Battle Hymns (Manowar album)

"Manowar (song)" redirects here. For Radiohead's song, see Man of War (song).

Battle Hymns
Studio album by Manowar
Released	June 14, 1982 (1982-06-14)[1]
Studio	Criteria (Miami)
Genre	Heavy metal[2][3]
Length	36:05
Label	Liberty
Producer	Joey DeMaio Ross the Boss
Manowar chronology
Battle Hymns (1982) Into Glory Ride (1983)

Battle Hymns is the debut studio album by American heavy metal band Manowar, released in June 1982 by Liberty Records. It features the title track "Battle Hymn", and a song featuring a narration from actor Orson Welles, "Dark Avenger". The album is considered highly influential for the power metal genre, despite its initial negative reception. The album was re-recorded in 2010 as Battle Hymns MMXI.

Background

Joey DeMaio and Ross the Boss met during the Heaven & Hell Tour of Black Sabbath.^[4] 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.^[4] 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.^[5]

The name "Manowar", a contraction of "Man of war", was proposed by sound technician John "Dawk" 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".^[5]

Recording and design

Initially, 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.^[5]

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.^[5] In an August 1982 interview for Kerrang! magazine, Ross the Boss commented on the production of the album: "Well, after all this time of making albums and being a victim of producers, I figured we should do it ourselves. And I think it worked out fine."^[2]

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.^[6]

The cover of the album, featuring a statue of an eagle, was done by the artist Gary Ruddell.^[5]

Release and reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[7]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal	8/10[8]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[9]

Battle Hymns was released on June 14, 1982 by Liberty Records.^[1] The album was supported with a tour with Ted Nugent, where Manowar was a supporting act.^[2][3] At the time of the release, the reception of the album was initially negative, and the band was at one point considered a novelty.^[10][9] Writing for Trouser Press in November 1982, Jon Young noted and praised the guitar works of Ross The Boss, but singled out other members for "[failing] to pack comparable punch", and the production for having the "sonic consistency of a cardboard".^[11] John Kordosh, writing for Creem magazine observed and contended that Manowar was a serious heavy metal band, in December 1982, emphasising the track "Metal Daze" and the title track "Battle Hymn", as highlights of the album, and favorably referred to Joey DeMaio as a "virtuoso" on the bass guitar, alongside Ross the Boss on electric guitar.^[12] As such, the album did not have noteworthy sales, awards, or recognitions.

Over the years, Battle Hymns strongly influenced heavy metal and power metal, and paved the way for Manowar's strong cult following, which musicians, critics and journalists have since acknowledged.^[9][10] Writing for AllMusic, Eduardo Rivadavia was favorable to the musicianship of Ross the Boss and Joey DeMaio, and called the debut album "a promising start" despite the perceived "heavy metal clichés" and "thin" music production.^[7] Music writer Colin Larkin named "Dark Avenger" and Orson Welles' narration, and the bass solo of "William's Tale" as highlights of Battle Hymns and remarked that Manowar was seemingly a "turbo-charged hybrid" of Ted Nugent and Black Sabbath.^[9] In 2021, Vince Neilstein from MetalSucks observed that Manowar "is obviously a huge influence in the power metalheads from Sweden" and further asserted that "Manowar is a great influence for almost all power metal bands that started in the last 25 years".^[5] Many journalists even consider it the first power metal album.^[5]

Track listing

All songs by Ross the Boss and Joey DeMaio, except where indicated

Side one

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

Side two

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

Manowar

• Eric Adams – vocals
• Ross the Boss – guitars, keyboards
• Joey DeMaio – bass, bass pedals
• Donnie Hamzik – drums, percussion

Additional personnel

• Orson Welles – narration on "Dark Avenger"

Production

• 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

2010 re-recording – Battle Hymns MMXI

Battle Hymns MMXI
Studio album by Manowar
Released	November 26, 2010 (2010-11-26)
Recorded	2010
Genre	Heavy metal, power metal
Length	48:45
Label	Magic Circle Music
Producer	Joey DeMaio

In late 2010 it was announced that Manowar were to re-record Battle Hymns for a November 26 release.^[13] 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.^[5] The album was promoted with the "Battle Hymns Tour", where they played all the songs from it.^[14]

Ross the Boss, who left the band in 1988 on bad terms, was not included in the making of the re-recorded album. He complained that good albums cannot be re-recorded, that he was left out of it, and that the songs were altered to accommodate Eric Adams' current singing style.^[15]

Track listing

All songs by Ross the Boss and Joey DeMaio, except where indicated.^[16]

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Death Tone"		5:08
2.	"Metal Daze"	Joey DeMaio	4:33
3.	"Fast Taker"		4:06
4.	"Shell Shock"		4:13
5.	"Manowar"		4:01
6.	"Dark Avenger"		6:24
7.	"William's Tale"		1:53
8.	"Battle Hymn"	Gioachino Rossini	9:30
9.	"Fast Taker (Live)"		3:57
10.	"Death Tone (Live)"		5:00
Total length:			48:45

Cover versions

• Thrash metal band Overkill covered the song "Death Tone" on their 1999 album Coverkill.^[17]
• 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.^[18]
• Finnish symphonic power metal band Beast in Black covered the song "Battle Hymn" on their 2021 album Dark Connection.^[19]
• 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

1. "New Releases" (PDF). FMQB. June 11, 1982. p. 31. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
2. Gett 1982, p. 25-26.
3. "General News: Rock 'n' Rolling" (PDF). Billboard. Billboard. June 12, 1982. Retrieved December 30, 2024.
4. Popoff 2011, p. 146.
5. 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.
6. "Manowar founder recalls heavy metal recordings with Orson Welles". Wellesnet. August 11, 2017. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
7. Rivadavia, Eduardo. Battle Hymns at AllMusic
8. Popoff 2005, p. 212.
9. Larkin 2006, p. 485.
10. Begrand 2007.
11. Young 1982, p. 49.
12. Kordosh 1982, p. 15-16.
13. BLABBERMOUTH.NET - MANOWAR: 'Battle Hymns 2011' Release Dates Announced
14. 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.
15. Jad (March 16, 2022). "Ross The Boss slams Manowar for re-recording old albums". Chaoz Zine. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
16. Magic Circle Music (November 26, 2010). Battle Hymns MMXI (CD). Manowar. Magic Circle Music. MCA 01243-2.
17. "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.
18. Pablo Folgueira. "Burning Witches - Dance with the devil" (in Spanish). Metal Cry. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
19. 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.

Sources

• Popoff, Martin (November 1, 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. ISBN 978-1894959315.
• Popoff, Martin (2011). Black Sabbath FAQ: All That's Left to Know on the First Name in Metal. Milwaukee: Backbeat Books. pp. 146–160. ISBN 978-0-87930-957-2.
• Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 5 (4th ed.). London, England: Muze and Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-531373-4.
• Young, Jon (November 1982). "HIT AND RUN: MANOWAR (Liberty LT-51125)". Trouser Press. No. 79. Trouser Press.
• Gett, Steve (August 1982). "MANOWAR: Interview by Steve Gett". Kerrang!. Kerrang!. p. 25-26.
• Kordosh, John (December 1982). "MANOWAR... Just Because". Creem. CREEM Magazine LLC. Retrieved December 30, 2024.
• Begrand, Adrien (March 25, 2007). "Fight or Flight: The Dichotomy of Manowar". PopMatters. PopMatters. Retrieved December 30, 2024.

External links

• Lyrics at Genius.com
• Official artist website