Battle Hymns is the debut studio album by American heavy metal band Manowar, released in 1982 by Liberty Records. It has an eponymous song, and a song with narration from actor Orson Welles. The album is considered highly influential for the power metal genre, despite its minor sales. It was re-issued in 2010.
| Battle Hymns | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 14, 1982[1] | |||
| Studio | Criteria (Miami) | |||
| Genre | Heavy metal | |||
| Length | 36:05 | |||
| Label | Liberty | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Manowar chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 8/10[3] |
Background
editJoey DeMaio and Ross the Boss met during the Heaven & Hell Tour of Black Sabbath. DeMaio worked on the fireworks of the concerts, and Ross the Boss was in the opening act Shakin' Street. Although DeMaio did like his band, he liked the performance of Ross the Boss and invited him to create a band of their own, which he accepted. The line-up was completed by Donnie Hamzik on drums and Louis Marullo, a former friend of DeMaio, on vocals. Ross told him that the name would not work for a heavy metal band, that he should use a stage name instead. As his sons were named "Eric" and "Adam", Marullo took the name Eric Adams.[4]
The name "Manowar", a contraction of "Man of war", was proposed by manager John Stillwell, while DeMaio and Ross the Boss were discussing possible names related to warfare. Despite the similarity, the name is not a reference to the man-of-war naval ships, used up to the 19th century. It was chosen simply because it meant "warrior".[4]
Recording and design
editInitially, Eric Adams refused to scream in the songs, fearing that doing so may damage his voice. Joey DeMaio convinced him to do it, predicting that his musical career would not advance much unless he did it. He trained him on how to properly use the screaming technique and define his singing style.[4]
The album includes an eponymous song, "Manowar", opening the B-side. Although eponymous songs were frequent at the time, such as "Black Sabbath", "Motorhead" and "Iron Maiden", the "Manowar" song has lyrics that talk about the band itself.[4]
The song "Dark Avenger" was composed with a narration in it. The band wanted to have a famous actor narrating it, and considered actors such as Vincent Price and James Earl Jones, and finally decided to call Orson Welles. The executive producer Bob Currie contacted Welles' management, who accepted the proposal. His arrival to the recording studio was met with fan frenzy, and he recorded two narration tracks. One of those tracks was used for "Dark Avenger", and the second would be used years later for "Defender" in the album Fighting the World.[5]
The cover of the album, featuring a statue of an eagle, was done by the artist Gary Ruddell.[4]
Reception
editThe album did not have noteworthy sales, awards, or recognitions. However, it became a strong influence in the heavy metal genre, and the power metal subgenre. Vince Neilstein from MetalSucks said in 2021 that "For starters, Manowar is obviously a huge influence in the power metalheads from Sweden; heck, Manowar is a great influence for almost all power metal bands that started in the last 25 years".[4] Many journalists even consider it the first power metal album.[4]
2010 re-recording – Battle Hymns MMXI
edit| Battle Hymns MMXI | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by | |
| Released | 26 November 2010 |
| Recorded | 2010 |
| Genre | Heavy metal, power metal |
| Label | Magic Circle Music |
| Producer | Joey DeMaio |
In late 2010 it was announced that Manowar were to rerecord Battle Hymns for a November 26 release.[6] The album, Battle Hymns MMXI, was drummer Donnie Hamzik's first studio recording with Manowar since the original 1982 Battle Hymns release. Orson Welles having died 25 years before, the narration during "Dark Avenger" was recorded by Sir Christopher Lee.[4] The album was promoted with the "Battle Hymns Tour", where they played all the songs from it.[7]
Ross the Boss, who left the band in 1988 on bad terms, was not included in the making of the reissued album. He complained that good albums cannot be re-issued, that he was left out of it, and that the songs were altered to accommodate to Eric Adams' current singing style.[8]
Track listing
editAll songs by Ross the Boss and Joey DeMaio, except where indicated
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Death Tone" | 4:51 | |
| 2. | "Metal Daze" | Joey DeMaio | 4:20 |
| 3. | "Fast Taker" | 3:56 | |
| 4. | "Shell Shock" | 4:07 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Manowar" | 3:38 | |
| 2. | "Dark Avenger" | 6:23 | |
| 3. | "William's Tale" | Gioachino Rossini | 1:54 |
| 4. | "Battle Hymn" | 6:56 | |
| Total length: | 36:05 | ||
Personnel
editManowar
edit- Eric Adams – vocals
- Ross the Boss – guitars, keyboards
- Joey DeMaio – bass, bass pedals
- Donnie Hamzik – drums, percussion
Additional personnel
edit- Orson Welles – narration on "Dark Avenger"
Production
edit- Mixed by Jon Mathias at Record Plant Studios, New York City
- Joey DeMaio, Ross the Boss – producers
- Joe Foglia – engineer
- Jim Sessody, John Agnello – assistant engineers
- Joe Breschio – mastering
- Bob Currie – executive producer
- Aucoin Management, Inc. – management
- Bill Burks, Brian J. Ames – art direction
- Gary Ruddell – Illustration
Cover versions
edit- Thrash metal band Overkill covered the song "Death Tone" on their 1999 album Coverkill.[9]
- Traditional metal band Seven Witches covered the song "Metal Daze" on their 1999 album Second War in Heaven.
- The song "Battle Hymn" has been covered by German heavy metal band Majesty.
- Swiss Heavy Metal band Burning Witches covered the song "Battle Hymn" on their 2020 album Dance With The Devil.[10]
- Finnish symphonic power metal band Beast in Black covered the song "Battle Hymn" on their 2021 album Dark Connection.[11]
- German band Tankard covered "Fast Taker" on the re-release of their album Disco Destroyer.
- American traditional metal band Slough Feg covered "Fast Taker" on a split single with Solstice.
References
edit- ^ "New Releases" (PDF). FMQB. June 11, 1982. p. 31. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
- ^ Rivadavia, Eduardo. Battle Hymns at AllMusic
- ^ Popoff, Martin (November 1, 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 212. ISBN 978-1894959315.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Mariskal Romero (August 14, 2022). "Manowar: 40 años de "Battle Hymns", el disco que hizo temblar los cimientos del mundo" [Manowar: 40 years of "Battle Hymns, the album that shook the foundations of the world] (in Spanish). Mariskal Rock. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
- ^ "Manowar founder recalls heavy metal recordings with Orson Welles". Wellesnet. August 11, 2017. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
- ^ BLABBERMOUTH.NET - MANOWAR: 'Battle Hymns 2011' Release Dates Announced
- ^ Susana Martín Cuadrado (February 18, 2011). "MANOWAR: concierto exclusivo en Madrid de la gira 'Battle Hymns Tour 2011' en abril" [Manowar: exclusive concert in Madrid for the "Battle Hymns Tour 2011" in April] (in Spanish). Rock and Roll Army. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
- ^ Jad (March 16, 2022). "Ross The Boss slams Manowar for re-recording old albums". Chaoz Zine. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
- ^ "OVERKILL lanza una caja recopilatoria: "Historykill 1995-2007"" [Overkill releases a recopilatory box: “Historykill 1995-2007”] (in Spanish). Red, Hard & Heavy. October 19, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
- ^ Pablo Folgueira. "Burning Witches - Dance with the devil" (in Spanish). Metal Cry. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
- ^ Mariskal Romero (January 3, 2022). "Crítica de Beast in Black - Dark Connection" [Review of Beast in Black - Dark Connection] (in Spanish). Mariskal Rock. Retrieved September 25, 2024.