This weeks review has been one of the more entertaining ones to say the least. Nanowar come at us from Italy and play an over the top form of True Metal that is both shockingly good and hilarious. I say the latter because it is obvious from the outset that these guys are here to play some honest metal and to make us laugh with songs such as Tricycles of Steel, Metal-la-la-la-la, Power of the Power of the Power of the Power of the Power of the Power (of the Great Sword and others. Just take a look at the cover, I was laughing heartily when this came in the mail and didn’t stop for a good three minutes or so as I leafed through the booklet and read the song titles and lyrics. Despite their rampant silliness, Nanowar still have a concrete foundation in real heavy metal, songs such as Tricycles of Steel and True Metal of the World could sit very well on either a Paragon or early Wizard album. Unlike say the parody band of all parody bands, Anal Cunt whose humor only lies in the song titles, Nanowar actually has some real musicians involved. Singer, Potowotominimak (real name: Carlo Alberto) has a healthy set of pipes on him. His normal delivery is rough, gritty, and filled with conviction and when the time calls for an insane high note he gets the job done. The guitars should also be commended because there are some quality solos and riffs throughout this album and if the lyrics to several of the songs weren’t so over the top they would be fine metal anthems in their own right.

Mixed in with the original songs there are also a few “remakes” of some popular bands and songs done in the Nanowar fashion meaning altered lyrics to fit the new song title. A medley of Manowar songs are thrown together to make up Gioca True (Other Bands Play, Nanowar Gay!), Iron Maiden is given a nod with the phone sex tale of The Number of the Bitch and Metallica provides the backbone for Entra L’uomo Di Sabbia. Other than the last song mentioned is in Italian, the rest of these “covers” are very enjoyable. I personally love The Number of the Bitch which is a comedic mirror of the original in every way, even mimicking the spoken intro and is the most successful at this Weird Al take on metal.

Feelings about this release and this band in general are sure to be mixed amongst metal fans. I for one support Nanowar because they aren’t afraid to just have some fun which is a rarity these days in the world of metal. The title alone Other Bands Play, Nanowar Gay shows that the band pokes as much fun to itself as it does to anyone else. Recommended if you aren’t afraid to actually have a simple good time when it comes to your Metal-la-la-la.