CD Review: Manowar - The Lord of Steel

Written by Ray Dunkle Monday, 09 July 2012 11:00

Artist: Manowar
Title: The Lord Of Steel
Genre: Epic Metal / Heavy Metal
Release Date: 16th June 2012
Label: Magic Circle Music

Album Review

To hear that one of the greatest bands in the history of Heavy Metal has released a new album would be enough to fill the band’s fans with joy. But unfortunately this isn’t the case with ‘The Lord of Steel’, MANOWAR’s latest album. I’m afraid that their ‘Triumph of Steel’ has been reduced to the “Glory of Aluminium Foil”. In other words, this album is only a skeleton, a thin reminder of what the band once was, and the kind of Metal they played. Uninspired and at most times utterly predictable you have to listen to it a gazillion times in order to find a track besides the ‘El Gringo’ to like. Investing in the exhaustion of the audience is not the best guide for your work to be loved when you release a new album.

DeMaio seems to have shared the same amount of tiredness when he composed most of the music and lyrics of this album. And Eric Adams, needless to say one of the most charismatic Metal performers, cannot save all the time the otherwise flat tracks. The biggest problem the band faces is that like their monolithic icons - gods and heroes of the Norse and Greek mythology that are trapped in one role only - they have turned into an arteriosclerotic and predictable band. There exists one song for the fans (‘Manowarriors’), about their beloved Valhalla (‘Righteous Glory’) and one so the listener can be reminded of the past glories of the band (‘Hail, Kill and Die’).

To put things straight, ‘Manowarriors’ is a plain track miles behind the ‘Army of the Immortals’, ‘Righteous Glory’ is saved only by Adams’ skills and in ‘Hail, Kill and Die’,the lyrics border on nonsensical (only the fans of the band will get them). As for the rest of the album’s songs I will not even dignify them a critique. The band with this, their eleventh, album has decided to move away from the symphonic and theatrical aspects of ‘Gods Of War’ to some allegedly harder ones of the ‘Louder Than Hell’ kind and the result is an album with one great song and tons of fillers. I think it would be a good idea for the band to take its time to chill out, and to broaden its shrinking horizons. 


Tracklist

01. The Lord Of Steel
02. Manowarriors
03. Born In A Grave
04. Righteous Glory
05. Touch The Sky
06. Black List
07. Expendable
08. El Gringo
09. Annihilation
10. Hail, Kill And Die


Line-up

Eric Adams - Vocals
Donnie Hamzik - Drums, Percussion
Karl Logan - Guitars, Keyboards
Joey DeMaio - Bass Guitars, Keyboards


Websites

https://www.facebook.com/manowar / http://www.manowar.com


Cover Picture




Rating

Music: 5
Sound: 8
Total: 6.5 / 10