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Rating:
I must say that I am a huge fan of Manowar, but after listening to this album, I just can't say HAIL TO THE KINGS.
"The Triumph Of Steel", aided by the departure of Ross The Boss and Karl Logan in favor of David Shankle and Rhino, turns out to be the least inspired album in the glorious career of Joey, Eric & co. It starts with "Achilles, Agony And Ecstasy In Eight Parts": a good start, some flashes of class here and there, for the rest 28 minutes of boredom and unnecessary technicalities (see "Armor Of The Gods" or, worse yet, "Desecration of Hector's Body"). Unfortunately, things do not improve with the second track ("Metal Warriors"), which suffers from decidedly subpar guitar work. The fact that Eric Adams starts screaming like a desperate housewife halfway through the piece certainly doesn't help matters. "Ride The Dragon", on the other hand, rocks pretty hard, although it must be pointed out that this piece is shamelessly self-plagiarized from "Black Wind, Fire And Steel". Finally, we arrive at "Spirit Horse Of The Cherokee", where the band shows their prowess to gift True Metal a song worthy of their name: Eric Adams sings like a god, greatly supported by a band that seems to have rediscovered the glory days of "Fighting The World" and "Kings Of Metal".
Alas, once this happy interlude is over, we plunge into the utter darkness with the indefensible "Burning", where there is really the suspicion that it isn't Eric singing. Not since the days of "Black Arrows" has anything so horrendous been seen in a Manowar album. We then arrive at "The Power Of Thy Sword" and "The Demon's Whip", which could be genuine pieces de resistance (especially the former), but they are penalized by an excessive duration that dilutes their strength. There remains "Master Of The Wind", a more melancholic and less baroque ballad compared to the band's usual standards, which closes in an epic and nuanced way an album, born of a moment of crisis and a reshuffled line-up that doesn't do justice to these splendid warriors of True Metal.
The crisis will partially involve the subsequent "Louder Than Hell" as well, only to dissolve entirely with "Warriors Of The World" and especially with a stunning and Wagnerian concept album "Gods Of War" (review coming soon). Even the best make mistakes, so I still say HAIL TO THE KINGS.
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
03 Ride the Dragon (04:32)
Demon's blood and dragon fire, falling on my wings
Racing to the battle in the sky ancient Gods are
Calling me I hear them when they sing, of all the
Heroes who wait for me to die
Beneath a cloak of magic, I'll meet them in the air, I am
Invisible, I move without a sound they look but cannot
Find me, they think that I'm not there with a spell I
Send them crashing to the ground
Wait for me dragon, we'll meet in the sky
By fire and magic I am sworn. Hell is calling! We
Cannot be denied fly to the bllackness
Of the storm, we must die to reborn
I wear a sacred talisman, I make a secret sign
Now welcome me into this wicked wind, on
The journey of a shaman a dragon I must
Ride, the Gates of Hell are open! Let me in!!!
Rule of Hell or serve in Heaven
Choose an altar or a throne, all
Commandments and the laws of
Man disown. Now eat the fruit of
Knowledge, unto no one ye alone
Into the fire, with your soul!
05 Burning (05:10)
We have come from the ashes, of the burning away
Pouring blood in the fire, on the altar of pain
Led into temptation, now the black Gods align
Here there is no salvation, and your blood is my wine
Here's a world that is waiting, between the living and
The dead, here the flesh and it's pleasure are
Eternally wed, all is all for the taking, for a life or a
Lie, at the end of the breaking I'll be watching you die
Crawl to the silince, renounce and deny
The stars and the numbers, fortold of this time
To the words and the wisdom, too the promise of lies, by
Their angel and fury
The strong will survive
07 The Demon's Whip (07:50)
Black candles slowly burning, white fangs and flashing eyes
Hell's wind and incantations summon living fire,
Darkest forces and your demon's black order, black king
The cult that serves the living, accept this offering
Black candles slowly burning, white fangs and flashing eyes
Hell's wind and incantations summon living fire,
As the seven steps await, hear the great bell toll
With a dead man's bones conjure, the enemy of the soul
From the misery and sadness, of the molten seas of hell
Mystic love and mystic symbols in evil dreams there dwell
Darkest forces and your demon's black order, black king
The cult that serves the living, accept this offering
A deadly drink, a meal of hearts, now sacrifice and die
In darkness and destruction, behold the evil eye
And the Demon's whip
Armies of the gods of hell ride across the astral plane
Bearing curses of destruction, sworn beyond the grave
Children of the darkness, all born but to deceive
By the ancient code of evil grant not one reprieve
In the place where evil dwells death can live when all life dies
Wage eternal war on heaven immortal hate below the sky
Your scripture and your sermons, are leaves born on the wind
To heal the unrepentant one needs a greater sin
Night winds, Oblivion see my dark desire
Come forth, appear he is living fire
Feel the Demon's whip
Armies of the gods of hell ride across the astral plane
Bearing curses of destruction, sworn beyond the grave
Children of the darkness, all born but to deceive
By the ancient code of evil grant not one reprieve
In the place where evil dwells death can live when all life dies
Wage eternal war on heaven immortal hate below the sky
Your scripture and your sermons, are leaves borne on the wind
To heal the unrepentant one needs a greater sin
Feel the Demon's whip
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Other reviews
By James1
Imagine yourself in a medieval plain... armed with a long golden sword forged by the gods and an invincible armor... this is Triumph Of Steel.
You must have it if you're a fan of the genre, at least to listen once to The Power Of Thy Sword or Master Of The Wind.
By mayhem
"’Triumph of Steel’, ultra-classic heavy metal, with 50,000 piercing screams of Eric Adams per song, the super-tight power chords, the beautiful and ultra-fast solos, is an album that deserves recognition."
"Here’s the true gem of the album... ’Master Of The Wind’. Only acoustic guitar, almost imperceptible, and Adams’ voice in all its splendor: every dream is allowed, let’s believe in them, and move forward at any cost."
