Fighting The World

About

"Fighting the World" is the fifth studio album by the American heavy metal band Manowar, released in February 1987 by ATCO Records. It was the first Manowar album to feature cover artwork by illustrator Ken Kelly, who subsequently created the artwork for all of the band's later studio albums. The album was also among the early heavy metal releases to be recorded and mixed entirely using digital equipment. "Fighting the World" was recorded and mixed on a 32-track digital machine at Universal Recording Studios in Chicago, Illinois. The song "Defender" includes a spoken narration by American actor Orson Welles. Released two years after Welles' death, the album is dedicated to him. The recording of Welles' narration had originally been used on a 1982 demo version of "Defender". The album's liner notes included an acknowledgements section listing at least 195 individuals and groups, including a "ladies auxiliary" and "medical staff". Upon its release in February 1987, guitarist Ross "The Boss" Friedman later described "Fighting the World" as a commercial success. In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Eduardo Rivadavia considered the album an improvement over its predecessor, "Sign of the Hammer", and highlighted "Black Wind, Fire and Steel", "Holy War", and "Defender". He also argued that the band's move to a major label conflicted with the "true metal" ethos associated with their earlier releases. Writing for Classic Rock, Paul Elliott described the album as containing heavy metal anthems and suggested that "Black Wind, Fire and Steel" may have influenced the development of European power metal. In a review of the box set "Black Wind, Fire & Steel - The Atlantic Albums 1987-1992", Jon Deaux of All About the Rock praised "Defender" and described "Fighting the World" as an album characterised by anthemic heavy metal songs.

via Last.fm