Who says that heavy metal can’t be fun? Manowar would definitely disagree with anyone who said it couldn’t be. I discovered Manowar in 1985 and the weird thing about that discovery was that even though they are an American metal band, their albums were in the “import” section of my record store. Their first album, “Battle Hyms” was also recorded in America, so why would I find it in imports? Maybe my good Canadian metal buddy Mike, who used to work at a record store, can shed some light on this.
Even then, I didn’t buy any Manowar albums, they had three by this time. My reason was down to the fact that I had never heard of them before. That all changed when I saw them live in early 1986. They blew me away that much I made a promise to buy their records. One of my fellow concert goers that night suggested their debut album, “Battle Hyms.” After listening to it, I am in no doubt as to why.
“Battle Hyms” is just a total kick ass album, period. I get the distinct impression that when Manowar recorded the album, they did so with the “we got nothing to lose” attitude and just had a good time making the album. If that is the case, they should have recorded all of their albums with the same attitude. Each track is a true metal anthem, led by the stand out voice of Eric Adams singing along to some very amusing lyrics with some crazy guitar work by Ross the Boss. Joey DeMaio and Donnie Hamzik provide a tight rhythm section as well. The tracks that get make want to raise the horns and scream along to are “Manowar,” “Death Tone” and “Battle Hyms” but “Metal Daze” is even above that as I would be singing that one long after the song, album or concert ended. “Dark Avenger” is different, sort of a metal “Thriller” but done a heck of a lot better. My verdict on “Battle Hyms” is that it’s one of those albums that would bring a dying party back to life.
Track Listing
- Death Tone
- Metal Daze
- Fast Taker
- Shell Shock
- Manowar
- Dark Avenger
- William’s Tale
- Battle Hyms
Manowar
Eric Adams-vocals
Ross the Boss- guitars, keyboards
Joey DeMaio- bass
Donnie Hamzik- drums
I just realised something, I saw Ross the Boss at Bloodstock 2010. He was the third or fourth act on the Friday and while I don’t remember any great details from his set, I do remember thinking he was good. Another issue arising from Manowar and an issue I will address as I visit future albums is that in 1986, Kerrang magazine called them a joke band. While “Battle Hyms” is a fun album, I wouldn’t say that it made them a joke band in any way. To me, it’s just a cool album.
Next post: Van Halen- Diver Down
To buy Rock and Roll Children, go to http://www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html
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