Band:	Manowar
Album:	Hell On Stage
Style:	Heavy metal, US power metal
Release date:	October 02, 1999
Guest review by:	Joey Jo Jo

01. Metal Daze
02. Dark Avenger
03. March For Revenge
04. Hatred
05. Gates Of Valhalla
06. Bridge Of Death
07. William's Tale
08. Guyana (Cult Of The Damned)
09. The Warrior's Prayer
10. Blood Of The Kings
11. Sting Of The Bumblebee
12. Heart Of Steel
13. Master Of The Wind
14. Outlaw
15. The Power
16. The Crown And The Ring

Manowar has always been famed for their great live performances around the world. Perhaps it is how they "earned" their title of "Kings of Metal", since the quality of their music is rather inconsistent. There are pros and cons for waiting for a back catalogue to develop for releasing a live record. The Pros are that there is a hefty song selection and plenty of crowd favorites with variety. The cons are that some rather bad material was made along the way, which fans of the older albums will dislike.

Manowar's first live output "Hell on Wheels" shows both sides of the fence quite generously, along with terrible production only comparable to a bootleg (to boast something about trueness and not using studio assistance). It would seem as if the band did not like the way that reflected upon themselves, so against wishes (according to the amusing liner notes) of record executives, they released "Hell on Stage", their second live album in a row.

This is pretty much everything "Hell on Wheels" is not and really showcases the better side of Manowar. The track listing is in chronological order - the first disc includes songs from their first 4 records which are epic doom based and the second is more about ballads and power metal. There are no real fan favorites to be found here, cutting out a lot of the more accessible commercial orientated songs. The only let down in the song selection are the multiple silly bass solos which take away from the enjoyment.

Although missing songs that were already used on their previous live output like "Hail and Kill" and "Sign of the Hammer" to name a few, each track is played with energy and the production allows for a crushing sound to be present. I have seen Manowar live and I can say that this shows exactly how they are on stage, magnificent.