Initially, the only thing I knew about Manowar was their regular appearances on Worst Album Cover lists (and I'm sure this one has made it somewhere), before getting into their actual music. And I admit to being initially disappointed with their work of the early eighties. Some good stuff, but not a lot that grabbed me.
They had a few years break, and came back with this release, and I like it. I love gang choruses, so the likes of "Fighting The World" and the rousing "Carry On" are winners, and then the record loses its way around the middle, with the rather silly "Violence And Bloodshed" and the narration-heavy (by Orson Welles) "Defender", before picking up again with "Holy War" and the concluding "Black Wind, Fire And Steel".
There seems to be some debate as to whether Manowar are really power metal (of course, they are true metal, as they love to remind us), but come on... songs of battles, standing on the cover with bare chests and lightning in the background (they're just missing swords). Yes, they need to be faster, but who knows? That might be still to come. :)
***1/2
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