Branded and Exiled

This is a follow-up to my past review of Running Wild's first album "Gates to Purgatory" and now I finally get to progress in my review trip to this band catalog. The first record has always been my favorite one due to its outstanding heaviness in regards to the overall sound and the guitar riffs without forgetting of course how catchy every songs are. However, as seen in the review title, what we have here is basically the second part to this specific album, well at least, this is how I always saw it. Rock 'n' Rolf and his crew were quite productive back in the mid 80s, releasing quite a bunch of material and surely didn't mess around to get a second full-length release on the market only some months after the release of the first one. Indeed, the "Branded and Exiled" album was released in 1985 at the time that speed/thrash metal was becoming one hell of a big thing around the globe. At this point of its career, the band didn't enjoy as much success as they would hoped unfortunately, their sound was dark and heavy, which probably didn't appeal to a big audience. In my book though, this early period of the band was as good, if not better than what they would do later on.

Like its predecessor, "Branded and Exiled" has eight tracks and is kind of short with its 35 minutes of music, but it doesn't really matter as it flows so perfectly that I don't mind at all. While pretty much maintaining the same production value and the heavy as hell sound, the music kind of evolved a bit to include some interesting varieties but a little less speed metal oriented. This album also introduces the guitarist "Majk Moti", replacing "Preacher" who will stay in the band for the rest of 80s era of Running Wild and bring a new melodic approach to the band sound. This release start-off with the album title track "Branded and Exiled" and just by hearing the guitar sound as the first riff kicks-in, you get a pretty good idea about how heavy this record will be. This specific song might sound generic to some people, but I very much enjoy the great drum part and its catchy chorus.

The album pace is quickly shifting to a more straightforward approach with the follow-up track "Gods of Iron", which sounds more like a classic structured speed metal number without any technical riffs being featured. The vocals of "Rock 'n' Rolf" is still really shining out in this album with its harsh tone and the typical high-pitched screams at times during some of the songs. The overall songwriting feels a little bit simpler than what was featured on the first album on some of tracks such as "Realm of Shades" which still has a typical structure but with a decent guitar solo at the end. The thing with this record is that all the material on it is very easy to dig and be hooked on it with all this catchiness, this is what happened in my case, to say the least. However, this aspect doesn't remove anything to the actual music as the heavy vibe and those crushing riffs are exquisite. The best example of what I mean is the amazing "Mordor" track, which is my favorite track on the album. The main riff, the melodies and the drums are just incredibly well put together and displays a more skilled arrangement.

As we can notice, the lyrical theme was a bit altered for this release since the use of Satan in "Gates to Purgatory" was highly pushed forward compared to this one and kind of dropped to somethings a little more conventional. We surely can't go wrong with the intense war theme oriented "Marching to Die" that feature a great dark atmosphere and epic guitar melody, especially in the end part. Despite opting for less fast-paced tempos on this album, the pure speed metal number "Fight the Oppression" is definitely up there among the best early Running Wild songs. The "Branded and Exiled" album close-up with the fun re-recorded version of the 1983 demo song "Chains and Leather". It was a pretty good idea to do an actual good version of this one, nothing really special or unique about it, but its easy to follow lyrics and chorus makes it perfect to play in a drunk party for instance.

In the end, some people may say that this album production work is a step back from what was done on the first album. To me, it sound very similar, but I may admit that it's a little less optimized. Nonetheless, that really was not a big deal as I did and still enjoy this album as much as the first time got into it. Being the last album before the pirate theme appears with "Under Jolly Roger", I definitely recommend it to everyone that likes old school 80s heavy/speed metal with a dark and heavy atmosphere on it.

Favorite tracks:

Branded and Exiled
Fight the Oppression
Marching to Die
Mordor

My first exposure to the Runnings was through the “Ready for Boarding” concert, one of the five greatest live performances to ever grace these ears; mere days later I was already moshing to “Under Jolly Roger” which was readily available around the studios. My quest for the debut and the album reviewed here took some time, though, as those two were rare items during the late-80’s in Bulgaria regardless of the fact that the world’s most beloved pirates were very popular here at that time.

Eventually I tracked them down, both on a brand new, chrome dioxide as well, TDK cassette, the guy asking me several times to take care of it very diligently. Well, I simply recorded the albums on another tape, without even listening to them beforehand, so I didn’t have to take care of it for more than two days. The debut was on side A and it hooked me instantly with its naïve enthusiasm and charmingly combustible energy, the guys quite adept at creating memorable catchy, not pirate-themed at the time yet, power/speed metal anthems. Then came the turn of the opus here, and I continued jumping around excited on it although I by no means found it a superior offering to its patchy, but highly inspired predecessor.

