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Originally Posted by Unknown Soldier
The only oddity on the album is the opener “Warlord” which really belongs on the debut and not here, it kind of reminds me of “Invaders” on Iron Maiden’s The Number of the Beast album, as a song that just didn’t really fit on that album either.
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Yeah, it really has no place on the album, and is possibly one of, if not the most inappropriate songs to start an album of all time, regardless of it being one of their best songs of all time (love that song so much). I see it as basically a cop out. I think the band was nervous about starting the album with a song as inaccessible as most of the rest of the songs on the album, so they chose a more user friendly song that was just completely confusing next to the rest of the album.
It's kind of Manowar in a nutshell. They make fun music, but have no common sense or taste. Any other band would have instinctively realized what a stupid idea putting "Warlord" on the album was, let alone starting off with it would have been, but Manowar are Manowar, and so it is what it is. I love those morons.
Honestly, even if it would mean being deprived of the gloriousness of "Warlord", I think they should have cut that out and started with "Gloves of Metal": it's anthemic enough and accessible enough for an opener, and gives a perfect statement of intent. A six song album might be too short, but it would have made more sense.
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Overall Into Glory Ride would be the band at their most creative and they were totally dedicated here in what they were doing, before they entered into their best known period that would start on their next album Hail to England.
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Totally agree. Honestly, I think
Hail to England was a bit of a cop out as well (though it's still fantabulous). It was possibly their most solid album of all time --
Battle Hymns didn't really have much in the way of duds, but it also wasn't particularly inventive either, barring those two songs you mentioned -- but it also pulled back the reigns on the sound they'd put out with
Into Glory Ride.
I understand why. I mean, they couldn't always pull off what they wanted with
Into Glory Ride, so it makes sense that they would make a more accessible version of it that didn't require as much effort, but it makes
Into Glory Ride the greatest gem in their crown, as they never really went all out like that again.
Triumph of Steel was only half experimental, as the second half was a far safer bet, obviously meant to cater to the people who weren't picking up what they were putting down with "Achilles" (like me TBH).