Manowar - The Lord of Steel (2012)
You know, I find myself liking this album a little more each time I listen to it. "Why's that?" you ask. Are there things about it that you didn't notice the first time? Are the compositions so clever that they take more than one listen to appreciate? Is
The Lord of Steel just so mind-alteringly amazing that its magic enthralls you anew with each spin?
**** no.
I like this album better than yesterday simply because I've given up on finding anything worth listening to, and so now I'm willing to settle for this third-rate gutter trash, like that fat, toothless chick in a tube top still waiting around at last call.
This is pretty much the same tepid hard rock/metal from
Louder than Hell, except without any songs that you might actually want to listen to afterward. The guitar and riffs are all interchangeable and unmemorable, the vocals tired and indifferent, and the songs themselves have absolutely no soul. Manowar has dropped more than a few balls in their time, but even then there was something to be redeemed:
Louder than Hell and
Fighting the World were both watered down and relatively dull, but still had some fine tunes,
Warriors of the World was uneven as hell, but the songs that did work were some of the best of Manowar's career, and even though
Gods of War was boring, overblown nonsense with only a few good songs, at least it failed while trying.
Manowar has simply gone the path of least resistance with this album, not even bothering to pretend as if they still give a ****. The songs suck, the band sounds as if they'd rather be elsewhere, and I proudly declare that they didn't see a cent for the album I am currently listening to.
**** this ****. This is not acceptable. There is a difference between a band past their prime, and a band who are simply embarrassing themselves -- and even by Manowar's standards, this takes a **** all over that line. Fix this ****, Manowar. Or quit. Just don't release another piece of garbage like this.
****ing *******s.