Similar to Iced Earth's 'Days of Purgatory' and Gamma Ray's 'Blast From the Past' (but predating both), this album consists of remade versions of ten songs from Running Wild's early catalog. In fact, the album is misnamed a bit, as six of the ten songs come from the albums before 'Under Jolly Roger,' which marked the beginning of the band's so-called "pirate stage". In any case, this is a mixed bag, with a clear dividing line: all of the songs from 'Gates To Purgatory'and 'Branded and Exiled' improve upon the originals, and all of the songs from 'Under Jolly Roger' are worse. Strange. That particular album just has such a dark, menacing feel, and the slicker production of the remakes sanitize that sound somehow, particularly on the track "Under Jolly Roger," which starts off this album poorly. The vocals are smoother, without the rough edge of the original, and the distortion is not as crunching.
All of "Raw Ride," "Diamonds of the Black Chest," and "Raise Your Fist" have been sped up considerably and sound rushed, and the vocal chorus on the latter is absolutely awful. "Branded and Exiled," "Soliders of Hell," and "Fight the Oppression" are minor improvements, with a crisper updated sound, while "Walpurgis Night" and "Marching to Die" are big improvements - the solo on "Marching to Die" in particular stands out. The biggest improvement is "Prisoner of Our Time," a positively ripping version of a track that's just a bit poky on 'Gates To Purgatory'.
Overall, this is a rare album that's likely to appeal to the novice Running Wild listener far more than the die hard, as the changes in the 'Jolly Roger' songs are just tough to stomach. Because of the track list, and because it's Running Wild, it's still a strong release. .

TRACK LIST:
1. Under Jolly Roger
2. Branded and Exiled
3. Solidiers of Hell
4. Raise Your Fist
5. Walpurgis Night
6. Fight The Oppression
7. Marching to Die
8. Raw Ride
9. Diamonds of the Black Chest
10. Prisoner of Our Time

Review by Dave Sobecki