Pile of Skulls is the seventh studio albumbyRunning Wild, released in 1992. It is their last album with guitarist Axel Morgan.
| Pile of Skulls | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio albumby | ||||
| Released | 21 October 1992 | |||
| Recorded | June – August 1992 | |||
| Studio | Studio M, Hannover, Germany | |||
| Genre | Heavy metal, power metal | |||
| Length | 50:35 | |||
| Label | Electrola | |||
| Producer | Rolf Kasparek, Karl-Ulrich Walterbach | |||
| Running Wild chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Pile of Skulls | ||||
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The song "Jennings' Revenge" tells about the exploits of pirate Henry Jennings.
The lyrics of "Treasure Island" are based on the book of the same title by 19th century author Robert Louis Stevenson.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 7/10[2] |
| Rock Hard | 9.0/10[3] |
Pile of Skulls was met with mostly positive reviews from critics. Steve Huey of All Music Guide called it one of Running Wild's strongest efforts. While calling it too ambitious, he thought Pile of Skulls combined the group's trademark pirate subject matter with a unifying concept about corruption and abuse of power throughout history.[1]
In a 2013 interview, Rolf Kasparek spoke about the song "Bloody Island" from the 2013 album Resilient and explained that the demo version of the song would've been a great fit on the album.
Music and lyrics written by Rolf Kasparek, except "Pile of Skulls" by Kasparek and Axel Morgan and "Win or Be Drowned" by Kasparek and Piotr Smuszynski.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Whirlwind" | 4:52 |
| 2. | "Sinister Eyes" | 5:06 |
| 3. | "Black Wings of Death" | 5:17 |
| 4. | "Fistful of Dynamite" | 4:06 |
| 5. | "Roaring Thunder" | 5:56 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Pile of Skulls" | 4:39 |
| 7. | "Lead or Gold" | 5:06 |
| 8. | "Jennings' Revenge" | 4:17 |
| 9. | "Treasure Island" | 11:14 |
| Total length: | 50:35 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Chamber of Lies" (Intro) | 2:21 |
| 2. | "Whirlwind" | 4:52 |
| 3. | "Sinister Eyes" | 5:06 |
| 4. | "Black Wings of Death" | 5:17 |
| 5. | "Fistful of Dynamite" | 4:06 |
| 6. | "Roaring Thunder" | 5:56 |
| 7. | "Pile of Skulls" | 4:39 |
| 8. | "Lead or Gold" | 5:06 |
| 9. | "White Buffalo" | 5:17 |
| 10. | "Jennings' Revenge" | 4:17 |
| 11. | "Treasure Island" | 11:14 |
| Total length: | 58:13 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Beggar's Night '92" | 5:00 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Hanged, Drawn and Quartered" | 4:38 |
| 14. | "Win or Be Drowned" | 4:17 |
| 15. | "Uaschitschun '92" | 4:53 |
| Total length: | 67:02 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Beggars' Night" (1992 Alternate version) | 5:01 |
| 2. | "Hanged, Drawn and Quartered" (From the Lead or GoldEP) | 4:38 |
| 3. | "Win or Be Drowned" (From the Lead or GoldEP) | 4:17 |
| 4. | "Uaschitschum '92" (1992 Updated version) | 4:53 |
| 5. | "Whirlwind" (2003 Re-recorded version) | 4:54 |
| 6. | "Treasure Island" (2003 Re-recorded version) | 11:16 |
| Chart (1992) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[4] | 54 |