Review Summary: A sign of what Manowar can truly be capable of
Released a mere three months after Hail to England, Sign of the Hammer might be the most overlooked album of Manowar’s classic era. While the mid-tempo bravado on the opening “All Men Play on 10” suggests more of the band’s usual arrogance, the other songs have an almost understated demeanor that feels like they wanted to keep their heads down and just focus purely on their craft for once. While this attitude could’ve resulted in an unexceptional stopgap, it ends up offering its own set of quirks and personality.
For starters, Sign of the Hammer might be the fastest album under the Manowar banner. “Thor (The Powerhead)” and the title track pair upbeat riffs with some especially soaring hooks rife with splendid backing choirs while “The Oath” features some of their most breakneck chugs and vocals delivered with rapid fire menace. Even the hard rock regression of “Animals” injects some serious speed into its rough and tumble setup.
The band’s token epics also have an almost profound air to them, executed with decidedly slower tempos and measured moods compared to their usual bombast. “Mountains” feels like a rare moment of introspection as its hazy atmosphere and building chorus carry lyrics devoted to exploring a sense of purpose and one’s place in the world with hope in place of hubris. It’s no doubt uncanny to see the closing “Guyana (Cult of the Damned)” take a venture into the *real world* with its Jonestown theme but its haunting rhythms and explosive chorus capture a forlorn portrayal without the camp of a “Bridge of Death.”
Hell, even the sequences when they dip into their cringiest cheese come with the slightest hint of restraint. The sex lyrics on “Animals” are no doubt goofy but we can at least take comfort that the song doesn’t seem to be about ***ing somebody underage this time. It’s also pretty mind-blowing to see one of DeMaio’s bass solos have an actual point to it, as the methodical crawl on “Thunderpick” is designed to be a drawn-out prelude to the final epic rather than his typical disconnected self-indulgence.
Overall, Sign of the Hammer is secretly Manowar’s best album. While it comes with the usual style and subjects expected from the band, their execution has never been so consistent and even mindful with how focused it stays on tight structuring and powerful performances. It’s especially commendable to see this be pulled off with such a tight turnaround and is enough to make one wonder how Hail to England could’ve turned out had it been given this much consideration. Manowar is the sort of group that can’t and frankly never should convert their skeptics, but this is a sign of what they can truly be capable of.
