Sign of the Hammer
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Infobox album
| name = Sign of the Hammer
| type = studio
| artist = Manowar
| cover = ManowarSignofthehammer.jpg
| alt = A red poster with a black hammer with wings symbol. The text reads "MANOWAR - SIGN OF THE HAMMER".
| released = October 15, 1984
| recorded = November 1983 - 1984
| venue =
| studio =
- Phase One, Toronto
- The Manor, Oxfordshire
| genre =
- Heavy metal{{sfn|Bonutto|2007}}
- power metal
| length = 40:29
| label =
| producer =
| prev_title = Hail to England
| prev_year = 1984
| next_title = Fighting the World
| next_year = 1987
| misc = {{Singles
| name =
| type = studio
| single1 = All Men Play on 10
| single1date = September 1984 (UK) {{cite web|url=https://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Manowar&titel=All+Men+Play+On+10&cat=s|title=Manowar singles}}
}}
}}
Sign of the Hammer is the fourth studio album by the American heavy metal band Manowar, released in October 1984 by 10/Virgin Records.
Background
According to guitarist Ross "The Boss" Friedman, some of the songs for Sign of the Hammer were recorded at the same sessions that produced the preceding album Hail to England at Phase One Studios in Toronto, Canada between 1983 and winter 1984 with producer Jack Richardson.{{cite web|url=https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/interviews/the_classic_albums_manowars_hail_to_england.html|title=The Classic Albums: Manowar's 'Hail To England'|last=Matera|first=Joe|access-date=2025-02-03|date=June 2009|website=Ultimate Guitar|publisher=Ultimate Guitar}}
= Songs =
"Thor (The Powerhead)" is about the Norse god Thor destroying what he considers evils of the world.{{sfn|Spracklen|p=87-88|2020}} Written by Joey DeMaio, it is one of the songs from Manowar that explores Norse mythology, which would be recurring throughout their repertoire.{{sfn|Spracklen|p=87-88|2020}}{{sfn|Bonutto|2007}} Some members of the band, including Friedman, have expressed enthusiasm for the titular character.
"Guyana (Cult of the Damned)" is a song about the 1978 mass suicide led by Jim Jones of the Peoples Temple group, at Jonestown, northwestern Guyana.{{sfn|McIntyre|2016}}{{sfn|Petiteau|2014|loc=PT391}}
Release and reception
{{Album ratings
| rev1 = AllMusic
| rev1Score = {{Rating|2.5|5}}{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r12379|first=Eduardo|last=Rivadavia}}
| rev2 = Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal
| rev2Score = 9/10{{sfn|Popoff|2005|p=213}}
| rev3 = Encyclopedia of Popular Music
| rev3Score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{sfn|Larkin|2006|p=485}}
| rev4 = Rock Hard
| rev4score = 9.5/10{{cite magazine |title=Review: Manowar – Sign of the Hammer |journal=Rock Hard |year=1984 |last=Trojan |first=Frank |issue=8 |url=http://www.rockhard.de/megazine/reviewarchiv/review-anzeigen.html?tx_rxsearch_pi1%5Breview%5D=7500 |accessdate=December 26, 2016 | language = de|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130616122055/http://www.rockhard.de/megazine/reviewarchiv/review-anzeigen.html?tx_rxsearch_pi1%5Breview%5D=7500|archive-date=2013-06-16}}
}}
Sign of the Hammer was released on October 15, 1984 by 10 Records and Virgin Records.{{sfn|Bonutto|2007}}{{sfn|Larkin|2006|p=485}}
Writing for Classic Rock, Ken "Sleazegrinder" McIntyre was favorable, calling the album "gonzo metal", highlighting tracks like "Guyana (Cult of the Damned)", "All Men Play on 10" and "Animals".{{sfn|McIntyre|2016}} McIntyre observes that in "Guyana", Eric Adams treats the "sordid affair" as a "night in the opera".{{sfn|McIntyre|2016}} McIntyre considers "Animals" a glam metal track, which he asserts that it challenges the ethos of "true metal" that Manowar championed.{{sfn|McIntyre|2016}} Similarly, Colin Larkin wrote that Sign of the Hammer contains accessible compositions and called the guitar works of Ross "The Boss" Friedman "excellent", rating the album three out of five stars.{{sfn|Larkin|2006|p=485}}
Reviewing for AllMusic, Eduardo Rivadavia highlighted and was receptive to songs like "Thor (The Powerhead)", "The Oath" and "All Men Play on 10", but observed that the production of the album "sounded flat", and considered some of the songs to have "uneven songwriting".
