Review Summary: Manowar keeps on going, though no one knows why.
With their last album, Manowar took their posturing in the name of "true metal" to new heights. Gods Of War was not just a concept album, but a heavily orchestrated concept album that would be the first in a series depicting the various Norse Gods. The idea would be hard to swallow for fans of any band, but for those fans of Manowar, this was nothing out of the ordinary. Manowar has always been a band that aimed higher than their talent would carry them, and Gods Of War was no exception. The album was a mess, a collection of standard issue Manowar songs sandwiched in between copious amounts of orchestration and voice over narration. The first real song didn't come until after two, yes two, orchestral introductions. The album plodded along, finding little in the way of melody, replacing most of the classic Manowar attitude with string arrangements, trading in energy for 'maturity'. The mature Manowar on display was quite simply boring.
Thunder In The Sky is the EP giving us a tease of the upcoming full length album, Hammer Of The Gods. The album will be the second devoted to Norse mythology, and the first in what is being billed as The Asgard Saga. Not content just to make concept albums, Manowar has outdone themselves. The saga will, when completed, consist of a concept album, an accompanying book depicting the story, a video game, and possibly a movie. This is the kind of big idea that only Manowar would feel comfortable even thinking about. Of course, that's because most bands have the good sense to know when enough is enough.
The most noticeable thing that comes from Thunder In The Sky is that absolutely nothing has changed. The title track kicks things off with a simple metal riff, exactly like dozens of already heard Manowar songs. The tempo is the same, the tone is the same, and the riff itself may very well be the same as something Joey and the boys have already written. The song has nothing to offer, as the same two riffs plod the song through its paces, Eric Adams giving nothing in the way of a melody to break up the boredom. He is in fine voice, as he has been throughout Manowar's career, and as has been the case for the past fifteen years, he is sorely misplaced being in this band. Joey DeMaio's songwriting is lackluster, retreading the same guitar riffs obviously written by a bassist that have become his stock in trade, his lyrics about battle and swords tired even to the devoted fan. The shift the band made towards concept albums may sound like an adventurous move, until you realize that it enables them to write the exact same songs as always, but package them as something new. Karl Logan is fittingly uninspired, his dry tone as bored as his playing. The riffs flow with no energy, and his solos are embarrassing battles with his whammy bar, eschewing anything in the way of tasteful phrasing. He is the worst of the three players to don the role in Manowar, and has yet to show an inclination to be otherwise.
"Let The Gods Decide" abandons the band's calls for 'true metal', rehashing an 80's cock rock riff in the intro, before turning the song into a clone of the title track. Adams again spits his vocals well, but has nothing worth singing. Apparently, good melodies are not 'metal' enough. "Father" is the first single from the album, and was recorded in sixteen different languages for their fans around the world. That fact is the most interesting thing about the song. "Father" is a Manowar ballad, with Adams singing cleanly over picked acoustic guitars in the first half, before the song turns into a sweeping string arrangement in the second half. Adams does his best with the song, and in truth, it is the best piece of material here. Unfortunately, it is still below par, and does nothing to sell the upcoming album.
The rest of the EP is made up of retreads. "Die With Honor" was a single released last year, and is infinitely better than any of the new material. It doesn't reach the heights of classic Manowar, but it comes closest, boasting both the swagger and craftsmanship of the band's early days. "The Crown & The Ring" is a rerecording of a song from the Kings Of Metal album, and is almost entirely a vocal track, cleverly subtitled the "metal version".
Manowar is using this EP to get the blood flowing in anticipation of their new album, the most ambitious undertaking of their career. The only thing that Thunder In The Sky does is remind us of how far the band has fallen. What was once a classic heavy metal band has become a bloated corpse floating in the musical river. Until Joey and the boys come up with a fresh idea of where they want to take the band, they have nothing left to give.
Thunder In The Sky is convincing: it is a compelling argument to avoid the upcoming Hammer Of The Gods entirely. I know I will.
