«Fighting the World» is Manowar‘s fifth record. It was released on February 17, 1987 via ATCO and was recorded at Universal Recording Studios in Chicago during 1986 and 1987, in 34 minutes. It’s one of the first heavy metal albums written and mixed entirely digitally.
Country: USA
Genre: Heavy metal, power metal
For fans of: Black Sabbath, Saxon, Iron Maiden
The recording was done on a 32-channel machine, something rare for the time. It’s also the band’s first record with cover art painted by Ken Kelly — and from then on all their covers are his. On «Defender» you hear a speech by Orson Welles, taken from the track’s 1982 demo: the record came out two years after the actor had died and is dedicated to his memory.
Ross «The Boss» Friedman has said the album did well commercially, and the reviews focused on its «gonzoid» heavy metal tracks that persisted against the odds. On the record are «Blow Your Speakers», which had come out as a single in November 1986, «Carry On», «Violence and Bloodshed» and «Black Wind, Fire and Steel», later commented on as a track with influence on European power metal.
Our take
Here the band turned a page: cleaner sound, more comfortable tracks, without losing its bulk. Ken Kelly also put the image into the story — from this record on, Manowar look the way they sound.
See also
Manowar – Sign of the Hammer · Manowar – Kings of Metal · Manowar – A tribute to the discography · Manowar and Hellfest 2019: The cancellation that became legend
