The Batlord

This album is a bit of a strange beast. It's not much different from the previous two, Kings of Metal and Triumph of Steel, but it's easily their weakest since Fighting the World (I'm no fan of the thirty minute "epic" from Triumph of Steel, but the album is otherwise as it should be.) For one, it never quite "gets going" in the speed metal department, but it also has none of the epic heaviness of Into Glory Ride or Hail to England. It's not nearly as tepid as Fighting the World, but it also lacks the energy and passion of Battle Hymns -- although if I was to compare it to any previous Manowar album, it would be that one. So, basically what we have is watered down biker metal.

Another problem is that I can't honestly say there's even one song that's really on the same level as their best material. Without any of the above qualities to latch onto (speed, heaviness, epicness, energy, passion), Manowar's songwriting limitations become very evident, with many song's only redeeming qualities being their choruses.

I'm not sure exactly what happened with this album. My first guess is that Manowar was just tired by this point and didn't have much left in the tank, and so they pushed out the best album they could be bothered to make to justify a tour. I'm sure that Eric Adams' clearly deteriorating voice was also a contributing factor to the album's lack of energy, as he probably wouldn't have been able to really pull off any songs requiring his trademark high end screams.

Perhaps label pressure? Metal was dead, so the suits wanted them to change with the times? If so then I don't know why Manowar even bothered listening to them as much as they hypothetically did, cause I highly doubt even those egomaniacs would think that Pearl Jam fans had any desire to listen to them play hard rock and sing about metal/themselves (I'm sure Manowar considered them the same thing by this point.) I mean, yeah, the music is a bit toned down, but it's still the same ol' Manowar, and they sing about the same things they always do, and they still have a god damn bass solo song. Besides, I doubt any label would stoop to giving even the slightest **** about them in 1996 anyway.

Yet with all the things wrong with this album, I still dig it. It's not the first album I pull out when starting a Mano-binge, but about halfway through, when I've already listened to the classics, but I'm not on my way to becoming bored with constantly listening to them, I'll throw Louder than Hell on and it'll do its job competently. There aren't any true classics, though a few songs are still pretty damn good, but the band also somehow manages to keep everything consistent; I'm never blown away by this album, but I'm never bored either. So, if you hate or are new to Manowar, then steer clear of Louder than Hell for the moment, as it's really a fans only release.

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