Hail to England explained
Hail to England is the third studio album by American heavy metal band Manowar, released in 1984 by Music for Nations.
Recording and reception
The album title is a tribute to the country that the American band members met and formed the band in, and in particular the predominantly British NWOBHM that had emerged in the early 1980s. However, the album's cover actually features the flag of the United Kingdom, and not the flag of England.
The album was reported to have been recorded in its entirety in only six days. The album peaked at No. 83 on the UK album charts. In 2017, Rolling Stone ranked Hail to England as 87th on their list 'The 100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time'[1] and Loudwire ranked it as the 17th-best power metal album of all time.[2] In 2019, Metal Hammer ranked it as the 4th-best power metal album of all time.[3]
A remixed and remastered 'Imperial Edition' of the album was released in 2019, with the band stating that the revised version would add 'the depth, the power and the clarity that could not be present in the original mixes and masters' .[4]
Track listing
- Alternate cassette version from the 1980s distributed through the band's mail order fan club was mislabeled, inverting the sides.
Cover versions
- "Blood of My Enemies" was covered by Swedish death metal band Edge of Sanity, on their album The Spectral Sorrows.
- "Blood of My Enemies" was covered by Italian power metal band Power Symphony, on their EP Futurepast.
- "Blood of My Enemies" was covered by Russian pagan metal band Рарогъ (Rarog), on their album "Сыны Сокола" ("Sons of a Falcon"), under the name of "Кровь Наших Врагов" ("Blood of Our Enemies")
- "Blood of My Enemies" was covered by heavy metal band Ross the Boss, one of the former members of Manowar in 2017
- "Kill with Power" was covered by Swedish melodic death metal band Arch Enemy, on their EP Dead Eyes See No Future, and is often covered live by Brazilian parody metal band Massacration.
- "Kill with Power" was also covered by Finnish black/heavy metal band Barathrum, on their single Black Flames and Blood.
- "Each Dawn I Die" was covered by the Greek black metal band Necromantia on their 1997 EP Ancient Pride which was re-released with new artwork and two bonus tracks in 2006 by Black Lotus Records.
Personnel
Manowar
Additional personal
- St. Mary's Cathedral Choir – choir, vocals on "Hail to England"
- David Corell – choirmaster on "Hail to England"
Production
- Jack Richardson – producer
- Robin Brouwers – engineer
- Joe Primeau, Armand John Petri – assistant engineers
- Joe Brescio – mastering
- Ken Landgraf – Illustrations
- Lucifer Burns, Armand "The Arm" Biondi, Anthony "Chio" Chiofalo – technicians
- Jay Bergen – management, representation
- J.A.R. Productions – A&R
References
- Web site: Rolling Stone Share Their Choices For 'The 100 Greatest Metal Albums Of All Time' . theprp.com . 21 June 2017 . 5 February 2021.
- Web site: Divita . Joe . Top 25 Power Metal Albums of All Time . . . 3 March 2021 . 5 July 2017.
- Web site: Chantler . Chris . The 25 greatest power metal albums . . . 2 March 2021 . 14 November 2019.
- Web site: MANOWAR Release "Into Glory Ride" and "Hail To England" Imperial Editions MMXIX (Remixed/Remastered) . Manowar.com . 5 February 2021.
