Massive, magical, epic, comprehensive, adventurous, thrilling and I could go on,
Manowar's seventh release was the first album I heard by the band and still today ranks as my favourite by the band.
David Shankle debuted on this one with both song-writing abilities and exciting guitar passages, and Rhino filled the drum position with a thrilling achievement.
Eric's voice is as always pure and impressive and Joey lays down some mean and innovative bass lines, to say it shortly musical skill is in no shortage.
The production has a raw and unpolished profile that still manages to appear clear and balanced, a special sound for a special album.
Lyrically we are dealing with classical
Manowar themes, bravery, pride, revenge, magic, religion, mythology etc. and to be honest I have a hard time imaging it in any other way, it just goes hand in hand with the musical epic-filled universe.
To make the necessary points about this album I fell it appropriate to shortly comment on each song.
Lets start with one of the most remarkable songs ever put together,
Achilles, Agony And Ecstasy In Eight Parts, a true historical epic that runs in at 28 minutes.
I get totally mesmerized when Eric starts to sing "oh friend of mine." or later "I hear the silent voices.", these slower parts throughout the song are magical to say the least.
The eight parts are nicely linked together and the fantastic spellbound flair of the story holds the attention of the listener all the way.
The drum solo part is ingeniously mind-blowing and the overall change and flow of this monster is just a thrill of dimensions.
Metal Warriors continues the tradition of ear-hanging
Manowar anthems. A recognisable chorus and a solid drive in the rhythm section with enough power to shake the ground of any live arena.
Speed and
intensity is central concepts in
Ride The Dragon. Featuring a thundering guitar solo, technical drums and ultra heavy bass lines, a perfect example of how a fairly good composition can be made excellent by a world-class musical performance.
Spirit Horse Of The Cherokee is fantastic tale about the American Indians and the gruesome and unjust fate they meet with the appearance of the white man, but also a story of their fascinating and honourable way of life. The mind-blowing singing is one of the best aspects together with the powerful force of the bass/drums collaboration and the huge chorus.
Burning is a pretty odd track that nevertheless contains its own charm. The gloomy and mystic atmosphere works brilliantly with the dark vocals; on the other hand its main rhythm becomes a bit tiresome in length and its like you are waiting for a break that never comes.
The Power Of Thy Sword reaches a higher level of quality, in fact its one of my favourite
Manowar songs. Its intense pounding rhythm and powerful vocal lines is a real treat, the epic and enchanting slow mid-section is pure genius and David shows his own special and innovative lead guitar style in the ending part.
The Demon's Whip is together with
Burning my two least favourite tracks, and also the ones that keeps this from a higher rating.
The Demon's Whip has a long slow build-up that I find a bit too simple, unexciting and monotone.
The ultra fast ending section is nevertheless working in great style, the aggressive vibe put out is really massive.
The brilliant slow and bombastic
Master Of The Wind is one of the best ballads from
Manowar. It's symphonic and orchestral style adds much atmosphere and fantastic moods into the song, the acoustic guitar has a relaxing feel to it and Eric puts out a stunning and very melodic presentation of the emotional lyric.
This appraisal should pretty much describe what you can expect by this release; these exiting elements mentioned above are not some that comes along very often and the uniqueness of this release is really fascinating.
Written by
Tommy Thursday, April 11, 2002
Show all reviews by TommyRatingsTommy: 9/10Members: 9/10 - Average of 3 ratings.
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Rating: 8/10
The Triumph of Steel is a very interesting record.
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