September 29th gave us two albums that could hardly be more different.
In 1992, Manowar unleashed “The Triumph of Steel”, a gigantic, unapologetically epic metal record built around warriors, mythology and a nearly half-hour opening adventure.
Three years later, Cathedral released “The Carnival Bizarre”, taking doom metal into a groovier, psychedelic and wonderfully strange direction.
One is all steel, warriors and ancient battles.
The other is Vincent Price, horror movies, massive riffs and psychedelic doom.
Let the Album Battle begin.
Manowar – The Triumph of Steel
Released on September 29th, 1992, “The Triumph of Steel” is Manowar at their most ridiculously ambitious.
The album opens with “Achilles, Agony and Ecstasy in Eight Parts”, an incredible 28-minute-and-38-second epic occupying the entire first side of the original vinyl.
And what is it about?
Nothing small.
The song retells Homer’s Iliad, focusing on the brutal battle between Achilles and Hector.
Inside that enormous track is a roughly four-and-a-half-minute drum and percussion section, representing the chaos and grief of the ancient battlefield. Because apparently a normal drum break wasn’t enough for Manowar.
The album also attracted serious attention for its mythological detail. Classics scholars at Bologna University studied the Achilles epic, with Professor Eleonora Cavallini praising Joey DeMaio careful adaptation of Homer story.
Even the lineup makes this album unique.
“The Triumph of Steel” is the only Manowar studio album featuring David Shankle on guitar and Kenny Earl “Rhino” Edwards on drums. Both joined after the departures of Ross the Boss and Scott Columbus and both would leave before “Louder Than Hell”.
Then there’s “Metal Warriors”, whose original lyric booklet carried the mysterious subtitle “Brothers of Metal Part One”. The actual “Brothers of Metal” song wouldn’t appear until years later.
And naturally, the album needed artwork worthy of Manowar worldview. Fantasy artist Ken Kelly delivered the legendary warrior cover, helping define the band massive visual identity.
The lineup:
Eric Adams – vocals
Joey DeMaio – bass, bass synthesizers
David Shankle – guitars
Kenny Earl “Rhino” Edwards – drums
And according to the legendary story surrounding these sessions, Rhino drumming was so intense that he supposedly melted his bass drum rims during rehearsals.
Very Manowar.
Cathedral – “The Carnival Bizarre”
Fast-forward three years.
Released on September 29th, 1995, Cathedral’s “The Carnival Bizarre” took the band doom foundation somewhere considerably more colorful.
Instead of simply drowning everything in misery, Cathedral brought in groove, psychedelia, horror and a more playful personality.
And then they invited Tony Iommi.
Yes, the Black Sabbath riff master himself appears on “Utopian Blaster”, giving Cathedral a huge connection to the very roots of heavy doom.
The album horror obsession is impossible to miss.
“Hopkins (The Witchfinder General)” pays tribute to the 1968 horror film Witchfinder General and features a dialogue sample from Vincent Price.
Then there’s “Night of the Seagulls” inspired by the 1975 Spanish horror film Night of the Seagulls, part of the Blind Dead series featuring undead Templar Knights.
And somehow, in the middle of all this doom and horror, Lee Dorrian still found room for bizarre moments such as the infamous “Huggy Bear” shout.
The album also came after a difficult period with Columbia Records and the departure of second guitarist Adam Lehan. That left Gary “Gaz” Jennings handling both rhythm and lead guitar duties.
The result was a tight four-piece:
Lee Dorrian – vocals
Gary “Gaz” Jennings – guitars
Leo Smee – bass
Brian Leech – drums
And visually, Cathedral surreal world was once again shaped by artist Dave Patchett, whose bizarre artwork became such an important part of the band identity.
Two Albums. Two Kinds of Heavy.
Manowar gave us warriors, mythology and 28 minutes of Achilles.
Cathedral gave us doom, groove, horror and Tony Iommi.
One sounds like a battlefield beneath an ancient sky.
The other sounds like a psychedelic horror movie playing through a wall of vintage amplifiers.
Now it’s your turn:
Which album gets your vote?
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