review by: Mladen Škot
I confess. Recently, I have been neglecting Manowar. With all the other CDs arriving, I've been saving the Kings of Metal for a special occasion, or for really tough times. Well, the occasion is here and now. No excuses. And, brothers and sisters of metal — here I stand before you, with Manowar's first ever EP. And with some newly grown chest hair.
Manowar call The Sons of Odin a "mini CD" — but what is so "mini" about a huge three-fold digipak with a CD and a bonus DVD? I had to build a damned altar to keep it on (of course, after having showed it to everyone, it's just so... lovely). I suppose it looks small in Manowar's hands.
The music on the CD is also nowhere near being small. The five songs on it are a preview to the next album and the upcoming DVD — and they are huge and triumphant. The first two tracks are recorded live: "The Ascension" is an intro, featuring a 100-piece orchestra and a 100-person choir. Not too much for Manowar, right? Really not, because when Eric Adams enters, he defeats them all. The man simply has the best voice in metal, period. And if you're going to say that (insert a poser name) is better — no. He's not. And he's probably gay. Fuck off. This is the voice that can bring tears to the eyes of half the population of cold-blooded Germany, hot-blooded South America and anywhere between.
Then, "King of Kings" — a typical Manowar adrenalin song, like "Ride the Dragon" or "Outlaw." From the beginning, two bass drums and the simple guitar just serve as a background for Adams's singing, telling the story of a soon-to-be king, but exploding in the chorus — simply by raising his voice. After all the years, this voice is still strong and ferocious, and the way Adams changes the colour according to the lyrics has never really been matched.
Of course, being flawless is a natural consequence of having a band leader like Joey DeMaio, who once made him sing the word "the" 120 times until he was satisfied. The signature Karl Logan solo is as good as any he's ever done and the sound is similar to the one on Hell on Stage Live, but rougher (presumably leaving some free space for the orchestra) and actually more brutal.
"Odin" is another instrumental, this time a studio version and it's what the name suggests: a soundtrack to an epic Viking movie without a need for the picture. And the reason this package would be worth its price if it was the only thing in it follows — "Gods of War." Somehow, Manowar have found a blatantly simple and tremendously epic two-chord Viking theme, and the ominous, fatal vocal melody and especially the campfire-friendly chorus (aided by a choir) are something that any self-respecting Manowar fan will want to be played at his funeral. The song has a too long, over-the-top ending — that's the Manowar way. They simply did it because they could.
"The Sons of Odin" is a somewhat unusual track — though it's a continuation of "Warriors of the World"; with the way it progresses and changes pace it needs a couple of spins before it grows on you. It turns into another mid-tempo anthem, with almost too many vocal melodies for Manowar's usual minimalist approach, and ends with a cinematic, spoken outro. Something about the narration about warriors entering Valhalla hints that the next album might be a concept one.
The DVD is actually a Manowar documentary, a report from the 2005 Manowar fan convention, which took place in Germany. And for any real fan, it's almost as good as the music — amongst many things, you can see the contracts Manowar signed with their blood, a Viking re-enactment group, some competitions (beer-drinking, arm-wrestling, screaming and "Miss Manowar 2005"), fans from all over the world (Hey! A Croatian flag!!!), loads of Manowar tattoos and a question-answering session. But the best part are the special appearances — you can finally see Ken Kelly (the illustrator), the Manowar crew (you know, the names you always read in the booklets) and if you've ever wondered what happened to the old members, all are here: Rhino and Donnie Hamzik (drummers) along with guitarists David Shankle and Ross the Boss (both also giving some guitar tips). Since they are still in fairly good condition, may I be the first one to suggest that Manowar takes them all back? Apparently there's some false "heavy" band showing off with three useless and outdated guitarists out there...
As bonus material you can see a rehearsal of "Heart of Steel" (taken with one steadycam walking around the band) and a trailer for the upcoming Earthshaker DVD, so start saving. Why? Well, there are the abovementioned orchestra and the choir, and ALL the ex-members (Including three drum kits!) are on stage! That is, if you need anything more after having seen Adams performing the scream from "Dark Avenger" with Ross the Boss and Hamzik going berserk behind him. Priceless. For those suffering from having too many speakers there are also the 5.1 surround versions of all five tracks, with a slideshow you can watch while playing them. And also there is... wait, that's about it. Sometimes even Manowar has to take a break.
And finally, how to rate The Sons of Odin? Manowar is beyond criticism, you wimps! If you are not a Manowar believer, just forget you've read any of this and go on with your life (And call it a "life" — without Manowar? Might as well call it "without balls"). But if you are, you know that when The Kings of Metal deliver it's always a... (11/10)
