ROUGES EN VOGUE (2005) BMG/GUN (Limited Edition Digipak)

Draw The Line
Angel Of Mercy
Skeleton Dance
Skull & Bones
Born Bad, Dying Worse
Black Gold
Soul Vampires
Rogues En Vogue
Winged & Feathered
Dead Man's Road
The War
Cannonball Tongue *
Libertalia *
Line-up:

Rock 'n' Rolf - All Vocals, All Guitars, Bass

Peter Pichl - Bass on 2, 4, 6, 9, 13

Matthias Liebetruth - All Drums


After releasing some pretty mediocre albums, Rolf now seems to be back where he belongs! 'Rogues En Vogue' is the man's best album since 'The Rivalry', and maybe also 'Masquerade'. I'm not sure if this is due to the fact that he has not done absolutely everything himself this time, but actually brought in some other musicians in the studio (although it is kept to a minimum). The weird thing is that the drums on this album sound almost more like a drum machine then was the case with the whole Angelo Sasso deal. Still, it's the quality of the songs that matters, and as said, this time Rolf have written songs that are way better than he's delivered for a long time. Stuff like "Skull & Bones", "Born Bad, Dying Worse" and the title track are classic Running Wild. Rolf's guitar tone sounds crisp and buzzes like a wasp. Let's hope this is a trend that will stay, and that Rock 'n' Rolf can get out on the road again. Not much more to say, I guess. If you're already a fan, you will dig this CD. I bought the Limited Edition digi-pack version, with 2 bonus tracks.

Killer tracks: Angel Of Mercy, Skull & Bones, Born Bad, Dying Worse, Black Gold, Soul Vampires, Rogues En Vogue

I sit on a different side of this, thinking this is the worst one since 'The Rivalry'. These two are my least listened to in their catalog. At first, a lot of things seem cool, the production is a bit more even, the guitar sounds really cool, having a new thickness and some kind of almost flanger effect on it, but one thing that weakens the approach altogether is Rolf's vocals...he sounds tired/sick/strained in many of the vocal lines and it takes away from his classic bite he delivers classic melody with. For me, it remains a distraction most of the album. The songwriting itself doesn't seem to fare much better...I think 'Angel of Mercy', 'Libertalia' (bonus digipak track which is a must hear), and the awesome 'where did that come from' guitar solo in 'Skeleton Dance' are all worthy of RW, but not much of the rest....There's moments which gleam - the main riff of the title track, the chorus of 'Skull and Bones'.....but in a nutshell, 'tired' is the best word I can think of to describe the album. Something better should have been their swansong...still, every fan of classic/power metal needs to check back in this thread and look into Running Wild some more. Criminally underrated band that's earned more than their share of respect, now they need to get it.

Put me on the side of loving Rogues En Vogue. Excellent tracks throughout. I normally don't like very long songs (they can get boring) but I love The War. I think the cd is worth buying for that song alone.

I like Rogues en Vogue quite a lot. The production is kinda lacking, and the vocal effects are weird, but songwriting wise it's good ol' Running Wild. Plenty of classic tracks on this disc.

And there you have it ladies and gents, all the Running Wild studio albums. I hope this urged some people to listen to this classic band. Recapping I'd have to say that my favorite LPs are still Death or Glory, Black Hand Inn, Gates to Purgatory, and Branded & Exiled.

Never took a chance with Running Wild but thanks to this thread I will be sure to check them out excellent job.

Glad you enjoyed it. I can't thank sirs Kmorg and OCI enough for helping out with the discography!

Running Wild has always been one of my favorite bands. Never got the chance to see them, and never will due to their/his disbanding. But favorite band enough to have several tats of them (not too band for an American fan I might add). "Under Jolly Roger" was my first R.W. cassette. "Death or Glory" is my favorite. Too bad their last album was my least fave.

I wish these guys would go back into business.

Seems that all the old school bands are releasing stunning records.