However, the more I listened to it, the less fascinated with it I became. As my appreciation for the debut was growing exponentially, I couldn’t see too many reasons to view this effort here a distinguished follow-up, like quite a few metalheads I knew swore it was. Well, it isn’t, if we have to be perfectly objective, its polished, more proficiently produced lustre its only advantage, and not only because there is a monumental composition, arriving mid-way, that towers very high above the rest of the songs. The title of this juggernaut is “Mordor”, a galloping roller-coaster, the band’s finest achievement, a perennial battle hymn that would easily be a highlight on much much better albums.

Ironically, with the better production opportunities backing them up the guys have lost some of their compositional skills as the remaining material comes as one not very impressive whole, the first half of which still holding onto some more energetic exploits reflected in the boisterous title-track and the rowdy power/speed metal cut “Gods of Iron”. “Realm of Shades” could pass for a decent bouncy mid-pacer, but the arrival of the mentioned “Mordor” renders all those numbers to a bit more than humble assistants, its intimidating shadow partially felt on “Fight the Oppression” which speed metal-ish flair could have shone brighter if it wasn’t for the much slower, doom-laden “Evil Spirit” that supersedes it. The latter is not the isolated showdown… sorry, slowdown, mind you, as the band throw the sugar-coated sing-alonger “Chains and Leather” at the end for dessert which wouldn’t have worked as an MTV hit even if it was twice as short. Now these nearly 6-min of memorable but ultimately friendly, poppy tunes can only annoy the listener provided that they will involuntarily occupy a certain portion of his/her memory for days on end due to their frivolous catchiness.

It’s a professionally executed album, but the lack of spontaneity that was all over the debut is nowhere to be felt, unfortunately. This is a carefully measured, meticulously assembled slab of metal that works fine on first listen, but every subsequent exposure to it would reveal bigger and bigger lapses, especially when compared to the two albums before and after it. It’s by no means a throw-away as all the tracks work to some extent, even the mentioned “Chains…” with its infectious glaze; it’s just that once the formidable gallops of “Mordor” fade away, the fan wouldn’t care much about what follows suit as he/she would want to saddle the horses again and again… and again. The thing is that one horse, regardless of how wayward it seemed/sounded, wasn’t enough to oppose to the studs of goodness exuded from other works from the German scene released the same year like Living Death’s “Metal Revolution”, Helloween’s “Walls of Jericho”, Iron Angel’s “Hellish Crossfire”, and Warrant’s “The Enforcer”.

The acquired pirate image a few years later fitted the guys’ musical delivery like a glove, and literally worked like a charm to catapult them to the forefront of the movement in their homeland, and even worldwide. The band experienced way more than just the proverbial 15-min of fame with a string of fairly strong showings all the way to the early-00’s, and although they, or rather he (Rock 'n' Rolf, the only member remained from the original line-up) seem to have lost the plot recently, with some of the last few efforts way inferior to the one here, one should always exercise caution with these Port Royal conquerors and Jolly Roger flag raisers around.

So if you're an idiot like me, you might decide to get this album right after you buy the masterpiece known as Blazon Stone, and not after the album that actually came before it, Gates of Purgatory. Big dumb mistake on my part. The thing I miss the most are Rolf's minted Blaze Bayley-esque tenor vocals. Here we have the deep rumbly vocal style continued from the debut, with a few of those Diabolic Force ethereal screams peppered in for spiciness. No real inclination of forthcoming piracy on the other hand. Still very much odes to hell, metal and Satan (hey all you black metal purists who consider Mercyful Fate black metal, how come you don't consider these first two Running Wild albums black metal? Come on, even Satan wears leather!)

Out of order shenanigans aside, the truth is this album is very good, but it's just not as strong as Gates of Purgatory. Not to mention I'm pretty sure two songs on here sound like recycled Diabolic Force . It almost feels like the band took the Iron Maiden approach and used most of the best songs up for the GoP and this album got saddled with most of the leftovers and a little bit of uninspired filler.

The most memorable song on here by a country mile is Chains & Leather. You'd imagine this along with Prisoners Of Our Time would make an especially deadly one-two punch show-stopping encore in stadiums across the world. Your counter argument may be "come on Ed, the lyrics are dumb", my response to that statement is "give her inches and feed her well." Mordor is a nice swinging metal number reminiscent of Long Live Rock & Roll mixed with that alternate picking riffing style of Duellists and Rime of the Ancient Mariner (the part that starts with 'There comes the Mariner"). Branded & Exiled is a decent opener and sets the tone for the metal madness to follow.

