«Hail to England» is Manowar‘s third record. It was released in February 1984 via Music for Nations and was recorded in November 1983 at Phase One Studios in Toronto, in 33 minutes. It’s the band’s first album to enter a chart, reaching number 83 in Britain.
Country: USA
Genre: Heavy metal, power metal
For fans of: Black Sabbath, Saxon, Iron Maiden
The title is a tribute to the audience in Britain and the rest of Europe the band had won, but also to NWOBHM, the movement that had brought British heavy metal to the big stage. The cover features the flag of the United Kingdom and not of England. The production was an adventure: DeMaio wanted Jon Mathias, who had worked on the first two records, but was told he wasn’t interested, and so they ended up with Jack Richardson.
The record was recorded in just twelve days, in sessions that produced two albums together — this one and «Sign of the Hammer». Friedman tuned the guitar differently on tracks like «Each Dawn I Die» and «Bridge of Death», dropping the sixth string to C#. Among the tracks, «Blood of My Enemies» and «Kill with Power» stand out, and the record is considered one of the band’s strongest.
Our take
It’s the record where Manowar found their final sound: fewer fantasy elements, more immediate riffs, anthems that work better on stage. The dedication to Britain wasn’t a figure of speech, the audience there really took to them.
See also
Manowar – Into Glory Ride · Manowar – Sign of the Hammer · Manowar – A tribute to the discography · Manowar and Hellfest 2019: The cancellation that became legend
