Kingcrimsonprog A lot of people like to make fun of the legendary American Heavy Metal band Manowar, and the cover-art and lyrics to their sophomore album Into Glory Ride often come into the firing line. I don’t like to criticize music too much on these sorts of aspects (I’m an avowed Nu Metal apologist, so I’m not going to start being hypocritical and judge Manowar on non-musical terms either), but I will say one thing, no matter how much I enjoy the band this is by far and away my least favourite record they’ve released to date.

I know it might be blasphemy to some, as many people consider this 1983 record to be an absolute classic, but this really isn’t what I’m looking for in a Manowar record, personally. I like my Manowar fun. I like my Manowar beefy. I most of all like my Manowar fast. Where Into Glory Ride falls down for me is that it is mostly doomy, slow, and ponderous. Its not just a speed thing though, there’s also the energy, the ‘umph’ …a lot of these songs just sound a bit tame, they don’t rip. They’re not exactly samey per sae but there’s a certain lack of something special with the tracks that makes them feel sort of forgettable to me. After the opener ‘Warlord’ which is like an OK version of what the band were doing on their debut, and ‘Revelation (Death’s Angel)’ which is a decent tune, there’s really nothing that interests me, nothing I look forward to seeing in concert, and nothing I’d want on a compilation or playlist.

This is just personal preference, but I’d rather have one hundred bangers like ‘Wheels Of Fire’ ‘Ride The Dragon’ ‘Outlaw’ or ‘House Of Death’ than something as hard work as ‘Hatred.’ I might go on say that the production isn’t that great, but in fairness neither is the production on the albums preceding and following it and it doesn’t stop me enjoying them too much. There’s no denying the talent that the band display, the classic status of the record, and the importance of it to the band’s career, but I just don’t particularly care that much for this set of songs.

I feel almost obliged to say something more positive about it because I know some people hold this in huge esteem. I’ll give it this, at least its original… there’s no other Manowar album like it. I like hearing the band with youthful energy, I like hearing Scott Colombus’ interesting wallopy drums. I love Eric’s powerful vocals. This album, simply not for me though.

Warthur Manowar's second album feels like a restatement of the first without the musical growth or polish that would characterise Hail to England or Sign of the Hammer. It's not bad - not bad at all, in fact - but it feels a little lightweight compared to other early Manowar works.

Of course, "lightweight" is a relative term when you're talking about True Metal - Revelation (Death's Angel), in particular, never fails to get my blood rushing. On the other hand, pieces like Gloves of Metal take a little too long about the "celebration of how awesome heavy metal is" deal. Later, Manowar would learn to keep those tracks short and keep the longer running times for the fantasy epics, but here their pacing feels a little off.

In addition, the production feels a little thin and anemic compared to the preceding and successive albums; between this and a skit about having sex with 16 year old girls and getting caught by their parents which has aged incredibly poorly (are the band members trying to give us the impression they go after young girls? Not a great look), I can't say I'd go out of my way to listen to this one if I had the option to hear Battle Hymns, Hail to England, or Sign of the Hammer instead.

AtomicCrimsonRush "Battle Hymns did sound the call you came to our side, you heard true metal Into Glory Ride!"

Manowar came out with a blaze of glory on their first 2 albums and the lyrics and image made many take notice, for the wrong reasons. Despite the Norse warrior posing, the music always spoke volumes, no nonsense riffs and power metal with some scorching lead breaks on each song and the vocals powered out by Adams.

Ross' Lead work is excellent though the production is rather muddy as it is on a lot of these early Manowar albums. Highlights are found with the killer opener Warlord especially the unforgettable intro where an irate father bursts in on two lovers in the act, and the bikie has a fight and ends up smashing the father and running out into the night laughing like a maniac - this was the 80s and anything goes when metal was king.

Revelation (Death's Angel)is another highlight focussing on the last book of the Bible and moving into many riffs and a sense of grandeur that is imposed by Adams bombastic vocals and very heavy percussion by the late great Columbus. Its an album to relish for all these reasons but was surpassed easily by the next 2 albums.

TerryDactyl Ahhhh, yes! Manowar's second album comes barnstorming in like a pillaging horde of barbarian warriors. Or like a sleazy guy having an affair with an underage girl (she's only sixteen!) and the Manowar template is now complete. No more seventies rock sounds coming from these grooves, and it's on Megaforce Records so it for surely is 100 percent metal! No label in 1983 knew what was metal more than Megaforce.

I don't consider "Into Glory Ride" any less awesome than the other first six Manowar albums. In fact it's a near perfect slab of Metal bombast that showcases the band's newfound abilities to write and perform the truest of metal, full throttle forceful and open, there's no boundaries here for the first time and maybe they do a little too much with their freedom but hey, if a band goes a little overboard that's fine, much better than self-conscious restraint or even worse posing badassery that can't be backed up at all. I'm not saying that it matters if Manowar could beat me up or not (which they probably could) but that they believe utterly in their ability to beat me up is important. I want my True metal to really ravish me, ya know, not just poke me in the ribs and bow its arms at me. This record goes a long way toward making one feel nearly violated and that is a good thing.

Generally I like the second side more than the first on this one, the three long songs are great, all of them, and I don't really have a favorite among them, though I'm inclined to say that it's "Hatred" I love the most here.

"Gates of Valhalla" "Revelation (Death's Angel)" "March for Revenge (by the Soldiers of Death)" all have that holy Thor and hades feel about them, can't go wrong with it really, let's go cross yon river of blood and make sure the lamentations of the women are heard.