literary classic of the same name by Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson, and very likely the best song in the entire Running Wild history. It’s practically the perfect soundtrack for reading the book or watching one of the many films about Treasure Island. The Caribbean adventure with Jim Hawkins, Long John Silver and the ghost of the dreaded pirate captain Flint starts with Hawkins’ memories and his decision never to return to Treasure Island again. Rolf’s cackling and laughing (as Captain Flint) – »pieces of eight, pieces of eigh hahahaha« – gets a laugh out of me every single time. After this colorful and witty intro comes an unforgettable musical adventure that doesn’t let up in atmosphere or intensity from start to finish, with its peak in the unforgettable chorus. Along the way there’s no shortage of colorful instrumental sections with tasty guitar solos and tempo changes that completely shake up and transform the opening structure of this masterpiece. Running Wild never again managed to create an epic of more than ten minutes so convincingly, heartfelt and lived-in, not even with the ambitious super-epic »Genesis (The Making and the Fall of Man)« from the next album »Black Hand Inn« (1994).
»Pile of Skulls« was in many ways the peak of Rolf’s pirate expeditions with his Runnig Wild crew. Thanks to classics like »Whirlwind«, »Sinister Eyes«, »Lead Or Gold«, the title track, »Jennings’ Revenge« and the pinnacle »Treasure Island«, it’s still one of the best albums in the history of the Hamburg power metal champions. It’s also the perfect power metal album for a summer break, though it’s a joy to listen to on other occasions too. Once upon a time it seemed that from the late eighties to the mid-nineties Running Wild simply couldn’t make a weak album, and that they’d be among the brightest stars in the power metal sky for a long time to come. Sadly, after the first half of the nineties, things slowly but surely went downhill creatively. They never again managed to record such a well-rounded pirate metal masterpiece as »Pile of Skulls«, or even something close to the level of their great albums from 1987 to 1997.
Author: Peter “Dr. ProgRock” Podbrežnik
Tracklist:
1. Chamber of Lies (2:21) instrumental
2. Whirlwind (4:52)
3. Sinister Eyes (5:06)
4. Black Wings of Death (5:17)
5. Fistful of Dynamite (4:06)
6. Roaring Thunder (5:56)
7. Pile of Skulls (4:39)
8. Lead or Gold (5:07)
9. White Buffalo (5:17)
10. Jennings’ Revenge (4:18)
11. Treasure Island (11:14)
Lineup:
Rolf Kasparek – vocals, guitar
Axel Morgan – guitar
Thomas Smuszynski – bass guitar
Stefan Schwarzmann – drums
Guest musician:
Ralf Nowy – keyboards on Chamber of Lies, effects on Sinister Eyes
