Manowar
The Sons Of Odin (EP)

Back in my player are the warriors of heavy metal, Manowar. This EP serves (like almost all mini-albums) as an appetizer for the much-awaited "Gods Of War," which it seems will only be released next year. So, patience, in the meantime, I've listened to this EP without, of course, expecting any sound modifications or a return to the band's less epic early heavy metal style. Nothing of the sort. The three unreleased tracks featured in "The Sons Of Odin" present us with the same Manowar from 2003, the date of their last release, that is, pure epic metal. Perfect songs that show no smudges or errors, no roughness, nothing at all. Manowar are damn perfectionists, and for this we must be grateful, as there is a lot of poorly produced as well as poorly played junk out there.

To kick things off, there are two live tracks recorded during the Geiselwind concert in 2005, the intro "The Ascension" and "King Of Kings". The recording is not the best, especially regarding Columbus's drums, which become annoying after a while. However, the poor recording does not compromise the band’s live experience and capabilities at all; it just could have been better. We start with the unreleased: the first is the orchestral instrumental "Odin". It's not a metal piece; we're talking about a real opera here, but it's enjoyable in its grandeur. It’s followed by "Gods of War", which is the title track of the next work. We’re in front of the Manowar of the last 20 years, gentlemen, nothing more, nothing less: a beautiful, compact piece of epic heavy metal of an exquisite grandeur. The same applies to "The Sons of Odin", the unreleased track that concludes this mini-album.

I didn’t buy the version with the bonus DVD because I was already very reluctant to purchase this normal version due to the price: How can you charge 12.60 euros for 2 live songs and three unreleased tracks (at least that's how much it costs around here)? It’s madness, at least half! So, if you are die-hard fans and can’t wait for the 2007 studio album, buy this EP, but if you like Manowar but aren’t fans, you can save your money (but download it because it's interesting).