Although their earlier releases contained Satanic themes and imagery, from the third album on, the band's primary subject matter centered around pirates, sailing and other historical events. In 1987, the band released the album Under Jolly Roger, which was a switch to pirate-based and historical themes, creating and influencing the later named pirate metal subgenre of heavy metal in the 2000s in the process. While the historical lyrics were very superficial at first, the lyrics for later albums were intensively researched, by frontman Rolf Kasparek in particular.
After this album, from 1988 to 1992 (for the albums Port Royal, Death or Glory, Blazon Stone and Pile of Skulls), Running Wild mainly wrote historically based lyrics. In addition to lyrics about pirates, the band also addressed subjects like the Wars of the Roses, the Battle of Waterloo, or the colonization of the New World by the Conquistadors.
In April 2009, Kasparek announced that Running Wild had split up. Their intended last show was at Wacken Open Air in July that year. It was recorded for CD and DVD release and appeared as The Final Jolly Roger in 2011. The split would prove temporary as they reunited in 2012. Running Wild played live for the Wacken Open Air festival in 2015. As of 2021, the band have released 17 studio albums, with their most recent being Blood on Blood.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Running_Wild_(band)
Studio albums
Gates to Purgatory (1984)
Branded and Exiled (1985)
Under Jolly Roger (1987)
Port Royal (1988)
Death or Glory (1989)
Blazon Stone (1991)
Pile of Skulls (1992)
Black Hand Inn (1994)
Masquerade (1995)
The Rivalry (1998)
Victory (2000)
The Brotherhood (2002)
Rogues en Vogue (2005)
Shadowmaker (2012)
Resilient (2013)
Rapid Foray (2016)
Blood on Blood (2021)
Live albums
Ready for Boarding (1988)
Death or Glory Tour – Live (1989)
Live (2002)
The Final Jolly Roger (2011)
Compilation albums
The First Years of Piracy (1991)
The Story of Jolly Roger (1998)
The Legendary Tales (2002)
20 Years in History (2003)
Best of Adrian (2006)
Black Demons on Stage (2010)
Greatest Hits (2011)
Riding the Storm: Very Best of the Noise Years 1983-1995 (2016)
Singles and EPs
"Victim of States Power" (1984)
"Bad to the Bone" (1989)
"Wild Animal" (1990)
"Little Big Horn" (1991)
"Lead or Gold" (1992)
"The Privateer" (1994)
"The Rivalry" (1998)
"Revolution" (2000)
"Crossing the Blades" (2019)
Land of Ice
Running Wild Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To conquer our future, to face things never seen
Curious of new weapons with more power to destroy
Ready for the wars with their exciting dangerous toy
Flickering lights in the dark indicating ignition
Energy runs through the circuits to start the transmission
In 1999 they find their destination
But reality on the screens destroys their fascination
Ruins and debris neither life nor the spore
A desert of ice with all the signs of nuclear war
Only the wind is breaking the threatening silence
Sensors show no human beings are living here now
But there are shadows moving around the vessel more and more
Disfigured creatures gathering, scratching claws on the door
The choir of the damned built of thousands of rough throats
"You are the humans of the past, who blasted our hopes"
May you come to see desolate world you created
Now you can take back a message to spread in your time
Tell 'em what happens if they will continue this madness
Stop building bombs which are able to change the world
Into the land of ice
The lyrics of Running Wild's song "Land of Ice" speak about the dangers posed by technology and the capability of humans to destroy the world they live in through their actions. The first verse is reminiscent of the arms race during the Cold War, with the development of a new machine that was more powerful than ever before, signaling the eagerness of countries to have an advantage in war. The excitement of using a new weapon is conveyed through the words "exciting dangerous toy." The imagery of "flickering lights in the dark indicating ignition" and "energy runs through the circuits to start the transmission" is evocative of the start of a dangerous journey.
The second verse paints a picture of a desolate world in the future, with "ruins and debris" and a "desert of ice" with the "signs of nuclear war." The line "only the wind is breaking the threatening silence" highlights the absence of all life and activity in the world. However, the presence of "disfigured creatures gathering, scratching claws on the door" suggests that there is still some life left, but it has been severely affected by the actions of humans. The line "you are the humans of the past, who blasted our hopes" is a chilling reminder that the consequences of present actions will be faced by future generations.
Overall, the song conveys a message of caution and awareness about the detrimental impact of human actions on the environment and the world they live in. The lyrics serve as a warning against the mindless use of technology and the development of weapons that have the capacity to cause destruction on a global level.
Line by Line Meaning
In 1987 they build a new machine
A powerful new weapon was constructed in 1987.
To conquer our future, to face things never seen
This weapon was designed to help humans win wars in the future.
Curious of new weapons with more power to destroy
People wanted to create more destructive weapons out of curiosity.
Ready for the wars with their exciting dangerous toy
People were eager to use this new weapon in battle.
Flickering lights in the dark indicating ignition
The weapon's ignition was signified by flashing lights.
Energy runs through the circuits to start the transmission
The weapon's circuits became active and started transmitting energy.
Land of ice
The location in question is a frozen wasteland.
In 1999 they find their destination
In 1999, the people operating the weapon found their target location.
But reality on the screens destroys their fascination
When they looked closer at the location, they were disappointed to find it was not what they expected.
Ruins and debris neither life nor the spore
The location was empty and destroyed, with no signs of life.
A desert of ice with all the signs of nuclear war
The frozen wasteland was barren and displayed evidence of past nuclear warfare.
Only the wind is breaking the threatening silence
The only sound was that of the wind, which added to the ominous atmosphere.
Sensors show no human beings are living here now
Sensors indicated that no one was present in the location currently.
But there are shadows moving around the vessel more and more
However, the people operating the weapon began to see shadows moving around their equipment.
Disfigured creatures gathering, scratching claws on the door
These shadows turned out to be disfigured creatures who were scratching at the door of the vessel.
The choir of the damned built of thousands of rough throats
These creatures let out a horrific choir, which was made up of thousands of rough and painful voices.
"You are the humans of the past, who blasted our hopes"
The creatures blamed the people operating the weapon for ruining their hopes of a better future.
May you come to see desolate world you created
The creatures wanted the humans to see the barren wasteland they had created with their weapons.
Now you can take back a message to spread in your time
The creatures hoped that the humans would spread the message of the dangers of nuclear warfare to future generations.
Tell 'em what happens if they will continue this madness
The creatures wanted the humans to warn future generations about the disastrous consequences of continuing to create destructive weapons.
Stop building bombs which are able to change the world
The creatures urged the humans to stop creating weapons that could have catastrophic effects on the world.
Into the land of ice
The creatures warned of the possible outcome of continued weapon development, which would be a frozen, desolate wasteland.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: MICHAEL KUPPER, ROLF KASPAREK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind