Manowar - Warriors Of The World (Reissue)

Manowar

Warriors Of The World (Reissue)

by Lex Mishukhin at 08 July 2013, 11:06 AM

What’s in a name? Depends on the name of course, and the name MANOWAR carries a lot of weight with it. Beginning their legendary career in 1980, they were an odd duck at the dawn of the American Metal movement of the early 80s, while most bands played Speed Metal, these guys were playing European style Heavy Metal, and they were doing an awesome job of it too. Their anthems have been second to none, “Brothers Of Metal”, “The Gods Made Heavy Metal”, “Metal Warriors” (anyone notice a theme??) are all songs still sung in every Metal bar anywhere and everywhere in the world, indeed, MANOWAR are one of the few bands who can wear leather and fur underwear without being like pro wrestlers and get away with it. This album, a reissued copy celebrating a 10^th anniversary of its release, is much the same as their entire back catalog, classic Heavy / Power Metal delivering yet another great anthem in the form of “Warriors of the World”. What about the rest you say? Well, it’s MANOWAR.

“Call To Arms” is a slow, heavy and very fitting opener to let you know exactly what album you’re listening to. A piano welcomes you to “A Fight for Freedom”, which is… you guessed it, another anthem based piece in the band’s back catalog. “Nessun Dorma” is a cover of Giacomo Puccini’s aria from the opera “Turandot”, a very impressive classical operatic number utilizing an orchestra rather than the band itself. “Valhalla” is a short intro into the Norse Mythology inspired “Swords In The Wind”, which speaks of battles, swords and blood (shocking ain’t it?), jokes aside, a great song. “An American Trilogy” is a mostly acoustic Elvis Presley cover of a medley of 3 classic American Folk songs, of course reworked in grandiose DeMaio / Adams fashion. “The March” is another classical instrumental with Joey DeMaio’s fingerprints all over it. “Hand Of Doom” is MANOWAR at its finest, Power Metal as it should sound, fast, huge and powerful “House of Death” and “Fight Until we Die” continue the same theme to close this album.

This record provides you with what you need, classic MANOWAR, it may not be their finest release, but it is a great album none the less, the only issue that I have with this re-release is simple, I, much like all of you, have grown accustomed to much more impressive re-releases / special editions in recent years, loaded with bonuses, alas, there’s not much to re-master on an album recorded in 2002. Moreover, with only one bonus track (and not much of a rarity, just a live version), I wouldn’t pick this album up in a store unless you don’t already have the original.