MANOWAR – Hell On Earth III

If you didn’t miss the class, you should know by now that not only are Manowar the kings of metal, but they also set new standards every time they release something. No, I am not blinded by anything and everything the leather born do and release, but you just can not deny the fact that Manowar always deliver the goods, and if you are a true fan of the band – and you can be a true fan and still not be blinded but have a critical mind – it’s Christmas Eve every time Postman Claus delivers a double DVD with rocking, drinking and fucking. Some might say that 3 documentaries in almost 4-5 years is a wee bit uncalled for, and that the band live on their past glory, but it’s pretty easy: You have a choice, you can either get this (have a ball) or stay away (leave the hall). The last studio album should keep the critics silent, by the way…

This time, you get to join Manowar at the Ringfest in Germany, in front of 27.000 screaming, banging and sweating fans. That show is truly heavy metal magic, mixed in 5.1 dolby surround and filmed with tons of cameras, and mixed without giving you stress syndromes. You get their full video collection including lots of “making of” scenes, a documentary from the Ringfest – and that, boys and girls, is just a the second half of it all. In the first half, you join the band on the road, like a few times before. They take you to Brazil, Spain, France, Dynamo, the Sweden Rock Festival, and to Gods Of Metal in Italy (in fact, one of the best concerts I ever saw). It’s all moving fast, but you need to be strapped to the couch anyway to avoid physical damages caused by headbanging and air guitar playing while Manowar continue to slay the European festivals. A huge section of the documentary is from the Gods Of Metal show in fact, and I just explained why. Included is the premier of “Nessun Dorma”, a moving clip indeed, not only for crazy Italians. The documentary part rounds of with the Monsters Of Millenium tour in Scandinavia, the Baltic States and Russia, which saw the band tour with Dio and Motorhead.

And if that doesn’t convince you that this is moneys worth, the bonus on DVD 1 includes four more songs and a few interesting snapshots and presentations. For any Manowar fan, meaning; for any true fan of heavy metal, this is another good 5 hours of sacrifice in front of the TV set. The documentary part is better than Part II, while the live material is more wisely build up than the first part, so the conclusion is: This is the best Manowar DVD (so far), and possibly one of the best DVDs out there. What more can I add? Bring it home, people!