Artist: Manowar
Label: Metal Blade Records
Release Date: 6/4/02
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Title: Warriors of the World Artist: Manowar Label: Metal Blade Records Release Date: 6/4/02 |
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Abyss's Review:
There are a lot of bands that I listen to that I don't readily admit to doing so, and if ever there was a band that made it hard to admit you like them, Manowar is that band. The reason their fans love them is the same reason that their detractors hate them. They are just completely over the top. I personally kept my distance for the longest time, and it was actually my love for another band that stoked my interest in Manowar. After buying Edge of Sanity's album, The Spectral Sorrows, I found myself unable to resist their version of "Blood of my Enemies." It haunted me, and I eventually had to admit to myself (but not to others) that I liked Manowar.
"When I listen to their music, I usually do so while laughing out loud."
Now, when I say I like Manowar, don't dress me up in a loincloth quite yet. You see, I can't take them seriously whatsoever. In fact when I listen to their music, I usually do so while laughing out loud. For these reasons alone, I don't fit in with the true Manowar faithful. I find myself addicted to the camp, however. And Manowar seem to realize what their audience desires, as they continue with the same formula of "try to make every song an anthem." They continue singing about the faithful and fighting for the cause. I would think that they'd be getting tired of fighting by now, and I also would've thought that they would've realized by now that steel isn't that precious of a metal and that there isn't really anyone trying to steal it from them. Their skies are constantly filled with thunder and their steel is in constant danger. No shit, I heard so many references to "defending the steel" that I thought it was a concept album based on the current tariff the U.S. slapped on Japanese steel, sparking a trade dispute (and I know what you're thinking: It's about time someone did write a concept album about that!)
"It's impossible to recommend any Manowar album to anyone other than a Manowar fan." This album is what you would expect from Manowar, but it comes up a little short of their last release. "The Fight For Freedom" and "Warriors of the World United" seem a little less cheesy in the post 9/11 world, but only a little. And these songs are quite successful; where the album fails, in my opinion, is the dearth of ballads that comprise the middle of the album. "An American Trilogy," made famous by Elvis, is the centerpiece, and while it is done true to form, this isn't what I pick up a Manowar disc for, it's what I pick up an Elvis disc for. So the bottom line is that I recommend this disc for Manowar fans only, but then again, it's impossible to recommend any Manowar album to anyone other than a Manowar fan. Oh, and just to get the toilet humor out of my system. The tariff placed on Japanese steel is called a "hot rolled duty." So one could accurately say that the U.S. slapped Japan with a hot rolled duty as a result of Japanese dumping. Tee hee.
Death's Review:
Strength. Unity. Freedom. All you'll need to do is listen to Warriors of the World once to know that these principals are the Manowar ideals. Fighting the battle for metal brotherhood, standing tall against oppression for what you believe in, staying true, staying free -- this is the essence of Manowar, one of the silliest bands in the history of metal, and some might say, one of the best.
In this post- September 11 world, the simple, black-and-white truisms of the Manowar lyrical catalogue shine with renewed glow. Sure, the simplicity (and, frankly, pomposity) of it all has always been a bit tough to swallow. I mean, seriously-- who the fuck are these guys who think that dressing in leather and loincloths gives you a free pass from the cheesy bullshit police anyway? Seriously. Warriors of the World, like many Manowar records, contains more ryhmes between "free," "me," "see," "sea" (as in, "from the mountains to the") "be," between "shed" (as in, "blood that has been . . ."), "red" and "dead," between "steel," "feel," etc. -- you get the point-- than any one album ever really should.
"Making fun of Manowar is no great challenge." Still, I actually like this album quite a bit. I feel you must analyze a Manowar record much like the recent "Star Wars Episode 2: Attach of the Clones": from a fan's perspective, and only as relates to other works in the series. If one wants to criticize Episode II, it is easy to do so. In fact, it is like shooting ducks in a pond. Sure, the acting and dialogue are stiff and stilted, etc., but as a true fan, I loved it. It kicked ass. Because I was vested in the characters and the Star Wars universe, I didn't really care if some art house film critic could lambaste the film in comparison to whatever the quiche-and-cappucino, subtitle-of-the-month club thought was the top notch film this week. I had a great fucking time watching it. End of story.
Similarly, making fun of Manowar is no great challenge. These guys truly stick their dicks on the table every time they put out a record or play a show, if you know what I mean. There is simply no sport in making fun of them -- they are actually so cheesy they are past that. Thus, opera songs or covers of "I wish I was in the land of cotton" (no kidding, Warriors includes these) are almost beyond reproach.
"I listen to this as a Manowar record-- nothing less, nothing more. And as a Manowar record, it is actually quite excellent." Instead, I listen to this as a Manowar record-- nothing less, nothing more. And as a Manowar record, it is actually quite excellent. A stellar production throughout, with classic-style Manowar songs in the grand tradition of Into Glory Ride, et al. Seriously, these songs are great. Catchy, dynamic and metal. Eric Adams' voice is powerful, strong and clear. The riffs sound like you expect them to sound, perhaps even better.
So the bottom line is that if you like Manowar, you'll definitely like Warriors of the World. Perhaps you'll even like it a whole lot. And for the rest of us, we have to admit that for whatever reason, Manowar definitely remain relevant in 2002. If that is because of the current political climate (i.e., post-September 11), don't blame Manowar -- it ain't their fault. Sure, Warriors of the World is a completely different record when heard in the context of the day, but to my ears, that's a great thing. I say more power to 'em!
Hel's Review:
I do not like Manowar. I do not like them, Sam-I-am. I do not like them in Valhalla, I do not like them with an opera, I do not like Manowar. I do not like them, Sam-I-am. To the uninitiated, Manowar makes about as much sense as green eggs and ham. People have tried, a few times, to convince me to embrace Manowar, but still, I do not like them, Sam-I-am.
"They're cheesy. They're silly. Their lyrics rhyme to the point of inanity." I understand the theory behind Manowar, I understand how others can like Manowar. But I, personally, simply cannot find it within myself to like Manowar. They're cheesy. They're silly. Their lyrics rhyme to the point of inanity, and their apparent trio of emphases: fighting/freedom, Norse mythos, and Wagner/Puccini, are, most simply, bizarre.
The songs run the gambit from ridiculous to overly serious. And, god knows, I can't take them seriously to begin with. In point of fact, I can no longer tell in which songs they are kidding, and in which they are serious - oh wait, I think they're serious in all of them. Oh my.
"I would categorize myself as non-Manowar tolerant, and those of a like mind would be wise to steer away from this release." I would categorize myself as non-Manowar tolerant, and those of a like mind would be wise to steer away from this release. Fans of the band will certainly consider Warriors of the World to be among the best work ever produced by the band. But from where I sit, the squeaky clean production is the best part, and that isn't enough. Certainly, they are accomplished musicians with much to offer the metal world, or they would not have had the career they have. But, there's more than one kind of metal in the world these days, and I choose to listen to something else.
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