Dated but oh so good

The only other Manowar album I own is Kings Of Metal, which I got before this one. I have to say that at first I was disappointed with this album. Kings Of Metal was faster and more refined, resembling power metal. The music here is significantly slower, resembling a cross between AC/DC and early Iron Maiden. Getting used to the sound was what was needed. However, I have now totally fallen for this album. Strong guitar and bass work, fantastic vocal delivery and quite simply memorable songs are what make this so good.

I now consider Eric Adams to be one of the finest vocalists I've ever heard. He was great on Kings Of Metal and he is great here. He has a fantastic range, a powerful delivery and a fierce passion. Joey DeMaio is also one of the finest bass players in metal, alongside Steve Harris, John Myung and Cliff Burton. His style and sound fits the music perfectly and he doesn't merely follow the guitar (listen to the sound of that bass at the beginning of Fast Taker). Not to mention guitarist Ross Friedman, AKA Ross The Boss. He not only has a good technical skill, but his solos also compliment the songs brilliantly. He has a very bluesy style that is not normally associated with hard rock/metal.

Further, the lyrics here are better than those on Kings Of Metal, dealing with Vietnam veterans rather than motorbikes, sex slaves and wars in the name of metal. Not to mention that this is on the whole less cheesy. Yes, it does sound dated and no, this isn't for every rock/metal fan (especially if you prefer power metal to traditional 80s heavy metal), but on the whole this is a strong debut.

Gospel of Metal.

I got this album when it first came out and I've worshipped it ever since. Yes, Manowar are cheesy at times and even silly but they are great. They have played it straight for decades, never blinking and while they put out some horrid songs "Fighting the World and Blow Your Speakers" this first album is full of gems.

I think Manowar was better when R. Friedman aka Ross the Boss did more writing but we all know Joey DeMaio (the most underappreciated rock bassist) is a control freak egomaniac and limited Ross' input. Let's not forget Ross' great guitar work with the Dictators, where he shone even brighter.

Battle Hymns has never been surpassed by Manowar, nor most bands, it's an epic masterpiece which had their most intelligent lyrics (Death Tone, Shellshock) and set up the notch for fast fingers (William's Tale) and I was fortunate to see them on the Battle Hymns tour. They are ALWAYS great live.
HAIL HAIL HAIL!!!

Manowar - 'Battle Hymms' (EMI)

Originally released in 1982 as this is the classic debut record from Manowar.This is the legit release,taken direct from the master tapes.Believe there used to be a piss-poor quality bootleg of this title in circulation several years back.It's easy to describe Manowar's music,L-O-U-D&HEAVY,I MEAN H-E-A-V-Y M-E-T-A-L!!You know,the kind that can get you evicted from your apartment if you play the record on '10' enough times.All eight tracks totally rip,but the best are the in-your-face opener "Death Tone","Metal Daze",the band's namesake "Manowar" and "Dark Avenger".Sort of dug the Orson Welles narration that goes along with the disc.For any 'newcomers' that may be reading this,'Battle Hymms' should appeal to fans of Bathory,Hammerfall,Slayer and maybe Testament.

May come to some fans as a shock

Manowar, the band you either love or hate. I personally love Manowar and they are one of my most favorite bands. When I finally came around to buying Manowar's 1982 debut album Battle Hymns I had heard almost all of there latter albums. So initially Battle Hymns came as a shock to me. Not because its bad but because it was different. Though similar to their second album, Battle Hymns sounded very different from the Manowar I knew. Not near as fast, not nearly as well produced, and extremely dated sounding. Does it make it bad? Oh hell no. This is still Manowar all the way through, just at their young roughly produced best. Though they would go on to do better material, Battle Hymns still stands up to be a classic in their long catologue (This band is actually older than Metallica!). So if your a fan and haven't heard Battle Hymns yet, just don't expect Kings of Metal and you will end up loving it.

This Band Is Great

I don't care how many people call Manowar cheesy or silly. There are few metal bands that I heard that have the passion and power of this band, not to mention musical ability.

Don't listen to those people. Buy a Manowar album and judge for yourself.

True Metal...Manowar!!!

Manowar's debut have had good reviews even in metal-hating magazines. It starts with "Death Tone"...where's a motor cycle beginning. It is quite basic heavy metal...it has a good riff... The next song is "Metal Daze", a true metal song. "Heavy metal...metal daze..." the choir is excellent...that's Manowar's trade mark. "Fast Taker" is a fast song...like you can easily guess. "Shell Shock" is the only song I don't like this album...it's a little bit like a peaceful and slow pop song...but the next song "Manowar" is a true metal song like "Metal Daze"..."Manowar born to live forever...". That was their live gig opener for many years. "Dark Avenger" is a dark song and the lyrics tell about a war..."Burning Death Destruction...Raping Daughters And Wives...". There's also a story in it. The next song is an instrumental one...but it's a great one. You can feel and hear the rhythm of it. "Battle Hymn" is a classic!!! It is a war song...and it is even more famous than "Bridge of Death" or "March for Revenge"...Manowar studio albums' last songs have always been great...until "Warriors of the World" was released. You can feel the power of honorable warriors...metal warriors...this is the metal song about the war of music...metal music should win it!!!

Stars: Battle Hymn, Metal Daze, Dark Avenger, Manowar