Manowar with Immortal
Rating: 4 Skulls
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Manowar with Immortal
Rating: 4 Skulls |
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Reviewed by Solomon (5/24/02, L'Amours,Brooklyn, New York):
photos by Solomon
ImmortalMention the name "Manowar" in a roundtable discussion of metal and you're likely to get one of two responses: A) Manowar are the holy guardians of "true" metal or B) they are silly beyond redemption. As for myself, I would have to lean towards the latter statement, but that isn't really fair, is it? As I related my Manowar experience to Abyss the other night, we came to the conclusion that metal is, in general, a tad ridiculous, anyway. Grown men running around in loincloths is hard to take seriously, but all the corpsepaint, large gardening tools, growling, bulletbelts, banging your head up and down in one place, swords, dragons, all this stuff just doesn't scream "I am a responsible, mature adult who has come to terms with the realities of modern life." Then again, what do I expect from a metal show? If I want reality, I'll look out the window. If I want to learn something, I'll go to the library. If I want to escape for a few hours, drink, bounce off the walls a bit, and gawk at well-endowed bartending staff members, then bring on the "Kings of Metal!"
ImmortalLet it be known I don't hate Manowar. Can't say I'm a huge fan either. However, while you won't catch me doing that grab-my-wrist hand salute thingy in public, Manowar put on a good show Friday night and there was little to complain about. Okay, I will complain that L'Amours was under-ventilated, and that combined with a sold-out, packed house made simple stuff, like breathing, difficult. I did manage to find a small pocket of air in the back corner and view Manowar's show. Despite the band's reputation for being loud (don't they hold a Guinness record?), the volume was pretty reasonable. Man, I don't know who was louder, vocalist Eric Adams or the crowd. I don't think I've ever seen a show where the fans sang along with such devotion.
ImmortalThe band whipped through an hour-plus set of metal anthems including "Blood of My Enemies," "Hail and Kill," "Kill With Power," and "Fighting the World." Fan or not, the "kick your ass" chorus of "Kings of Metal" is a hoot. "Warriors of the World" (trend here?), the title track off the new album, was really cool, having a "Holy Diver"-type slow gallop that went down well. Bassist Joey DeMaio played a few interesting solos with his signature piccolo bass that sounded more like an acoustic guitar. Extended solo spots aren't something I usually look forward to, but guitarist Karl Logan ripped it up with some lightning-fast fretwork that marked a high point in the evening. Joey ended the night with a full speech, rallying true Manowar fans to fight the good fight, exhibiting an impressive command of the Spanish language and advising a woman to scream "Manowar!" during orgasm. Yeah!
Truth be told, Immortal was the reason I went in the first place. If you think this pairing was weird, please refer to the top of the page. In the end, I think the old black metal look makes a band more interesting to look at, that whole KISS/showmanship mentality, you know? The Norweigians leaned heavily on more recent, less-"black" material. In fact, they don't sound that "black metal" at all, playing guitar riffs that are catchy and have a dirty, more thrashy feel. Immortal pounded through "One By One," "Damned In Black," "Tyrants" (bang thy head!)and "Sons of Northern Darkness," among others. New bassist Saroth was especially impressive, scowling and perched over the crowd with a 'Clan of the Cave Bear' look. A longer set next time, maybe?
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