Album Review: Ross The Boss – Legacy Of Blood, Fire & Steel
Reviewed by Liam Barlow
I remember first hearing of and listening to Manowar when I was 13 years old and just thinking WOW! Someone played them to me at my first Download Festival in 2007, never in a million years would I have thought that 15 years later, I'd be sat here writing a review for the ex-guitarist, founding member and real voice finding guitarist of Manowar, Ross "The Boss" Friedman’s latest album and greatest hits collection, 'Legacy of Blood, Fire and Steel'. Which is a celebration and an anniversary of 15 years of Ross The Boss.
Before I even pressed play on the album, I knew I was going to expect riffs and lots of them, because when you think of style defining artists and technicians of power metal, you can’t not think of Ross Friedman, and the opening track on the album did not disappoint. 'Blood Of Knives' takes us on a journey and really sets the trend to what this record is going to be like, and I was hooked from the first note and ready for this collection of incredible music.
As we propel through the first few songs, I’m just in awe on how good the guitar playing actually is on these tracks, but also how difficult it must have been to choose the ones for this anniversary album, which is only available on vinyl or streaming by the way, so all you people who still use CDs are going to miss out.
We get to the track 'Hailstorm', and I’m cast back to a few years ago when someone first played this for me, the playing style and the way the structure of the song progresses still makes me excited hearing it all the way through again, its also probably my favourite Ross The Boss track. I'm happy it made the cut and I caught myself air guitaring quite a bit in this one.
As we spearhead through the rest of the album, I found myself quite often looking at my own guitar thinking “I've got to pick you back up” but then quite rapidly “nahh its not worth it” just because of how much of a guitaring legacy journey I've been sent on.
I do sometimes ponder why bands do a greatest hits collection and not just re-releases of certain albums, and with Ross The Boss, I’m not going to lie, I did very much question it, but the album speaks for itself and has proven out right as to why Ross “The Boss” Friedman deserves to celebrate and do so in style.