10 Most Underrated Metal Albums Of The 2000s

Very few bands take heavy metal as seriously as Manowar.

They've had a loin cloth phase, and a sweaty leather phase, they sing about metal, fighting, Norse mythology, girls, actively tell non-metal listeners to do one, this band literally eat, breathe and poop heavy metal, to the point where they're almost/definitely are a caricature of themselves.

Having dominated the 80s with their very gung-ho approach, the '90s were comparitively, a fairly drab affair, with two largely underwhelming albums in 'The Triumph of Steel' and 'Louder Than Hell', followed by them somehow signing to Nuclear Blast for 2002's bum 'Warriors of the World'. All seemed lost until they went into business for themselves, founded their own label, and decided to be the most Manowar Manowar that ever Manowar'd.

'Gods of War' employs a symphonic metal element to the band's sound that they had only dabbled in occasionally before. This time though, it was the full Meat Loaf-but-for-people-who-wore-battle-jackets experience, complete with dramatic narration, Norse tales, Wagnerian orchestration, and a bonus über-metal anthem literally called 'Die For Metal'.

Cheesier than a panto, heavier than Mjolnir, dafter than Mr. Blobby falling down the stairs. *Chef's kiss*