No stranger to fans of heavy metal, Manowar is here releasing their first mini album. This two disc release comes in a nice digipak w/cardboard sleeve. Disc one is a CD with 3 brand new songs and 2 exclusive live tracks from the band's live performance at Earthshaker Fest 2005. Disc two is a DVD with a 5.1 Surround Sound Mix of the album along with a slideshow, a rehearsal of "Heart of Steel" with a choir and orchestra before a performance, a promotional trailer for Earthshaker Fest 2005, and a Fan Convention Documentary that was actually really cool at first and gave a great glimpse into the band and their fans, but eventually turned in a near-porno. So it's basically one of those things that you'll never watch more than once if you have any morals at all.

As for the music on the disc, this is classic Manowar. Heavy metal played thunderously loud and with passion. Two of the songs are basically instrumentals, then there is the great song "King of Kings" that will have you singing along all day along with it's catchy chorus and up-tempo pace. Next up is the fantastic new anthem "Gods of War" with lyrics that will cause any live audience to shout in unison, and soaring guitars that you can't help but play air guitar to. And then there is the solid, fist-pumping classic, "The Sons of Odin." If you are a fan of Manowar or bands like Rhapsody this is definitely something you will have no problems getting into. The only problem is the small amount of music since this only clocks in at 24 minutes.

I was much more impressed with this album than their first. Not as much of the high-pitched vocals and they seemed to have found their sound here. The music and lyrics get even more complex. Lyrically, on this album and practically all their albums, you might need a Bible, cross-reference, dictionary, set of encyclopedias, etc. to understand what they're getting at...addressing spiritual issues with medical descriptions, singing against "new age" thinking, and covering difficult topics . The songs are original and absolutely amazing. There's even some rap (by P.I.D. ...no, not P.O.D.) on the tune "Spineless" and this was released back before there was even such a thing known as rapcore. This album still remains one of my favorites from Tourniquet.

Ten years after this album was first issued, Psycho Surgery was re-issued and the title became one word Psychosurgery. Not only was their a slight name change, but this album was also re-mastered and includes 5 bonus tracks. While an original release of this album may be considered a collectable or rare CD, the re-issue is totally worth having. The re-mastered sound quality is top-notch. The bonus tracks include 2 live songs (A Dog's Breakfast & Broken Chromosomes), 2 demo songs (Stereotaxic Atrocities & A Dog's Breakfast) and the concert intro for 2000.

Whether you get an original or a re-issue, you'll see that this is some of the best early Tourniquet material. But add up the re-mastered sound, bonus tracks, new liner notes and different pictures and you'll see why I recommend the re-issue. Best songs: "Psycho Surgery," "A Dog's Breakfast," "Spineless" and "Broken Chromosomes."