by Manowar’s third album, Fighting The World, was released on February 17, 1987. Even though it only brings 35 minutes with 9 songs to tape, and two of the nine songs are solely intermezzos, it can still be considered a full-length album, not an EP, given its legendary stance.
The album kicks off with the title track, Fighting The World, one of the most classic Manowar songs to date and a true heavy metal anthem. The uptempo is perfect to start the album, and definitely a must-play song at any rock party.
Track 2, Blow Your Speakers, continues the rock party atmosphere, and the cut-time groove brings a new feel to the metaphorical turntable. It somehow sounds like a more adult and rougher version of Beastie Boys’ Fight For Your Right To Party.
Carry On, track 3, starts with a balladesque intro, but the listener is soon introduced to the real nature of the song, an uptempo melodic rock anthem. I especially like the harmonious choirs shouting ‘Carry On’. ZZ Top’s Afterburner (1985)
The intro to Violence And Bloodshed, track 4, is characterised by sirens and sounds of demolition, then, a straight monotonous uptempo beat fades in. The verse is based on a 1-chord riff, which is not really a riff, but a straight-8th palm-mute shred. Nonetheless, the song works and brings a fresh feel to the album. Also, the guitar solo shreds away on the 8th palm-mute groove and it is very entertaining. Not as bad as I thought the song would turn out to be.
Defender enters with a strong bass intro to show off Joey DeMaio’s incredible musicianship. The intro is narrated to introduce the story of the song. The song continues with the feel and mood that the previous track laid down. No rock-party mood anymore, but a more melodramatic heavy metal atmosphere. The slow tempo of the song gives a good variety to the mostly uptempo songs on the record.
Drums of Doom is an intermezzo track that depicts horses running from left to right of the audio spectrum and rolling drums underline the atmosphere.
The next track, Holy War, continues with the same tempo that Drums of Doom introduces. This is the first song that is characterised by a double-bass drumbeat, which enters in the chorus. Personally, Holy War is the weakest song on the album. It just feels like a placeholder for a better song. The musical breaks don’t seem creative and the lyrics are too cliché.
Track 8, Master Of Revenge, is the second intermezzo.
The ending song of the album, Black Wind, Fire and Steel, brings listeners exactly what they expect from Manowar, an uptempo double-bass drum beat that underlines harmonious choirs accompanied by shredding guitars. The song is a good last song, given that it encapsulates all facets of the album. Black Wind, Fire and Steel ends the album in a similar mood like Fighting The World opens it. It’s an anthem-like metal song that inspires its listeners to raise their fists in the air and shout out loud.
In short
Fighting the world is a solid heavy metal album with a couple of legendary songs that any metalhead wants to listen to on an occasional basis. Even though it’s relatively short in length, and the production might not be as high-gloss and perfect as more contemporary Manowar albums, it is still an album that often hits my headphones and accompanies me through the urban city jungle. The lyrics are very cliché in many instances and the concept might not be as clear as in other albums, but it is not that bad. Fighting The World is still a legendary record and even if the grade I gave below is objectively low, subjectively we must say that this is a must-have album for all you metalheads out there.
Album grade:
Lyrics 5/10
Musicianship 9/10
Production 7/10
Concept 6/10
Total grade 6.75/10