Writing for Rock Hard, Frank Trojan asserts that Sign of the Hammer was a return to form for Manowar, comparing the album to their debut album Battle Hymns, highlighting the title track "Sign of the Hammer" and "Animals". Trojan observed that Manowar was becoming "too commercial" with the song "All Men Play on 10", but has praised the overall musicianship of the band. In 2005, Sign of the Hammer was ranked number 418 in Rock Hard magazine's book The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.{{cite book|title=Best of Rock & Metal - Die 500 stärksten Scheiben aller Zeiten|year=2005|publisher=Rock Hard|language=de|isbn=3-89880-517-4|page=42}}
Track listing
All songs written by Joey DeMaio, except where noted.
{{tracklist
| title1 = All Men Play on 10
| length1 = 4:01
| title2 = Animals
| length2 = 3:33
| title3 = Thor (The Powerhead)
| length3 = 5:23
| title4 = Mountains
| length4 = 7:39
| title5 = Sign of the Hammer
| length5 = 4:18
| title6 = The Oath
| writer6 = Ross the Boss, DeMaio
| length6 = 4:54
| title7 = Thunderpick
|note7=instrumental
| length7 = 3:31
| title8 = Guyana (Cult of the Damned)
| length8 = 7:10
| total_length = 40:29
}}
Personnel
Manowar
- Eric Adams – vocals
- Ross the Boss – guitars, keyboards
- Joey DeMaio – bass, bass pedals
- Scott Columbus – drums, percussion
Production
- Jack Richardson – producer
- Tony Platt – producer in "Sign of the Hammer", mixing
- Arun Chakraverty – mastering
- Rian Hughes – sleeve design
- Lucifer Burns, Anthony "Chio" Chiofalo, Armand "The Arm" Biondi – technicians
- Jay Bergen – management (representation)
Charts
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
! scope="col"| Chart (1984) ! scope="col"| Peak |
| {{album chart|Sweden|34|artist= Manowar|album=Sign of the Hammer|rowheader=true|access-date=21 February 2021}} |
| {{album chart|UK2|73|date=19840930|rowheader=true|access-date=21 February 2021}} |
References
{{Reflist}}
Sources
- {{cite web|url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/manowar-hammer-of-the-metal-gods|title=Manowar: Hammer Of The Metal Gods|publisher=LouderSound|website=LouderSound|last= Bonutto|first=Dante|date=2007-04-11|access-date=2025-02-05}}
- {{cite web|url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/flash-metal-suicide-manowar-sign-of-the-hammer|title=Flash Metal Suicide: Manowar - Sign of the Hammer|publisher=Future plc|website=Classic Rock|last= McIntyre|first=Ken|date=2016-06-18|access-date=2025-02-05}}
- {{cite book | last1 = Larkin | first1 = Colin | authorlink1 = Colin Larkin | title = The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | publisher = Muze and Oxford University Press |volume=5| edition= 4th| date = 2006 | location = London, England | isbn = 978-0-19-531373-4}}
- {{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XxnWCQAAQBAJ&q=guyana+cult+of+the+damned+manowar+jim+jones&pg=PT391 |title = Metal et fantasy, Volume 1|volume= 1|isbn = 9782357796065|last1 = Petiteau|first1 = Frantz-E.|date=2014}}
- {{cite book | last1 = Popoff | first1 = Martin | authorlink1 = Martin Popoff | title = The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties | publisher = Collector's Guide Publishing | date = November 1, 2005 | isbn = 978-1-894959-31-5}}
- {{cite book |title=Metal Music and the reimagining of masculinity, place, race and nation |first= Karl|last= Spracklen |chapter=Chapter 6: Manowar: True Metal Warriors |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SpreDwAAQBAJ&dq=Chapter+6.+Manowar%3A+True+Metal+Warriors+Spracklen%2C+Karl&pg=PA75 |date=2020-05-11 |publisher=Emerald Publishing Limited|isbn=9781838674434 }}
{{Manowar}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Virgin Records albums
Category:Albums produced by Jack Richardson (record producer)