That I often refer to Fighting the World as my least favorite
Manowar album and then rate it as I have done is a testament to the general quality of their albums. This is
Manowar's fifth studio album and the first on the Atlantic label.
The band is still the same. Eric Adams on vocals,
Ross The Boss on guitar, Joey DeMaio on Bass and Scott Columbus on drums. The music, however has changed, no I guess the right word is evolved, noticeably when compared to their first four albums. Especially the first part of the album is easier on the ears than usual and invites new fans into the fold.
Two party rockers open the album in the
Manowar-way, with brawn and humor. Scott Columbus lays down what I have come to call "The Beat" for the title track. I can clearly envision Joey DeMaio in the studio going "Beat me up Scotty" and the Conan-sized drummer laying down this massive beat with every take. The title track is a solid opener which sums up
Manowar's stance.
Blow Your Speakers is a very very funny song but also pure MTV fodder for the time. The lyrics are tongue-in-cheek silly, the choir effects are far out and don't really work but the song is carried by a wild vocal performance, nice guitar work and a special tightness. Beyond that the song offers nothing. Check out the video
here.
If you want to sum up
Manowar in one song then
Carry On could be the one. It was the way Eric sang the line
"when the day is long", holding on to the last word for an extra fraction of a second, that captivated me on the first listen, making it an instant album favorite. The song urges you to unleash the positive feelings and relish in life. Of special note is the short but perfect bridging solo by Ross. Is the "Carry On" voice in the chorus Joey? Sounds like it to me.
At this point you would think that the dark, epic quality that permeated the first four
Manowar albums has all but disappeared. Yet, with
Violence and Bloodshed begins a transition towards the darker and heavier part of the album. The song is ok, but does nothing for me, making it a bottom dweller on my favorite
Manowar songs list. I see it as a necessary transition song and nothing more.
Defender is a sure-fire classic. The song was first recorded during the Battle Hymn sessions with Orson Welles (R.I.P.) narrating. This new version has been polished in several ways but in some respects I prefer the 1982 version, which was rawer and had more feeling. The new version however has tons more power and
is more convincing in the end. The highlight is clearly when Eric enters the sound, bringing with him a whole arsenal of power. The new version is let down slightly by conforming to repeating the chorus as the song fades out instead of having a proper ending like the old version.
The production on Fighting the World is highly polished and clear, urging the listener to play the album as loud as possible. To me the sound is a bit too polished and lacks some deepness. The choirs or gang vocals if you want to call them that, appearing in the first three songs feel slightly off too.
With
Drums of Doom/Holy War and
Master of Revenge/Black Wind, Fire and Steel the album makes a triumphant finish spurt.
The short intro
Drums of Doom functions as a call to War and
Holy War brings it on. The gentle, low voiced verses build up a good tension for the explosion that is the chorus. A very very cool song.
Master of Revenge succeeds as a sort of mystical introduction for the albums absolute highlight,
Black Wind, Fire and Steel. This is among
Manowar's finest creations. Opening with an insane bass line, Eric's voice on top and Scott providing perfectly timed beats, the song is off to a unique start. The song is ingenious in that it evolves all the way through while being fast, super-tight, to the point and completely relentless in its charge. The last verse is bound to haunt you for a while as Eric delivers a breathtaking performance, screaming in his over the top rage-filled voice, displaying equal amounts of madness and control. Really fascinating. Another highlight is Eric's 30 second scream nearing the end. Wow!
So ends a varied meal of Metal with minimal chokage.
Fighting the World does pale in comparison to what came before it but it is still a great album. It is rather short but that just gives you a good reason to play it one more time.
Written by
Steen Saturday, April 7, 2007
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I had Fighting the World and Kings of Metal in the same tape back in 88.
In my opinion KO... · Read more · |
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