Review Summary: For how much bigger they wanted this album to be, it’s ironically best suited to the already indoctrinated
Fighting the World will forever be known as Manowar’s sellout record by design, but you can’t really accuse the band of losing themselves in the process. The opening title track sees their signature tropes streamlined but undiminished with a simple but driving drum beat setting up a balanced bass/guitar pairing, and the already boisterous vocals are boosted by equally rowdy backing. They may want to be a more commercial presence but they aren’t gonna ask politely to make it happen…
…is what I would say had that assertion not been immediately offset by the next couple songs. “Blow Your Speakers” and “Carry On” are among the most awkward tracks of Manowar’s early era, the former pairs its radio aspirations with a bright mid-tempo set of hooks while the latter’s motivational lyrics come with a cheerful chug and the backing vocals are their most saccharine. Neither song is outright awful but the blatantly pandering sing-alongs come off as unnatural and cloyingly insincere.
The rest of the album applies the polished production to more adventurous ends though the songwriting still falls short of the band’s best. “Violence and Bloodshed” and “Holy War” offer a neat change of pace with their speedy layouts but the basslines can feel a bit too digitized while “Defender” feels more propped up by wistful atmosphere and posthumous Orson Welles narration than offering anything particularly substantial. Fortunately, the closing “Black Wind, Fire, and Steel” comes close to a proper palette cleanse while pointing the way forward with its furious double bass speeds.
Overall, Fighting the World isn’t bad so much as unfocused. If anything, it’s the sort of album that reinforces Manowar’s distinctly niche appeal as their individual quirks are just fundamentally incompatible with mainstream sensibilities. Such a shortcoming could be spun as a strength in any other context but here makes for decent songs that don’t quite come together beyond the bookending barnburners. For how much bigger they wanted this album to be, it’s ironically best suited to those already indoctrinated.