If you loved Gates To Purgatory, you'll like this. 80s German speed metal can either be really fucking great, or just ok. This is the latter. There's also no real evidence regarding whether this came out before or after Walls of Jericho. If it came out afterwards, it's no wonder Rolf made a scrambled dash to the high seas.

Older people among us recall the days when Running Wild was a normal band with four members (including a human drummer) that was focussed on metal. At first it sounds absurd but believe me it is true. During that period they released their first two albums. Only then the guy with the embarrassing pseudonym Rock ´n Rolf decided to change disciplines and to start some kind of Punch and Judy.

“Branded and exiled” presents eight tracks of traditional metal pepped up with elements of the emerging speed metal movement of the mid-eighties. The album starts really good with the mid-paced title track that can be described as a typical metal number of above-average quality. It is based on a conventional songwriting formula (verse, bridge, chorus) and sets the direction for the following tunes. The title track goes smoothly over into “Gods of Iron”, a tougher piece that marches straight ahead at a high pace while featuring a memorable chorus. This double hit could have been the adequate opening for a great output. But only the fierce “Fight the Oppression” follows a similar pattern. Equipped with the most aggressive riff, this up-tempo-number is - together with the two pieces mentioned before - among the highlights of this album. The relatively monotonous vocals are loosened up by some high-pitched shrieks and the song develops a strong dynamic. But no matter how good these pieces might be, the album makes you feel that the actors just wanted to have a new release as quickly as possible shortly after their very well accepted first full-length, probably because of commercial considerations. This might be nothing unusual but it is nevertheless an annoyance.

In consequence, all that glitters is not gold. “Chains and Leather” is nothing more than a weak follow-up to “Prisoners of Our Time”, a lame repetitive mid-tempo number to sing along, disfigured with pitiful lyrics that even the most stupid guy can remember. Whatever Running Wild motivated to do this shall remain a mistery. Two further tunes are just ordinary. They are not below-average but don´t leave an impression on the listener. Perhaps it was a fact that Precher Gerald, who had written four songs for the debut, had left the band. On that score, Rock´n Rolf seemed to be overcharged while composing seven of the eight tracks. Aggravating this situation, all instruments sound dull. If I am not mistaken, the band itself was dissatisfied with the production of the record. In view of these suboptimal circumstances, the mid-paced "Marching to Die" was the best of the rest. Due to its superficial lyrics that handle with World War II, the song emanates a somber atmosphere. The dark melody line compensates for rhymes like “Marching to die / on their lips the battle cry / they don´t ask the reasons why”. To be honest, I do not know how to handle appropriately a complex matter like World War II in a few lines.

Generally speaking, “Branded and Exiled” features a couple of decent songs. It is solid but without any possibility to be mentioned in a list of metal classics. The unspectacular work of art has taken on patina over the years. The best thing about it is that Running Wild had not started their piracy rubbish so far.

A last remark concerns the lethargic “Evil spirit”. I like to remember a review in a German metal mag which stated that this might be the most boring song ever. A very severe judgement, but it may well be true from an objective standpoint. However, I like the song in a certain way.

Branded and Exiled was my introduction to Running Wild, having purchased it in an old hole-in-the-wall record store in my hometown long ago. This was on vinyl; I had the full sleeve notes and everything to read as I listened, a young teen marveling at this new phenomenon called heavy metal -- delighting in the shocked and horrified expressions on my parents' faces and living for the power onslaught coming from my speakers. I wanted it all, every last bit. Here was some unheard-of group from Germany -- the reference to Judas Priest in their title did not escape me -- and I wanted to hear what they could do. A few bucks later, I was checking out what was, in the final analysis, to be an album that launched a legendary band in its own right.

For those who hooked on to Rolf during Under Jolly Roger, I urge you to dig this one up. It's a formative album, but Running Wild cut their teeth in bombastic fashion. In fact, I like Branded and Exiled slightly more than Under Jolly Roger because Rolf & crew did early Priest-inspired metal exceptionaly well, and Under Jolly Roger really only hints at the future greatness they would attain in the sub-sub-genre of Pirate Metal.

