Manowar

Warriors Of The World

Some contradictions, but a good album

Review Score:

(8/10)
To me Manowar has always been quite hit or miss, especially on their own albums. For instance, on Kings of Metal, you had two of the more uplifting songs ever--"Heart of Steel" and "Hail and Kill"--side by side with "Pleasure Slave." Hail to England produced the majestic "Blood of My Enemies," the heartfelt "Army of Immortals," and the epic "Bridge of Death," but seemed rather monotonous otherwise.

They keep up this trend with Warriors of the World, though I have to say they hit it a lot better on this one. The traditional songs are not pretentious--they know it's all about killing the unbelievers, the posers (a term I've heard Manowar coined) and spreading the metal word. They may not in themselves be unique by Manowar standards, but they are certainly enjoyable and get your heart pounding. The production is flawless.

Much has been said about the departure from tradition, with the inclusion of "Nessun Dorma" (excellently done and works), "An American Trilogy" (I'm not a fan, but can appreciate it), "The March" (yeah, that was the big failure of the album), and "The Fight for Freedom" About the latter--no, it was NOT a tribute to September 11. Eric Adams has gone on record saying that song was written and recorded before the terrorist attacks. The idea it is a tribute is simply coincidental.

Is the album perfect? No. Is it worthy of Manowar? I certainly think so. It isn't a big departure from their normal style--but why fix what isn't broken? I certainly recommend it.

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