(Rated this album with 8 out of 10) Reviewed by
Christian Jorgensen
from Denmark
Yes, Manowar pounds onward. I will propably catch alot of heat for uttering this, but I think that Sign of the Hammer is a great improvement over Hail to England, which I felt lacked some of the power you expect from Manowar. This time Manowar follow their old reciept, fast and furious metal, mixed with awe-inspiring hymns and exelent musicianship. Even for non-fans there can be no doubt of the technical exelence of the members of the band. The album starts out with All Men Play on 10, a good traditional Manowar tune. After that follows Animals, which I consider the albums weakest track. Thor(The Powerhead) is Manowar as we know them, fast, agressive, in-your-face metal. Mountains a Vietnam-hymn, and a traditional Manowar power-balad, is just as awe-inspiring as one would expect. The Oath and Thunderpick are good tunes too, although I feel that the title track and Guyana(Cult of the Damned) stand out here. Both I feel are Manowar classics. I doubt any Manowar fan would be disapointed in this album. It contains all the qualities that you would expect from the Kings of Metal
