Manowar

Warriors Of The World

This album absolutely rules!!

Review Score:

(10/10)
Manowar is, without a doubt, one of the best metal bands to grace the planet. In their most recent effort, they maintain the brutal crushing metal force that made them popular and throw in some new elements as well. I never thought I'd say this, but the best track on this "metal" album is an opera song!! The opera classic "Nessun Dorma" is performed by Eric Adams, and [wow], does it rule. I personally do not care for opera, but I was familliar with this song before I'd heard the Manowar version. The song is incredible, the vocals are absolutely amazing. As I listened to it for the first time, in my mind, I was thinking: "Please let this erupt with metal guitars." Sure enough, at the end of the song, the metal axe appears to climax the song. To top off an otherwise serious, operatic performance, Adams unleashes [a horrendous] scream at the end of the song in true Manowar fashion. Other great songs include Call to Arms (...), Warriors of the World (feel-good metal crowd pleaser) and Swords in the Winds (majestic classic Manowar). The last three songs are heavy as ... with incredible double bass drumming and viscious vocals. Hand of Doom is probably the best of the three, but all are good. I love the vocals on "House of Death." Between the sound of the song, the speed, and the subject matter, this is the most "metal" song I've heard in some time. The end of "House" has a electronic vocal segment that is downfright frightening. Unfortunately, this album will catch a lot of flak because of two songs "Fight for Freedom" and "An American Trilogy." Regarding "Fight," I find no problem with the patriotic subject matter, though some foreign fans may not like it. Regarding the American Trilogy, it will be labeled as "cheesy." Well, maybe it is cheesy, but after 20+ years, can't the guys have a little fun? The best part about it is the fact that the song is very well done. The harmonies are great, as is the actual music. Let the band have some fun, let them show their patriotism. The album has incredible sound quality, the musicianship is top-notch, and the use of keyboards is perfect. It is a truly great album that you can listen to all the way through. The drumming is massive, as are the guitar and bass parts. There are some great guitar moments here: the solo in "Hand of Doom" right before the middle section comes to mind when Karl hits a really high note amid a bottom heavy section of the song. My favorite guitar part on the whole album, however, is the solo after the bridge in House of Death. The bridge is a slow, acoustic type thing, and then it just explodes! I hope that Manowar will be around for many more years, becuase metal albums this good are becoming rare in the modern metal scene. ...

More Reviews: