Gates to Purgatory
1984 studio album by Running Wild
Gates to Purgatory is the debut studio album by German heavy metal band Running Wild, released in 1984. Predating their pirate themes, the album features mostly satanically-influenced lyrics, alongside songs with anarchic and libertarian (in the sense of European libertarianism) themes. The lyrical content was partly influenced by Gerald "Preacher" Warnecke's studies in theology. He left the band shortly after the album's release to become a vicar.
Despite not being actively promoted, the album sold over 20,000 copies within the first three months, and influenced several other bands worldwide.
It was reissued in 2012 by Lemon Records and in 2017 by Noise Records.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Rolf Kasparek except where noted.
The bonus track "Walpurgis Night" cuts off near the end on most releases due to the condition of the master tape.
The 1991 Japanese release contains the 1985 album Branded and Exiled.
Personnel
Rolf Kasparek – guitar, vocals
Gerald "Preacher" Warnecke – guitar
Stephan Boriss – bass
Wolfgang "Hasche" Hagemann – drums
Production
Running Wild – producer, artwork
Horst Müller – producer, recording
D. Magnussen – photography
Cover versions
The sludge metal band Kingdom of Sorrow covered the song "Soldiers of Hell" on their album Behind the Blackest Tears.
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Object files, edition statements, performance records and contemporary criticism preserve different stages of the work’s history. The source revision retrieved here is dated Nov 22, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q1495800. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1984, 2012, 2017 and 1991.
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This entry incorporates text from “Gates to Purgatory” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.