Branded and Exiled is actually two different concepts. The first is total Priest worship. You'll hear plenty of derivative Tipton and Downing-inspired riffs, done to perfection, and sounding exactly like the period from which they come. The second is reaching for more -- Rolf and the group basically exploring what they would eventually become on successive albums. Mordor is probably the best example of the latter -- mid-paced mechanical single-note comping, really in the same exact key as later efforts such as Black Wings of Death and Evilution. In the former category, Chains and Leather sounds very much like Judas Priest anthems of the day, and Gods of Iron seems to draw on the Exciter-trademarked sound of Priest from such titanic efforts as Stained Class and Hell Bent for Leather. Rolf knew where he came from, but definitely had something new to say. And this ultimately became the calling card for Running Wild. On Branded and Exiled, we see Rolf latching on to his roots, but reaching out to new horizons. It's fascinating to look back on this work because you can clearly see what is to come, in retrospect.

The production on Branded and Exiled is certainly dated. Particularly weak is the echo effect put on Rolf's vocals -- which is no doubt an attempt to bolster his sound. Rolf's vocals are ultimately a strength because nobody sounds like him. But back in the middle 1980's, it might have been seen as an issue that he couldn't scream like Geoff Tate or his fellow countryman, Klaus Meine. Pesonally I love Rolf's vocals, all the more because I can pick him out anytime, instantly.

Still, everything is placed very well in the mix. The guitar tone is appropriately heavy and slammed in your face. Double-bass drumming on songs like Mordor is effective. The lows are right there, moving your gut. The highs clash with each cymbal crash. It's a comptent, although basic, production. I'll take it.

My two favorite tracks actually reside on the latter part of the album. Mordor is fantastic. I learned every note of this tune on guitar. It's a great example of keeping time to a mid-paced beat -- staccato picking, but not as fast as you can go. If you play, you may want to check it out. You can learn a bit of control by playing along with it. And Evil Spirit, with it's simplistic but unforgettable chorus, and interesting story, is a favorite. Chains and Leather is always a good listen, and Marching to Die gets my pulse up every time I hear it.

Overall this is very good for an early effort from a band. It may have been forgotten because what was to come from Running Wild was much different. Nevertheless, I wholeheartedly recommend Branded and Exiled. It's certainly dated at this point, but I love to take trips down memory lane. There's a great and varied history to be had in heavy metal. This style of music came from a lot of young, dedicated, great musicians who really loved what they were doing. More than anything else, that's what is on display here.

I expected more from Under Jolly Roger when I first heard it, but Branded And Exiled I lauded as it flew beyond my expectations. I expected a neat little album with some defining moments like the debut, but what I received instead was a kick in the ass from each instrument and Rolf yelling at me. God damnit, this sophomore really tops the first one, and I must say that I prefer it to Under Jolly Roger. They still didn’t abandon the raw, blasphemous, blackish-metallish tone of the first album, but they’ve sure matured. You can hear it in the riffs and the lyrics alone, and production wise they’ve balanced everything out a little more, which is something I wished they did with the previous album. Now the tone is a little more like dirty, edgy heavy / speed metal with even more momentous sections, riffs, solos, and Rolf topping it all with his wicked snarls.

Rolf himself is at his very best thus far; not expecting much with only two albums under their belt (at the time), but it’s still a step-up from the debut anyway you look at it. He doesn’t sound as distant as before, but it’s a trademark move he’d keep until at least Death Or Glory. His vocal style itself is still generally the same grainy, angry singing that doesn’t go operatic on us, but you can tell he’s giving it his full-attention. Some moments again he’ll scream at the top of his lungs – Halford-style, as I’ve compared before. Bass is also a much bigger step up; balanced production in the ‘80s means that the bass is playing right alongside the riffs in escorting the tempo. Very bludgeoning and seeping in the one layer of music we’d love to have properly heard on the last album.

The drums are extremely consistent next to the charging riffs, and once again I’d like to remind you that they aren’t overtly loud and obnoxious like on the last album. They had a charm there, but that charm makes its way on here without any of the annoyances plaguing that album. You still get that fantastic ‘80s echo with mortar like cymbals crashing and galloping double bass. They’re more constrained this time, too, compared to the last album where they were at the forefront trying to steal the show.

Running Wild to me since I first heard them were always supposed to carry over the more historically epic side of heavy metal. Maiden for sure got their shit together, but I wanted something with less opera appeal and Blind Guardian are more on the power side. Running Wild are smack dab in the middle, with particular evil motives given to the guitars, a move which makes this one a hellish force tackling the albums around it. Not only do the riffs justify the songs behind them in a pissed-off, thrashy / catchy way, but they’re much more larger-than-life and show a band heading toward even higher heights. Only a couple songs don’t prove this point to a full extent (“Realm Of Shades” and “Fight The Oppression”), but with the solos tacked on I’d say every song is magical.

