Manowar: The Metal Warriors

Manowar is an American heavy metal band from Auburn, New York. Formed in 1980 the group is known for its lyrics based on fantasy (particularly sword and sorcery) and mythological topics (particularly Norse mythology) along with their "loud and bombastic" sound.  

In 1984 the band was included in the Guinness Book of World Records for delivering the loudest performance, a record which they have since broken on 2 occasions. They also hold the world record for the longest heavy metal concert after playing for 5 hours and 1 minute in Bulgaria in 2008.

Although the band has never been a mainstream commercial success in the United States, they maintain a strong cult following there. In contrast, they are extremely popular in the heavy metal scene in Europe, Japan, Australia and South America. Dedicated fans are known and referred to by the band as "Metal Warriors", "Manowarriors" or "Immortals", and collectively their fans are known as the "Army of Immortals".

Manowar's history began in 1980 when Joey DeMaio, the future bassist of the band met guitarist Ross the Boss while working as a bass tech and fireworks manager for Black Sabbath on the Heaven and Hell tour. The two bonded over their shared musical interests, became friends and decided to form a band. To complete the roster, they hired singer Eric Adams, a former classmate and friend of DeMaio, while the drums were manned by The Rods' drummer, Carl Canedy who was left the band after the demo's release and was quickly replaced by Donnie Hamzik.

On the strength of their debut demo, Manowar secured a recording contract with label Liberty Records in 1981. The label pressured the band to produce a good number of songs in a short time towards a debut album. The resultant album, Battle Hymns, was released the following year. Soon after the album's release, Manowar engaged in their first tour. Stressed from the strain of the continuing performances, Hamzik decided to leave the band at the end of this tour and was replaced by the young and upcoming Scott Columbus.

In 1982, the band left Liberty Records and signed on to the more prominent Music for Nations label and they signing the contract in their own blood. The signing was a cover story in the 1983 July/ August issue # 47 of Kerrang!. they immediately went into a recording studio to produce what, in the intentions of the group, would have been a simple EP, but came out instead, due to the quantity and quality of the tracks made in that period, as the band's second album, Into Glory Ride. 

To apologize for the failure of their UK tour, Manowar decided to dedicate their next album to the United Kingdom. The album, Hail to England, was recorded and mixed in just six days and was released in early 1984. 

After leaving Music for Nations, Manowar signed to Ten Records and released Sign of the Hammer a mere ten months after their previous album. The new record presented stark changes in rhythm, with very technical tracks characterized by a slow pace, like the epic "Mountains", and quick ones, as the eponymous "Sign of the Hammer". It was a new sales success that allowed the band to embark on a two-year world tour, which registered a huge number of spectators everywhere. At the end of this long journey, the band took 1986 off.

Following further disagreements with their new label, the group decided to make another contract change to major Atlantic Records in 1987. Manowar released Fighting the World, which enjoyed more extensive distribution and increased the band's prominence in the international heavy metal scene. Album art was designed by Ken Kelly, who had drawn Tarzan, Conan the Barbarian and who also worked with acts such as Rainbow and Kiss.

In 1988, Manowar released the album Kings of Metal, which is the band's best known work. Songs like "Heart of Steel", "Kings of Metal" and "Hail and Kill" became veritable anthems for fans of the group and are performed regularly in concerts. Kings of Metal is Manowar's highest-selling album worldwide.

Manowar embarked again on a world tour, for a period of approximately three years, with stops in almost all European nations. During that tour, Ross the Boss announced his retirement from the group because of the life "on the road" and decided to devote himself to a solo project of blues rock. He was replaced by David Shankle, who was chosen by members of the band after a search among about 150 candidates. Scott Columbus later also had to leave the band for personal family matters. Columbus himself picked his replacement Kenny Earl Edwards (soon nicknamed Rhino).

A new musical unit after the recent changes, Manowar released The Triumph of Steel in 1992.  After this release, the band went on a world tour for two years. After the expiration of their contract with Atlantic, the band signed with Geffen Records. In 1993, Shankle unexpectedly left the band to form his own group. He was replaced by Karl Logan, a musician met by DeMaio during a motor meeting. The same year saw the unexpected return of Scott Columbus, who replaced Edwards.

In 1994 Manowar released their first collection, The Hell of Steel, which contained the major successes of the group. In 1996, they released Louder Than Hell, their first new studio album in four years. Despite good sales and fame achieved by some tracks such as "Brothers Of Metal", "Courage" and "Number 1", the album was criticized for its simple style and uninspired arrangements. Despite such criticisms, Manowar released a new collection, called Anthology, and their first live album, Hell on Wheels, released by BMG International in the guise of a double CD containing all the most popular songs of the group. Not having the time to record a new studio album because of the ongoing promotional tour, Manowar released a second live album, Hell on Stage.

In 2002, six years after the last studio album, Manowar released the Warriors of the World album. Manowar then began a long world tour. To compensate for the lack of studio albums, the band released several DVDs: in 2002 the video Fire and Blood, in 2003 Hell on Earth Part III and in 2005 DVD Hell on Earth Part IV.

In 2003, DeMaio founded his own record label, Magic Circle Music, which became the official home of the band, having been created to fit the needs of Manowar, and other bands of similar genre. Manowar released Gods of War through Magic Circle Music in 2007. After playing numerous shows in Europe, including a concert that spanned the course of two nights, they worked on a new EP, entitled Thunder in the Sky, which was released in 2009. 

Manowar new album is the newly released re-recording of their 1982 debut album, Battle Hymns, named Battle Hymns MMXI. [source : Manowar]