The Batlord

****in' history right here, bros. The first thing Manowar ever released. Both of these songs are on the debut, so we're not getting anything we haven't heard before. The only difference is the production, which, being a demo, is thin and ****ty. It's not a big deal for "Shell Shock", which is a basic trad metal song, but "Battle Hymn" is an atmospheric song, and the weak production doesn't do it any justice -- which is to be expected -- making it feel distant rather than stirring.

The interesting thing to me is just how early on the band were playing with the slower, heavy aspect of their sound which they would truly develop on their second and third albums. It makes me wonder if they didn't quite have everything together to make the debut more like those two, or if they just weren't confident enough to make an album like that right off the bat. Given how they tacked "Warlord" onto the front of Into Glory Ride for seemingly no apparent reason, that would seem likely, but it's also understandable that a new band would be cautious in their early days. Of course, it may have just been a case of not wanting to waste so many good songs like "Metal Daze" and "Fast Taker".

So, an interesting historical artifact, but certainly not required listening for anyone but a Mano-nerd like me. Glad I've heard it, so now I can go listen to the good stuff on Battle Hymns.

P.S. It's nice to see the boys were keepin' it classy from day one. If the black and white cover with the naked chicks wasn't so hard to make out I probably wouldn't be able to show it.

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