Manowar
Hail To England

"Praise to England": alright, but then why do you put a gigantic Italian tricolor on the cover? And then, apart from the slight geographical confusion, couldn't they have called, I don't know, let's say, a REAL illustrator to make this cover? I don't think it's that difficult, the world is full of talented artists looking for a chance to showcase their skills, why waste their talents like this? But on the other hand, covers have never been Manowar's strong point, as they've thoroughly demonstrated over the years: instead, the content usually turns out really well for them, and "Hail to England" is no exception.

This third album of the group boasts a pure Epic-Metal, from the first to the last second, or, if you prefer, it is classic-style Heavy Metal, more focused on creating atmosphere and evoking emotions, rather than showcasing technique or power. Perhaps they will not remain among the most beautiful metal compositions in history, but, simply, listening to them gives you inimitable sensations, "Manowar style", that you can't experience with any other band, and that's no small feat.
It starts with a marching pace with the evocative "Blood Of My Enemies", one of the band's greatest tracks in which the power and expressiveness of the great Eric Adams' voice, one of my all-time favorite singers, explode immediately; he's truly in extraordinary form on this album; supporting him with his solemn riffs and a solo is the one, true and only Manowar Guitarist: Ross the Boss, don't trust the imitations. The level remains high with "Each Dawn I Die", immersed in a magical and mysterious atmosphere, with a highly theatrical chorus. The title is inspired by a film from the '30s. Chris Columbus's drums start slow, then unexpectedly accelerate to reach maximum speed, and suddenly all the deadly power of "Kill With Power", a super-fast, pulverizing song, the most powerful the quartet had created until then, is unleashed. Sure, the lyrics are what they are, as deep as the theme song of an Italia 1 cartoon, but who cares, I say, we're talking about a metal album, not a philosophy treatise. A majestic and triumphant stride is what you find at the beginning of the title track, "Hail To England": here the epic atmosphere reaches its highest peak, you can't stay indifferent listening to the refrain, when Eric's mighty voice gives his salute to England you'll imagine being part of an army of ten thousand people entering a newly conquered city amid the adoration of the crowd. Completing the picture are a great solo by Ross and the background of glorious choirs, well-crafted and very suited to the type of music, recorded at the Cathedral of St. Mary in Auburn, New York. The fifth track, "Army Of The Immortals", is dedicated to us, the audience, the army that allowed Manowar to become what they are; at the start of the song, the titles of their first two albums are mentioned. Superb is the leading riff of the song, once again magnificent is the singer's performance. "Black Arrow" is the inevitable "solo" by Joey DeMaio and, with all due respect to a legendary bassist with great technique and unique charisma, frankly, he could have spared us: please move on to the next track. The best, as usual, is kept for last: "Bridge Of Death" is an absolute masterpiece, a memorable suite of nearly nine minutes that opens with a dark atmosphere charged with tension, and that, through another great riff by Ross, advances epically towards the bridge of death, and then, in the final part, practically paints the scene before the listener's eyes: you'll find yourself at the gates of Hell, intent on challenging Satan himself, and the monstrous lord of evil will be waiting for you on the other side of the bridge: a truly unforgettable finale, that suitably concludes a great album by a group that had class to spare, even if in the later works they have somewhat declined in quality.

I am forced to slap a four on it because it's seven not-too-long tracks, it practically lasts as long as a Dream Theater song; however, they are seven tracks absolutely not to be missed, branded Kings of Metal: seven pure, magnificent, legendary tracks; in a word, epic.