Battle Cry (Omen album)

Last updated

Battle Cry
OmenBattleCryFront.jpg
Studio album by
Omen
ReleasedOctober 1984 [1]
Studio Eldorado (Burbank, California)
Genre
Length36:13
Label Metal Blade
Producer Brian Slagel
Omen chronology
Battle Cry
(1984)		 Warning of Danger
(1985)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Metal Crypt (1)Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [4]
Metal Crypt (2)Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [5]
Metal ReviewsClassic [6]
Metal Rules Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]
Metal Zone100% [8]
Rock Hard Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [9]

Battle Cry is the debut studio album by the American heavy metal band Omen, released in 1984 by Metal Blade Records. In 2005, Metal Blade re-released Battle Cry in Picture LP format, limited to 500 copies and including two bonus tracks.

Contents

It is generally considered to be the band's best album. [10] [11] In 2019, Metal Hammer ranked it as the 16th best power metal album of all time. [2]

Music and lyrics

The sound on Battle Cry has been described as "epic and earthy" by Metal Hammer . The album explores themes such as England in the Middle Ages, dragons, swordsmanship and supernatural magic. [12] The album incorporates elements of thrash metal and NWOBHM, and the sound has drawn comparisons to Iron Maiden. The album employs staccato guitar riffs. [13] The album incorporates the heavy metal gallop technique that has drawn comparisons to the bass guitar work of Steve Harris of Iron Maiden. According to Decibel , some of the album's material "threatens to go speed metal, but instead ends up back in a melodic, thespianic-trad sonic sphere." The album also contains anthemic choruses. [14] [15]

Artwork

The album's cover artwork is hand-drawn. It has been described as looking "amateurish" by Metal Hammer . [16] Loudwire likened it to the artwork of teenagers in the 1980s who attempted to mitigate "school boredom by decorating their notebooks with heavy metal band logos and sketches of ogres and warriors." [14]

Reception and impact

AllMusic gave the album four stars out of five, citing it as the most consistent release in the band's discography: "Many up-and-coming American metal bands of the early 1980s wished they were Iron Maiden, but few came as close to achieving the feat as Los Angeles' Omen. [...] For fans of classic American heavy metal looking for a guaranteed mid-'80s delight, there's little chance of a letdown from this release." [10]

In 2017, Loudwire listed the album as among the greatest Metal Blade releases, and wrote: "You won’t find many finer, American-made Castle Metal albums than this underrated trove of fantasy-fueled headbangers." [11]

In 2021, Greg Pratt of Decibel stated the opinion that the album was underrated, and was deserving of being regarded as a "household name" among readers of the publication:

"This one doesn't get mentioned quite as much as it should. Those in the know always give it a hefty horns up, yes, but the album should really be a bit more of a household name, at least in the sorts of households that Decibel readers live in, which are the sorts of places where sounds like this age like fine wine and are appreciated the way they should be: loud, and in reverence, and with a beer held high and a knowing smile on your headbanging face the entire time." [17]

Track listing

Original LP
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Death Rider"J.D. Kimball3:26
2."The Axeman"J.D. Kimball4:25
3."Last Rites"J.D. Kimball3:39
4."Dragon's Breath"J.D. Kimball, Jody Henry, Kenny Powell2:59
5."Be My Wench"J.D. Kimball4:01
6."Battle Cry"J.D. Kimball, Kenny Powell3:41
7."Die by the Blade"J.D. Kimball, Jody Henry, Kenny Powell3:09
8."Prince of Darkness"J.D. Kimball2:44
9."Bring Out the Beast"J.D. Kimball4:08
10."In the Arena"J.D. Kimball4:00
2005 limited edition picture LP bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."Battle Cry" (live at San Antonio, Texas in 1986)J.D. Kimball, Kenny Powell3:25
12."Torture Me" (taken from Metal Massacre V ) 4:02

Personnel

Omen
Production

References

  1. ↑ "Gatefold of Best of Metal Blade, Vol. 1". Metal Blade Records. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
  2. 1 2 Chantler, Chris (November 14, 2019). "The 25 greatest power metal albums". Metal Hammer . Future plc . Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  3. ↑ Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Omen - Battle Cry review". Allmusic . Rovi Corporation . Retrieved October 3, 2011.
  4. ↑ 4th Horseman. "Classic Review: Omen - Battle Cry". Metal Crypt. Michel Renaud/The Metal Crypt. Retrieved October 5, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ↑ Sargon the Terrible. "Classic Review: Omen - Battle Cry". Metal Crypt. Michel Renaud/The Metal Crypt. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
  6. ↑ Ben. "Omen - Battle Cry". Metal Reviews. MetalReviews. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
  7. ↑ Mosquito. "Omen - Battle Cry". Metal Rules . Metal-Rules.com. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
  8. ↑ Alexandropoulos, Antonis. "OMEN - Battle Cry". Metal Zone. Metalzone.gr. Archived from the original on November 17, 2011. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
  9. ↑ Kühnemund, Götz. "Review Album". Rock Hard . Hi-Media. Retrieved October 9, 2011.
  10. 1 2 Battle Cry - Omen | Album | AllMusic , retrieved January 3, 2026
  11. 1 2 Rivadavia, Eduardo RivadaviaEduardo (November 10, 2017). "35 Best Metal Blade Records Albums". Loudwire. Retrieved January 3, 2026.
  12. ↑ Chantlerpublished, Chris (November 14, 2019). "The 25 greatest power metal albums". Louder. Retrieved December 27, 2025.
  13. ↑ Battle Cry - Omen | Album | AllMusic , retrieved January 3, 2026
  14. 1 2 Rivadavia, Eduardo RivadaviaEduardo (January 9, 2018). "10 Castle Metal Albums You Need to Hear". Loudwire. Retrieved January 3, 2026.
  15. ↑ Pratt, Greg (April 22, 2021). "The Lazarus Pit: Omen's 'Battle Cry'". Decibel Magazine. Retrieved January 3, 2026.
  16. ↑ Chantlerpublished, Chris (November 14, 2019). "The 25 greatest power metal albums". Louder. Retrieved January 3, 2026.
  17. ↑ Pratt, Greg (April 22, 2021). "The Lazarus Pit: Omen's 'Battle Cry'". Decibel Magazine. Retrieved January 3, 2026.
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