«Death or Glory» is Running Wild’s fifth album and it was released on 8 November 1989 by Noise Records in cooperation with EMI. The recordings took place in July and August 1989 at Studio M in Hanover, with Rolf Kasparek and Karl-Ulrich Walterbach producing. The line-up was Rolf Kasparek on vocals and guitar, Majk Moti on guitar, Jens Becker on bass and Iain Finlay on drums.
“`Country: Germany
Style: Heavy Metal
For fans of: Manowar, Helloween, Grave Digger
The album carries on with the pirate theme that had started with «Under Jolly Roger» and makes it more mature. The music is fast, with strong riffs, big choruses and lyrics about pirates, seas and freedom — the same German heavy metal school that Helloween – Keeper of the Seven Keys Part II was taking to its logical extreme at the time.
«Bad to the Bone» came out as a single on 8 November 1989 and was played on MTV’s Headbangers Ball, while «Riding the Storm» became one of the audience’s favourites. «Marooned», «Tortuga Bay» and the title track «Death or Glory» also stand out.
It is the band’s last album with guitarist Majk Moti and drummer Iain Finlay. The track «March On» did not fit on the vinyl edition because of space, while the CD version also includes the 1991 EP «Wild Animal».
The record established Running Wild as the best-known pirate metal band and brought them to a wider audience. Rolf Kasparek wrote almost all of the music and the lyrics, keeping the band steady in its style.
«Death or Glory» remains one of the fans’ favourite albums and it brought the band to larger audiences in Europe, turning it into a permanent name on the German metal scene of the 80s.
See also
See also: Sabaton – The War to End All Wars and Accept: The story of the German heavy metal band.
