Gates to Purgatory
| Gates to Purgatory | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 1984 | |||
| Recorded | June 1984 | |||
| Studio | Caet Studio, Berlin[1] | |||
| Genre | Speed metal, heavy metal | |||
| Length | 33:41 | |||
| Label | Noise (Germany) Combat (US) | |||
| Producer | Running Wild, Horst Müller | |||
| Running Wild chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 4/10[2] |
| metal.de | 8/10[3] |
| Rock Hard | 9/10[4] |
Gates to Purgatory is the debut studio album by German heavy metal band Running Wild, released in 1984. Predating their pirate themes, the album features mostly satanically-influenced lyrics, alongside songs with anarchic and libertarian (in the sense of European libertarianism) themes. The lyrical content was partly influenced by Gerald "Preacher" Warnecke's studies in theology. He left the band shortly after the album's release to become a vicar.
Despite not being actively promoted, the album achieved sales success, selling over 20,000 copies within the first three months, and influenced several other bands worldwide.[3]
It was reissued in 2012 by Lemon Records and in 2017 by Noise Records.
Track listing
[edit]All tracks are written by Rolf Kasparek except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Victim of States Power" | Warnecke | 3:39 |
| 2. | "Black Demon" | 4:29 | |
| 3. | "Preacher" | Kasparek, Warnecke | 4:26 |
| 4. | "Soldiers of Hell" | 3:30 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5. | "Diabolic Force" | Kasparek, Warnecke | 5:04 |
| 6. | "Adrian S.O.S." | 2:54 | |
| 7. | "Genghis Khan" | 4:13 | |
| 8. | "Prisoner of Our Time" | Warnecke | 5:26 |
| Total length: | 33:41 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Walpurgis Night" | Warnecke | 4:41 |
| 2. | "Satan" | 4:08 | |
| Total length: | 42:30 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Chains & Leather" (from the 1983 Rock From Hell – German Metal Attack compilation) | 5:10 |
| 2. | "Adrian" (from the 1983 Rock From Hell – German Metal Attack compilation) | 2:44 |
| 3. | "Walpurgis Night" (from The First Years of Piracy) | 5:19 |
| 4. | "Satan" (from the 1984 Victim of States Power EP) | 4:08 |
| 5. | "Iron Heads" (from the 1984 Death Metal split album) | 3:38 |
| 6. | "Bones to Ashes" (from the 1984 Death Metal split album) | 5:17 |
| 7. | "Soldiers of Hell" (re-recorded) | 3:22 |
| 8. | "Prisoner of Our Time" (re-recorded) | 4:34 |
| Total length: | 67:53 | |
- The bonus track "Walpurgis Night" cuts off near the end on most releases due to the condition of the master tape.
- The 1991 Japanese release contains the 1985 album Branded and Exiled.
Personnel
[edit]- Rolf Kasparek – guitar, vocals
- Gerald "Preacher" Warnecke – guitar
- Stephan Boriss – bass
- Wolfgang "Hasche" Hagemann – drums
- Production
- Running Wild – producer, artwork
- Horst Müller – producer, recording
- D. Magnussen – photography
Cover versions
[edit]- The sludge metal band Kingdom of Sorrow covered the song "Soldiers of Hell" on their album Behind the Blackest Tears.
References
[edit]- ^ "RUNNING WILD – the official website". running-wild.de. Archived from the original on 27 November 2016. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
- ^ Popoff, Martin (1 November 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 297. ISBN 978-1-894959-31-5.
- ^ a b "Running Wild – Gates To Purgatory Review". metal.de (in German). 16 August 2012. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
- ^ "RUNNING WILD – Gates To Purgatory". Rock Hard (in German). 1 September 1984. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
 | This 1980s metal album–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |