Manowar
Kings Of Metal

THE REVIEW

Year 1988. After the release of the good Fighting The World, Manowar achieve a balance between the direct style of the previous work and the epic atmospheres of their early albums with this Kings Of Metal, undeniably one of the pillars of the most canonical Heavy Metal.
All the tracks are captivating and perfectly set within the atmosphere of the album, opened by WHEELS OF FIRE, which is very fast and features an irresistible refrain. Next is the title track, a piece that earned Manowar harsh criticism and incessant praise, on one hand for the perhaps overly self-celebrating lyrics, on the other for the track's value among the best in their repertoire.
It's the turn of two incredible songs. The first, the piano ballad HEART OF STEEL, is incredibly emotional and intense, in my opinion one of the greatest Metal ballads ever composed; the second is the majestic and epic THE CROWN AND THE RING, in which choirs with a gothic flavor accompany an impressive performance by Adams (one of the top five Metal singers around, there's no contest).
At this point, we enter the second part of the album which includes a track that is a pillar of the New York group's discography, namely the now legendary HAIL AND KILL. The track starts calm and slow, only to explode quickly into a rousing gallop that, as usual, praises the invincible warriors of true Metal destined to always prevail. The album concludes with another metallic gallop, BLOOD OF THE KINGS, noteworthy for its lyrics that mention the band's albums and the countries where Manowar has achieved (deserved) success.
Beyond their questionable image and attitude, Manowar remains, by virtue of albums like this one, a great band, which shares nothing with the current Power Metal bands so useless and inconsistent, who vainly try to emulate their feats.