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MANOWAR + Rhapsody @ BB Kings, New York, NY - June 19, 2005 |
Posted: 7/18/05Reviewed by: Steve Gottlieb |
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Prior to this concert I had always considered Manowar “the band that got away.” Although I was an early adopter of the loin-clothed quartet back in the early 80’s, and I count Battle Hymns as one of my earliest metal purchases, I had lost touch with them over the years and had never caught them live. Perhaps it was the eye-catching yet redundant album covers, perhaps I had simply matured past the incessant D&D imagery, or perhaps I simply grew weary of listening to songs whose titles consisted of every permutation of the words ‘Brothers,’ ‘Steel,’ ‘Metal,’ and ‘Power.’ Who knows. Whatever the reason, I went to the concert with a genuine interest in a band which, at the time of the concert, I was only partially familiar. Like an old friend to whom I hadn’t talked to for years, I was intimate with their older material but hadn’t heard too much of their newer stuff. I was certainly in the minority: all around me were legions of fans chanting Manowar and making the “sign of the hammer” with two outstretched crossed arms held high above their heads.
RHAPSODY
While the band sounded good musically and vocally, after a while their songs started sounding a bit too similar, making it difficult to maintain the interest of the casual listener (i.e. me). But, it’s still good to see a talented band like Rhapsody not only play in the states, but also play to a full house.
MANOWAR
“Kings of Metal” and “Sign of The Hammer” were up next, followed by another solo, this time a bass solo by main man Joey DeMaio. Unfortunately his solo wasn’t as concise or pleasant as Logan’s, but when he eventually segued into “Sting of the Bumblebee” all was forgiven.
When Scott Columbus started bashing his skins I thought a drum solo was up next, but luckily it was just a small intro to “Warriors of the World United.” DeMaio then whipped out his 8-string bass for the intro to “Heart of Steel.” All of this, however, was simply the calm before the storm. Up until now the crowd was animated but relatively upright. Then came the intro and acoustic section of “Hail & Kill,” and the crowd started surging. When the song finally kicked into high gear, the mosh pit erupted into full force. The pit engulfed everything in its path through “Outlaw,” “House of Death,” and “The Power,” and the crowd seemed truly satisfied. “The Gods Made Heavy Metal” closed out the set, and the sweaty crowd finally got a breather.
The encore brought about one of the most unusual displays of egos I’ve ever witnessed. Instead of another song or two, Joey DeMaio gave a 10-minute rant on Manowar, the state of the metal industry, other local “pussy” clubs that wouldn’t let Manowar play (the Hammerstein “No-Balls” Room and the Roseland “No-Balls” Room”), and how “other bands play, but Manowar kills.” At first he seemed cool and in control and the crowd was on his side, especially when he reported that Manowar brings extra sound gear to every venue to maintain their status as Guinness Word Record holder for loudest band on earth, or when he introduced Manowar album cover artist Ken Kelly, who was in attendance that night. But his ranting soon degenerated into complaining, like that of a whining bitch, and it was clear he had a bad case of sour grapes. Without naming any other bands by name, he basically said other bands suck and Manowar was the only true torch bearer of metal, and the fans know it. Now, like I said, although I had never had the pleasure of seeing Manowar in concert before, I know that DeMaio’s rants are just par for the course. Still, I would have preferred to hear a few additional songs instead. But that’s just me.
“Black Wind, Fire and Steel” righted the ship and closed out the set, but DeMaio continued his rant, non-verbally this time, by forcefully plucking, one by one, each string off his bass guitar to end the show. He’s one angry man!
So, Manowar definitely puts on an interesting show, but they could have gotten rid of the solos and the ranting and easily played up to five more songs. Even one more epic song like “Battle Hymns” would have been time better spent. Perhaps their set list was guided by the fact that they didn’t want to repeat the same songs from previous Hell on Earth videos, and that’s understandable, but if that was the case I wish it hadn’t been at the expense of this particular concert.
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But first, there was the
majestry of Rhapsody, Italy’s finest symphonic power metal band. With
yin-yang perfection these guys balance class and cheese, with lots of pomp
and circumstance for good measure. In support of their latest opus
Symphony Of Enchanted Lands II - The Dark Secret, Fabio Lione, Luca
Turilli, and Co. engulfed the club with remarkably good sound. Opening with
their latest track “Unholy War Cry” and quickly following with an early
track “Wisdom of the Kings,” the band was in great form and the crowd was
eager and receptive. Where all these Rhapsody fans come from, I have no
idea. They must have imported them from Italy, since despite the New
York-area’s large Italian-American population, I seriously doubt that the
locals from Brooklyn, Staten Island, and “Joisee” are listening to this
particular type of music, no matter that Rhapsody hails from the ‘home
country.’ Can you picture a 20-something Brooklynite, swimming in an
over-sized Knicks’ jersey, Yankees’ cap askew, gold chains in full force,
cranking Rhapsody while cruising in his Corvette or Mustang? Not that
there’s anything wrong wit dat. Yo.
After Rhapsody’s lengthy set,
the crowd was again antsy for Manowar. The house lights finally dimmed, and
up on stage appeared a large gelatinous figure. The lights came back on to
reveal…Eddie Trunk, in all his bloatedness, introducing the band. Luckily,
the Michael Moore of Metal was soon gone, the lights grew dim, and the
self-proclaimed Kings of Metal took the stage. Opening with their namesake
“Manowar,” the band pumped out endless power chords to the rabid fans. With
camera crew on hand, they were filming scenes for their upcoming Hell
on Earth IV video, although the wall of amps crowded the relatively
small stage and left little room for theatrics.