Battle Hymns was released on June 14, 1982, by Liberty Records. The album was supported with a tour with Ted Nugent and Pat Travers, where Manowar was a supporting act. They were later "booted" out of that tour after they reportedly got more audience response than Nugent and Travers. The promotion and press interviews for the band and album Battle Hymns also included one of the earlier instances of Manowar exploring the ethos of "true metal": Joey DeMaio asserts in a 1982 Sounds interview: "American audiences don't know what true heavy metal is. They really don't have a taste of metal. They don't have Motörhead or anything like them", while Ross "The Boss" Friedman expressed disapproval for new wave and "bubblegum" music, and concern for the perceived decline of the "rock 'n' roll soul".

At the time of the release, the reception of the album was initially negative, and the band was at one point considered a novelty. Writing for Trouser Press in November 1982, Jon Young noted and praised the guitar works of Ross The Boss, but singled out other members for "[failing] to pack comparable punch", and the production for having the "sonic consistency of a cardboard". Similarly, Ethlie Ann Vare, for her syndicated column Rock On, in September 1982, remarked that Battle Hymns "is totally unlistenable for anyone but the most dedicated metallurgist" and "it'll make your eardrums bleed."

John Kordosh, writing for Creem magazine observed and contended that Manowar was a serious heavy metal band, in December 1982, emphasising the track "Metal Daze" and the title track "Battle Hymn", as highlights of the album, and favorably referred to Joey DeMaio as a "virtuoso" on the bass guitar, alongside Ross the Boss on electric guitar. Tim Sommer, writing for Sounds was cautiously favorable, writing that Battle Hymns is "a pretty good showcase of Manowar's mutant hard rock", describing it as "extreme, persistant stuff resounding with majesty, chops, and clarity". Sommer clarified that the songs were "sometimes great, occasionally, medium duff". As such, the album did not have noteworthy sales, awards, or recognitions.

Over the years, Battle Hymns strongly influenced heavy metal and power metal, and paved the way for Manowar's strong cult following, which musicians, critics and journalists have since acknowledged. Writing for AllMusic, Eduardo Rivadavia was favorable to the musicianship of Ross the Boss and Joey DeMaio, and called the debut album "a promising start" despite the perceived "heavy metal clichés" and "thin" music production. The album, Battle Hymns MMXI, was drummer Donnie Hamzik's first studio recording with Manowar since the original 1982 Battle Hymns release. Orson Welles having died 25 years before, the narration during "Dark Avenger" was recorded by Sir Christopher Lee.

Ross the Boss, who left the band in 1988 on bad terms, was not included in the making of the re-recorded album. He complained that good albums cannot be re-recorded, that he was left out of it, and that the songs were altered to accommodate Eric Adams' current singing style.

Track listing

All songs by Ross the Boss and Joey DeMaio, except where indicated.

Cover versions

  • Thrash metal band Overkill covered the song "Death Tone" on their 1999 album Coverkill.
  • Traditional metal band Seven Witches covered the song "Metal Daze" on their 1999 album Second War in Heaven.
  • The song "Battle Hymn" has been covered by German heavy metal band Majesty.
  • Swiss Heavy Metal band Burning Witches covered the song "Battle Hymn" on their 2020 album Dance With The Devil.
  • Finnish symphonic power metal band Beast in Black covered the song "Battle Hymn" on their 2021 album Dark Connection.
  • German band Tankard covered "Fast Taker" on the re-release of their album Disco Destroyer.
  • American traditional metal band Slough Feg covered "Fast Taker" on a split single with Solstice.

References

Sources

  • Lyrics at Genius.com
  • Official artist website