"We have the greatest fans in the world," attests drummer Scott Columbus. "For a long time, our fans have stood by us. They've given everything to the belief that together we are the defenders of the heavy metal faith. That's why we've been able to keep playing our brand of music. That's why we haven't wimped out or bowed to commercialism. Our fans are at the core of everything we do. That's the way it's been from the beginning."
Manowar was born in the end of 1980 in Auburn, New York
In the beginning, Joey DeMaio was working as a bass/pyro tech for Black Sabbath. When
Sabbath played a show at Newcastle City Hall in England, he hooked up with original
Manowar guitarist Ross The Boss, who at the time was playing for Shaking Street, a Sabbath
support band. As both shared an all-consuming love for in-your-face metal, it was not long
before they struck on the idea of Manowar. Later, having recruited the ultimate voice of
heavy metal, Eric Adams (and drummer Donny Hamzik), Manowar recorded their debut album,
BATTLE HYMNS. It featured a bone-chilling narration by legendary actor Orson Welles on the
track "Dark Avenger."
When Manowar joined forces with a new label, they signed their recording contract in blood (becomming the first band to demonstrate their commitment in this way). Their second release, INTO GLORY RIDE, featured the debut of Scott Columbus, a man so vicious with the sticks that standard drum kits simply fell to pieces under his awesome attack - hence the need for custom-built, stainless steel drums.
Recorded and mixed in six days, Manowar's third album was titled HAIL TO ENGLAND. It heralded the band's debut tour of Great Britain. Not since the Vikings invaded northeast England in 878 had the isles seen such all-comsuming power.
The whole of Europe fell prey to Manowar with the "Spectacle of Might" tour as the band slashed and burned their way acorss the Continent in support of their fourth album, SIGN OF THE HAMMER. It was then that Manowar entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's loudest rock'n'roll band.
On the heels of SIGN OF THE HAMMER, the band released FIGHTING THE WORLD. Manowar took the whole of Europe by storm yet again in support of this record. All the while, the wrowds swelled. Manowar satisfied the teeming hordes by playing wilder, louder and heavier, inviting fans to joing them onstage to sing or even play guitar.
The band's next album, KINGS OF METAL (a title bestowed on the men of Manowar by their international legion of fans) saw them push the sonic envelope even further. They traveled to England to record "The Crown and the Ring," as well as other standout tracks, with the 100-voice, all-male Canoldir choir in St. Paul's Cathedral in Birmingham. This majestic work also featured full orchestra, as did others on KINGS OF METAL. Two tours were required to do justice to this landmark recording.
Fans waited four years for the band's next offering. During this period, Manowar built their own studio in New York; it was christened Haus Wanfried after composer Richard Wagner's house. From there unfolded the band's seventh album, THE TRIUMPH OF STEEL, which boasted over 70 minutes of pure metal might. Inspired by Homer's "The Illiad," the song "Achilles : Agony and Ecstasy in Eight Parts" clocked in at 28 minutes.
THE TRIUMPH OF STEEL entered the charts in Germany at No. 35 and stormed its way to No. 8 - without a single or video. When the album was released in Greece, Manowar fans laid siege to the largest record store in Athens to be among the first to hear the new disc. Extra copies were rush delivered, so great was the demand for THE TRIUMPH OF STEEL. The band played to over 15,000 metal maniacs in Athens' Stadium of Piece and Friendship (in their first show there). This was followed by four sold-out shows in Japan.
For years the Manowar faithful had been demanding the release of INTO GLORY RIDE and HAIL TO ENGLAND on CD. Once signed to Geffen Records, the band were able to remix and remaster these two classic recordings and package them with a 15-minute video biography of their history to date. SECRETS OF STEEL was released as an exclusive box set and swiftly sold out to become a much sought-after prize for serious collectors. Also released as separate Cds, these albums are a must for all Manowar fans.
The band toured Europe in support of the box set, playing to packed halls. In Hanover, Germany, they established a new standard in ear-splitting power by breaking their Guinness record for loudest rock band in the world. Two sound specialists officiated, measuring and documenting with painstaking care as Manowar shook the city, playing live at a staggering 129.5 decibels through 10 tons of amplifiers and speakers measuring 40 feet in length and 21 feet in height. This astounding event was reported worldwide. Another highlight of the SECRETS OF STEEL tour was the band's first performance in Russia, where they had been voted the live act music fans would most like to see, beating out the Beatles and Michael Jackson.
Now, with axeman Karl Logan on board, Manowar are set to unleash their first album of new material for Geffen Records. The band spent roughly two and a half years at Haus Wanfried forging LOUDER THAN HELL. "We're perfectionists," explains DeMaio of the lengthly interval. "Good songs do not grow on trees and great art does not abide by some arbitrary timetable. When we're inspired, we create. And when we create, our goal is to capture yje attitude and power these songs possess when we play them live in the studio. Our live energy is THE defining characteristic of this band."
According to Adams, Manowar live on the road. They're planning an extensive world tour in support of LOUDER THAN HELL. "Touring is what we live to do," he confirms. "We're dying to get back on the road. We hope to play in some of the countries we haven't been able to visit yet." Says Logan of Manowar's live performances: "When you've got 20,000 people screaming for you, punching the air with their fists, sweating through their clothes - that's the power of metal. How can you NOT want to get onstage and blow the roof off the place for audiences like that?"
Columbus elaborates: "There are points in the show where kids come onstage. Eric will say, "Who wants to get up here and play guitar through the biggest amplifier in the world?!" Or we'll have people come onstage and sing. There's always a song or two with a crowd chant." Adds DeMaio: "Don't forget - this is officially the loudest band in the world. My bass amp is bigger than most bands' entire PA [Public address] systems. When everything's fired up and you're standing on that stage, it's like being in the eye of a tornado."
Perhaps Joey DeMaio lays out the Manowar manifesto best when he says: "We're not into negativity or stupidity. We just want to perpetuate this incredible heavy metal energy. For us, it's not about politics or social ills; it's about escape from those things. It's about entertainment and fun and release. Listening to our records, seeing us play live is like sticking your finger in a wall socket - you get charged up. And we get charged up making this music, rocking the building. We and our fans are having the time of our lives."
This text was taken from the official Manowar Home-Page