Manowar

**El Lobo** · 06-19-2005, 05:59 AM

Well, I would like to tell you a little about one of my favorite bands ever. Some of you may know Manowar and like their music. Some of you may think they are the ultimate cheese band and some of you may never have heard about the band because are intimidated about their reputation. Maybe others may have hear about Manowar because the Sabbath connection in the person of Joey DeMaio.

I would like to begin by saying: let all your prejudices out before you read this. Forget about the gimmicks about "the kings of metal" and "wimp and posers leave the whole" and "death to false metal" and all this bullshit that is the image of the band. Forget about their cromagnon clothes and their swords and macho attitude on stage. Yes, it gets ridiculous sometimes, but this is part of their image as a band. And you must NOT take this bullshit seriously, take it with a grain of salt. So, lets talk music, that is what really matters.

The mighty manowar is ***THE*** epic band in heavy metal. Their biggest influences are : Black Sabbath (the bassist Joey DeMaio worked as a roadie for BS in the heaven and hell tour) and Deep Purple (Eric Adams , the vocalist don't hesitate to mentian Ian Gillan as his heroe, which you can hear in the trademark screans that both vocalists have, but Eric is in my opinion much much superior than his master Ian).

Their debut album (Battle Hymns) is one of the most overlooked albums in HM history. The newyorkers didn't have a defined style back then, but this was a solid debut. Orson Welles, the great director of "Citizen Kane" listened to the band because his daughter had a demo and played it to death. Orson liked the epic style and contacted the band , and then recorded for them the epic Dark Avenger, the best track of the disc.

But it was in 1983 where they recorded their second disc "Into glory ride" where the real manowar was born. This is the most Sabbath influenced disc and sometimes is refered as the Doom Manowar. This is my favorite Manowar ever: it have everything: heavy (VERY heavy doom melodies), excellent compositions, epic, great guitar and bass solos, etc. But the one who really shines here is Eric Adams. His AMAZING range is shown everywhere: hitting those insanely high octaves and then growling like a possesed demon the next second to then climb high again is. Some songs show his melodic voice (Gates of Valhalla) and some show his power and range (Hatred).

Adams, cannot only growl and scream. He can also SING. There are several ballads in other discs like "Master of the wing" where Eric sings wich such a sweet voice that he could easily sing a lulaby. He have tried opera (Puccinis Nessum Dorma) even live (the same one who Gillan tried to sing and failed misserably with Pavaroty) and I must tell you, he delivers the goods live, sometimes better than in studio. His voce this days is not what it used to be , but he IS even today one of the top singers ever.

Manowars 1984 albums "Hail to england" and the great "Sign of the hammer" made the band so popular in Europe that only Kiss had more official fans back then. Their fan club "Army of the inmortals" is even today one of the biggest any band have.

I really like all their work. Some albums are better, some are not that good. They have done almost every single metal genre out there, but always keeping their own epic style: doom metal (Secret of steel), ballads(Master of the wind), by the one, one of the most beautiful ballads ever done by a metal group, thrash (wheels of fire), some metal operas ( the 27 minutes long Achilles, Agony and Ecstast In 8 Parts), you name it.

So forget about the gimmicks and cliches, open your mind and listen to one of the best metal acts ever. Manowar.

**DannyBoy** · 06-19-2005, 03:05 PM

I wouldn't call them the kings of metal, but they have made some really good metal nonetheless! And i really like their look. They aren't your average small and skinny, wimpy lookin' band! They were a bunch of tough, diesel guys, who looked like they could kick a lotta ass, unlike most metal bands looked back in the day! Except for maybe a band like Danzig, who were diesel asnd tough lookin too!

**MarsWithin** · 06-19-2005, 10:23 PM

Sorry, but the image negates anything postive that their music might have. Gwar is the same way but I will listen to them because they don't do all that Kings of Metal and Leave the Hall poser shit. It may be a gimmick, but it's a lousy one. For that I won't give them 2 seconds of my time.

**DannyBoy** · 06-19-2005, 11:07 PM

LOL! I can see where you're coming from. They were kinda goofy at times, i can agree with that, and their gimmick wont the best ive seen, but it wont the worst. But they managed to make a few good metal anthems along the way as well. But i can see why some people take them as posers. But then again, im sure they could've shut up any band who wanted to call them posers back in the day! And i dont mean by blowing them away with their music. I guess Manowar could be called a poser metal band, but at the same time there were a lot of so called real metal bands who were poser tough guys/bad asses...

**Rover** · 06-20-2005, 02:17 AM

A very good band, but not my favourite. I think there's too much songs about violence and death that all sound similar to me - just look at the titles. However, they got some great songs as well, and some of them are just kickass, like Heart of Steel, or The Crown and the Ring.
I also don't like their brutal image and all yes, all that Kings of Metal stuff. Black Sabbath are the kings of metal after all. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

**Kgb** · 06-20-2005, 08:42 AM

Same here friend...they have some good stuff but i am aint into Manowar....somehow I dont feel to..

