On their anthemic mission statement "Kings of Metal" Manowar once again proclaim their metal superiority thusly: "Other bands play, Manowar kills." The twin sentiments of the group's metal mastery and the majesty of medieval heroism in battle are repeated on their sixth full-length release, Kings of Metal. There aren't too many surprises on the disc, with the possible exception of bassist Joey DeMaio's blinding 64th-note bass playing on a reworking of Russian classicist {$Rimsky-Korsak...   [ read more ]

CD $9.48

For four albums, Manowar blazed a self-appointed crusade for "True Metal," devoid of image or any commercial leanings, only to sign with a major label and sell out immediately. Practice what you preach, indeed. The songs on 1987's Fighting the World are actually a slight improvement over the band's previous offering Sign of the Hammer, but they are betrayed by the excessively clean production job herein. "Blow Your Speakers" and "Carry On" are blatant MTV contestants, and the big drumm...   [ read more ]

CD $13.26

Like most latter-day Manowar outings, Warriors of the World is a mixed affair rife with all of the clichTs that make Manowar either Gods or an amusing joke, depending on what side of the inner circle you reside on. No matter how big a fan of the band someone might be, it's hard to take the operatic "Nessun Dorma," and the succeeding power ballad, "Valhalla," seriously, as they sound like something Spinal Tap would have thought up when not worrying about amps that went to 11. In fact, t...   [ read more ]

CD $43.68