Album Review: Nanowar of Steel – XX Years of Steel (Napalm Records)

Italy’s parody metal masters, Nanowar of Steel, are set to release their live album, ‘XX Years of Steel’, on December 6th, 2024, via Napalm Records. Captured during their sold-out, 3,000 attendee show at Alcatraz, Milano in October 2023, this monumental live release celebrates two decades of blending humour and metal and is elevated with special guest appearances. The new offering not only presents strong live versions of 28 original tracks, but even includes a 9-track bonus CD including two brand-new studio tracks.

Have you experienced Nanowar of Steel live? They’re fun, they’re energetic, and they have tons of catchy tunes to sing, dance, and head bang to. If you’ve never seen them live before, try and rectify that in the future, but for now… have a listen to XX Years of Steel, which does a phenomenal job of capturing the silly mania of their show.

Right, let me try and summarise this release, because it is a gigantic 37-track release and way more than your standard ‘live recording’. It’s an event, a celebration of Nanowar of Steel, and all of that is reflected in a recording that captures their insanity perfectly. Not only that, it gives us loud and interactive crowd noise, an aspect I think is so important to any live recording. If you’re after studio sounds, go listen to studio albums.

Though that’s not to suggest that the quality is lacking here, because that’s far from the case. No, what we have here is the sound of Nanowar of Steel live, featuring the nuances that you can only get in the flesh and featuring many laugh out loud moments. Yet, it also serves a strong reminder that this band might call themselves a ‘parody’ band, but they have many absolute bangers.

Bangers like the hilarious folky sea-faring shanty that is Sober (yo-ho-ho for the ginger tea and pineapple juice), hell for leather head banger that is Tricycles of Steel, and the high energy body-shaker that is Disco Metal, which must have had the building shaking during the chorus.

Bangers like the epic ballad that is V per Viennetta, a track that has the crowd loudly singing along, and a track that features guest Alessandro del Vecchio. Who also makes several more appearances, but notably on the brilliant power metal blockbuster that is The Power of Imodium and Barbie, MILF Princess of the Twilight, another gigantic highlight and a beloved Nanowar of Steel song.

This is just CD 1. As for CD 2? You’ll find even more Nanowar of Steel quality, and plenty more stupidity too. That’s not an insult, it’s something this band embrace, after all, can you really take them too seriously when they’re performing tracks like Rap-Sody, Pasadena 1994, Norwegian Reggaeton, Uranus, and Valhalleluja? The latter of which features Thomas Winkler as Odin, the vocalist of Angus McSix (and ex-Gloryhammer vocalist) who lent his powerful voice to the studio version. It’s a personal favourite, so to hear it performed here as it is supposed to be (I’ve seen them play it live but without Winkler) is special.

Following 28 tracks, two full CDs of live music, most will be left with the over-riding feeling that this must have been one hell of a concert. We all wish we’d been there, right? Yet, the release is far from done as we now have a third CD of bonus tracks, which include two brand-new songs.

The first of which is the epic anthemic head banger, Stormwarrior of the Storm with its heavy riffs and infectious chorus. Then there is the very clever HelloWorld.java, a track inspired by the history of coding. That’s so Nanowar of Steel, and together, they have two more heavyweight hits to add to their ever-burgeoning list of hits.

What else does CD 3 offer? Cover versions and tributes/parodies of classic metal songs. Afraid to shoot into the eyes of a stranger in a strange land, for example, is an amusing parody of Iron Maiden. Not one specific Iron Maiden song, but the entity that is Iron Maiden. It should be impossible, it should be terrible, but Nanowar of Steel end up delivering something very special.

Then there’s a cover of Markus Becker’s popular German party hit, Das Rote Pferd, Wilfrido Vargas’ El Baile del Perrito, Georges Brassens’ Brave Margot, and the Venga Boys’ iconic We’re Going to Tortuga. The latter two tracks featuring The Rumpled, with the former of the two also featuring Nils Courbaron. How about Ross the Boss featuring on the heavy metal banger that is Armpits of Immortals though? A wonderful team up.

Finally, it’s a Japanese version of Gabonzo Robot to wrap up this gigantic listen. No-one can complain about being short-changed, that’s for sure.

Nanowar of Steel – XX Years of Steel Track Listing:

CD 1 (Live versions)

1. Intro
2. Sober
3. Nanowar
4. Gabonzo Robot
5. Tricycles of Steel
6. Il Cacciatore della Notte
7. La Maledizione di Capitan Findus (feat. Maurizio Merluzzo)
8. Odino & Valhalla
9. Disco Metal
10. V per Viennetta (feat. Alessandro del Vecchio)
11. The Power of Imodium (feat. Alessandro del Vecchio)
12. Power of the Power of the Power of the Power (of the Great Sword) (feat. Alessandro del Vecchio)
13. Declination (feat. Alessandro del Vecchio)
14. Barbie, MILF Princess of the Twilight (feat. Alessandro del Vecchio)

CD 2 (Live versions)

15. Ironmonger (The Copier of the Seven Keys)
16. RAP-Sody
17. Il Signore degli Anelli (dello Stadio)
18. Interlude
19. Pasadena 1994
20. Norwegian Reggaeton (feat. Charly Glamour (Gigatron))
21. Metal
22. Sottosegretari alla Presidenza della Repubblica del True Metal ( feat. Il Profeta (Gli Atroci))
23. Feudalesimo e Libertà
24. Bum Voyage
25. Uranus
26. Valhalleluja (feat Thomas Winkler)
27. La Polenta Taragnarock
28. Giorgio Mastrota (The Keeper of Inox Steel)

CD 3 (Studio versions)

29. Stormwarrior of the Storm
30. HelloWorld.java
31. Afraid to shoot into the eyes of a stranger in a strange land
32. Armpits of Immortals (feat. Ross the Boss)
33. Das rote Pferd (Markus Becker Cover)
34. El Baile del Perrito (Wilfrido Vargas Cover)
35. Brave Margot (Georges Brassens Cover, feat. Nils Courbaron, feat. The Rumpled)
36. We’re going to Tortuga (Venga Boys Cover, feat. The Rumpled)
37. Gabonzo Robot (ガボンゾ-ロボット) (Japanese Version)

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