Manowar - Sign Of The Hammer (1984)

If any dragons need slaying, then ring up Manowar. Swords at the ready, shields raised high, chest pushed out...'Sign Of The Hammer' is here, a thundering iron horse blazing across the horizon, supplying electricity for the world, and creating earthquakes on other planets. Many have mocked these men of steel, but if you're a traditional metalhead seeking loud, ballsy heavy metal, then Manowar are for you. 'All Men Play On 10' might sound cheesy, but it burns the speakers, leaves the castle shaking and cracks in the sky. How can you knock something so damn rockin'....forget Judas Priest and their leather conquests, this is global destruction for the masses. The rattling chug of the frenzied 'Animals', Ross The Boss, Eric Adams, Scott Columbus and Joey DeMaio all hands to the pump, waves crashing, rubble scattered, smoking fires, a smouldering anvil...it's soul-battering power metal, as simple as that. I can see why black metal bands have been influenced by such axe-wielding fantasy metal, I mean, check out those drums on 'Thor (The Powerhead)', and the soundscapes of the seven-minute epic 'Mountains'. It's enough to shake Middle earth to its foundations. In my eyes, Manowar could have taken Tolkien's 'Lord Of The Rings' to other dimensions, and when the thunder cracks on the title cut and those guitars shred, you know Manowar, for that particular moment, are indeed the kings of metal.

'Sign Of The Hammer' is far spikier than its predecessors and is equipped with a sharp, thrashy edge, that intro to 'The Oath' a great example of a guitar sound so many death/thrash acts were incorporating into their sound, and check that clanking rhythm out. Manowar don't just reach for the sky, they rip the clouds from it and bang on the door of God's abode.

8/1o