The latter half of the album is more epic and catchy than the first half, but the one that peaks above all else is “Mordor” (what a coincidence). Tolkien’s works are always good influences to base a song off of when it comes to metal, but with Running Wild behind the instruments it’s a whole different level of greatness. While each song has a distinctive riff slaying their respective foes with a clean, crispier tone, “Mordor” is the one that starts and ends differently (not counting “Chains And Leather”’s intro, in case you want to be nit-picky). The drum intro followed by a dashing riff under Rolf’s war chants is one thing, but when it goes into the running cadence of a chorus, it turns into something I’d love to have heard in the Peter Jackson film-adaptations (yes, with the riff included). If anything, they should have included the outro to the song, which is the defining moment of Branded And Exiled - a glorious +1 minute long heralding solo combination backed by a stampeding, catchy-as-hell riff met near the end by magnificent lead shrills.

No other song meets those requirements, although the respective solo sections of some like “Gods Of Iron” and “Marching To Die” back what they have to offer. The crunchy guitar tone properly balanced by hammering bass and flamingly fun drumming goes a long way, and Rolf on top of it makes Branded And Exiled quite the treat. Don’t forget this one when you fall love with the later classics soon to follow, though I guess it’s easy to do so since those ones kick this one’s ass (unfair, but true).

In 1985, Running Wild released their sophomore LP and the follow-up to the speed metal-classic Gates to Purgatory, Branded and Exiled. Only one member change had taken place between the releases, namely lead guitarist Preacher (what the fuck was he thinking when he came up with that nickname anyway?) leaving the band and getting replaced by Majk Moti. Majk is probably the most appreciated of all of RW’s lead guitarists over the years, and he really is very good at what he does (although I prefer mid-to late 90’s shredder Thilo Hermann). In fact, the whole band’s instrumentation has been notably improved. The solos, riffing and drumming aren’t so messy anymore. Also, the lyrics are moving away from Satan to less silly themes, like war (Marching to Die, Fight the Oppression), unation (Branded and Exiled) and RW’s only Tolkien-inspired song (Mordor). Some lyrics still deal with the occult, though, like Realm of Shades and Gods of Iron.

Musically, not much had changed since the debut. This album, like its predecessor, is a mix of speedy and slow tracks, with really simplistic riffing and structures. The speedier tracks include Gods of Iron, Fight the Oppression, Marching to Die (and maybe Realm of Shades). They’re all similiar in feel, with similiar riffs and fun shout-along choruses. Realm of Shades’ riff is an unspectacular one, reminding me of Black Demon from the previous LP. In fact, the whole song is like Black Demon’85. The lyrics aren’t as silly however, Rolf sounds extremely cool on it and there is something cool over the whole song. Yeah, cool, I can’t describe it with another word. Rolf, now that I mentioned him, sounds like on Gates, perhaps a little less forced and more sophisticated. He puts on a good performance throughout the whole album, except for the closer Chains & Leather (more about that one later).

I also have one thing to point out, to explain why I’ve given this album a slightly lower score than GtP. This album sounds a lot duller, and although the guitars are heavier and all that, I’m missing the razor-sharp sound of GtP. But I believe the production is to blame for this. Also, all the songs on here don’t peak as high as the ones on the debut. Just wanted to point this out, and I didn’t know how to just put it in nicely with the rest of the review. Back to the material.

If there are any songs that can count as classics on this album, then they are the title track and Mordor. The title track is a very simple song with a chorus that is very catchy and easily memorable, and a nice solo too. Mordor stands on its own as the only true KILLER on this album. The drum intro may be as lame as drum intros ever get, but the rest of the song is totally wicked, from the entirely palm-muted riff (a taster of what was to come later in RW’s career) to the awesome bridge and the chorus. And the outro is just epic.
Evil Spirit, the only song bassist Stephan Boriss ever got to write with RW (I think) is generally seen as the album’s worst song, but I like it. I mean, listen to the riff, it’s fucking groovay! You can tell a bassist wrote the song. But yeah, the chorus really isn’t very good. But at least it’s forgettable.

Chains & Leather was probably intended as a crowd-pleaser, but it’s really quite painful to listen to on this album. I mean, what the fuck Rolf, did you really have to sing it like that? Really, it’s just quite badly performed, which makes it the worst song on here. But, on the remastered edition of Death or Glory, there is a re-recorded version which I recommend you to check out. It may be even more cheesy, but it’s still quite great. The lyrics are still dreadfully bad, though.

Well, that’s it. Get this album if you are a fan of RW or old German metal in general, ‘cause then you will find it enjoyable, but don’t get it if you are new to RW. It’s far from their best.