Review Summary: Somehow deeply flawed yet absolutely essential
With all the hard rock-isms of Manowar’s first two albums behind them for the time being, Hail to England could be regarded as one of their purest releases. The more fantastical immersion seen on “Blood of My Enemies” sets itself apart from the band’s past openers as its building bass/guitar fanfare gradually gives way to the sort of pounding march and swelling chorus previously reserved for their epic closers. There’s no time for motorcycle cosplaying this time around, you are fully immersed in Manowar’s realm.
The next four songs do well to sustain the momentum of such an impactful opener and flesh out the aesthetic. A slinky bass chug and lower vocals make “Each Dawn I Die” out to be one of the band’s most esoteric tracks while “Kill With Power” throws some wild curveballs with its muscular drumming, driving yet fragmented riffs, and maniacal laughs amidst the berserker howls. The title track and “Army of the Immortals” contrast those extremes with a more celebratory air, the former offering a fun tribute to the British Isles’ place in heavy metal history and the latter celebrating their ravenous fanbase with a peppy montage-ready set of hooks.
Alas, the goodwill established by this relentless onslaught of scorching anthems is threatened by the absolute dog*** that is “Black Arrows.” While Joey DeMaio’s bass solo tracks can generally be dismissed as the harmless filler they often are, this one is a true endurance test of directionless shredding beset by his white noise distortion at its most unpleasant. That three-minute length is just long enough for the listener to cycle back and forth between agony and comedy, especially during the spots where he tries to inject a little “Eruption” flavor, and a reminder of how often these guys really are their own worst enemy. Whenever somebody talks about how a given song is the worst they’ve ever heard, I find myself asking “but is it really as bad as ‘Black Arrows’?”
It’d be hard for anything to follow that mess unscathed but “Bridge of Death” is an interesting course correction. A lengthy closer is standard procedure at this point but the track is unlike anything before it, fully realizing the darker mood merely hinted at on “Each Dawn I Die.” The ominous bass picking, haunting keyboards, and ghostly murmurs form the creepiest mood they’ve put together to date, dipping into borderline blackened territory, and its menacing doom punches make for a different sort of climax. However, the structure feels a little too drawn out and the satanic invocation toward the end is a little too silly for such a bleak context. It’s never quite hit as hard for me as I wish it did but for all the bands like Rotting Christ and Necromantia who were no doubt taking notes, I gotta respect what it’s going for.
As much as I understand how Hail to England has been deemed the most definitive Manowar album in some circles, I find it to be the first sign of their crippling hubris coming into play. While the last two releases saw their style develop with a series of rewarding payoffs, the reverse plays out here as a round of staples is bogged down by a god-awful bass solo and awkward damage control. The first five songs alone could’ve been the greatest EP in USPM history and “Bridge of Death” might’ve even worked without the track before it. Taken for what it is, it’s somehow deeply flawed yet absolutely essential.
