Manowar

Manowar
Manowar in Hamburg during their 2007 tour.
Background information
Origin	Auburn, New York, United States
Genres	Heavy metal, power metal
Years active	1980–present
Labels	Magic Circle, Atco, Atlantic, Geffen
Associated acts	HolyHell, Rhapsody of Fire, The Dictators, David Shankle Group, The Rods, Brain Surgeons
Website	www.manowar.com
Members	Joey DeMaio Eric Adams Donnie Hamzik Karl Logan
Past members	Carl Canedy Ross "The Boss" Friedman Scott Columbus (deceased) David Shankle Kenny Earl Edwards

Manowar is an American heavy metal band from Auburn, New York. Formed in 1980, the group is known for lyrics based on fantasy (particularly sword and sorcery) and mythology (particularly Norse mythology). The band is also known for a loud and bombastic sound. In an interview for MTV in February 2007, bassist Joey DeMaio lamented that "these days, there's a real lack of big, epic metal that is drenched with crushing guitars and choirs and orchestras... so it's nice to be one of the few bands that's actually doing that." 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 (at Kavarna Rock Fest) in 2008. They also have been known for their slogan "Death to false metal".

Although the band has never been a mainstream commercial success in the United States, they maintain a strong cult following. Dedicated fans are known and referred to by the band as "Metal Warriors", "Manowarriors", "Immortals" or "Brothers of Metal".

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. Ross the Boss, a former member of the punk rock band The Dictators, was the guitar player in Black Sabbath's support band, Shakin' Street. The two bonded over their shared musical interests, became friends and decided to form a band.

At the end of the tour with Black Sabbath, the duo got together to form Manowar. To complete the roster, they hired singer Eric Adams, a former classmate and friend of DeMaio.