Fighting the World

For four albums, Manowar blazed a self-appointed crusade for "True Metal," devoid of image or any commercial leanings, only to sign with a major label and sell out immediately. Practice what you preach, indeed. The songs on 1987's Fighting the World are actually a slight improvement over the band's previous offering Sign of the Hammer, but they are betrayed by the excessively clean production job herein. "Blow Your Speakers" and "Carry On" are blatant MTV contestants, and the big drumming of the title track sounds more like disco than metal. After getting the singles out of the way, the band carried on with business as usual (for the most part) for the album's second half. Particularly interesting is "Defender," another epic vehicle for an Orson Wells narration, the frenetic "Holy War," and the final Armageddon of "Black Wind, Fire and Steel."