**WDIV** · 06-20-2005, 08:13 PM

Just saw them live last week. They were probably THE show that I have wanted to see live for years & the show did not dissapoint. Manowar kicks some serious ass & knows how to entertain the fans of true metal.

**randomizeme** · 08-26-2006, 04:23 PM

A very good band and I'm glad there are Manowar fans in this board. Eric is truly one of the best vocalists ever. Very underrated band.

**Purgatory** · 08-26-2006, 05:15 PM

Now El Lobo you make my day with that topic!!Manowar is one of my favorite bands,and I seriously don't give a crap with the image,they make good music and that's fine with me [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

**El Lobo** · 08-26-2006, 05:25 PM

Holy mother of God, that thread is like 230 years old!

**Memory** · 08-26-2006, 06:12 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Holy mother of God, that thread is like 230 years old!

[/ QUOTE ]

lol

I think Manowar is an OK band.

**Purgatory** · 08-26-2006, 08:33 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Holy mother of God, that thread is like 230 years old!

[/ QUOTE ]

LOL I know but I've only been around since last month,so I surely didn't knew about this thread.I've only saw it today when somebody else wrote something in it.

**Nightwing** · 08-26-2006, 10:14 PM

Spirit Horse of the Cherokee is a masterpiece of a song.

**rar** · 08-26-2006, 10:51 PM

anyone hear sting of the bumblebee? kindve a bass and drum kinda thing. really cool.

**legacy** · 10-15-2006, 01:51 PM

Great stuff

**halil** · 10-18-2006, 06:09 AM

MANOWAR = KİNGS OF METAL
KİNGS OF METAL = MANOWAR

**LostandTorn** · 10-19-2006, 02:21 PM

Random bit of trivia. Anybody got Triumph of Steel by Manowar?
. . . I take guitar lessons from David Shankle, who played for Manowar then.
He kills, technically, over the stuff they had him doing then . . . shred, overhand fretting, sweeps, whatever.

**soonerfan28** · 10-20-2006, 10:03 PM

I hate all their crap when the singer just talks and doesnt sing. its like listening to a crappy story and some of their lyrics are kind of stupid. thats how i see manowar

**rar** · 10-20-2006, 10:23 PM

lol well the only thing I've heard is Sting of a Bumblebee, so I can't really comment in this thread. Any recommendations on their best stuff?

**halil** · 10-21-2006, 04:15 AM

[ QUOTE ]
MANOWAR = KINGS OF METAL
KINGS OF METAL = MANOWAR

[/ QUOTE ]

**El Lobo** · 10-21-2006, 04:24 AM

[ QUOTE ]
I hate all their crap when the singer just talks and doesnt sing. its like listening to a crappy story and some of their lyrics are kind of stupid. thats how i see manowar

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, the singer never speaks. It's always some guest star like Orson Welles in ther 1982 and 1987 albums or whoever. Pretty cool stuff the first time but I agree that it's a skipper for the rest of the times.

About the "best"... Well, I love (almost) everything from them, but I like "Sign of the hammer" and "Into glory ride" the most. "Kings of metal" and "Hail to england" and very good as well. Adams was maybe the best vocalist in the world back then. He still is great, but his voice isn't as clear anymore... Pitty...

**rar** · 10-21-2006, 10:10 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Random bit of trivia. Anybody got Triumph of Steel by Manowar?
. . . I take guitar lessons from David Shankle, who played for Manowar then.
He kills, technically, over the stuff they had him doing then . . . shred, overhand fretting, sweeps, whatever.

[/ QUOTE ]
If overhand fretting means what I think it means, then what is its purpose? Just to look cool?

**soonerfan28** · 12-21-2006, 06:41 PM

I think manowar is cheesy. The whole part where it's like listening to a stupid fantasy story pisses me off. I want to hear some music. Then the lyrics are cheesy.

**El Lobo** · 12-22-2006, 01:26 AM

Just look behind the "cheese" my friend. It's like saying "I don't like Sabbath because all the devil stuff". It's just a theme. Yes, they are over the top, but what a great bunch of musicians they are!

**VikingChrist** · 12-22-2006, 08:49 AM

Manowar...they're ok, I guess. I don't own anything of theirs and I can't imagine picking anything up anytime soon, but they aren't terrible. Of course, its tough to look past their image, but whatever.

One of their gutiarists, Dave Shankle, used to teach guitar and the Guitar Center near my home after his stint with Manowar.

**MarcStitz** · 12-22-2006, 10:09 AM

I heard two of their songs. The first I have is "Warriors of the Worlds." A really love this song, the lyrics are so emotional. The second song I heard on Sirius radio that is awesome too. I forgot the title, I think it was "kill the king" or "Im the King". I don't know, I know it has something to do with king. Can anyone help me out?

**El Lobo** · 12-22-2006, 10:53 AM

Originally Posted By: MarcStitz I know it has something to do with king. Can anyone help me out?

Some songs with "King" in the title:

* Kings of metal (from their GREAT 1988 album with the same name)
* Blood Of The Kings - From the same album
* King - From the "Loader than hell" 1996 album
* Kingdome come.. OK, not "king" but almost :-) (from the 1988 album again)

**MarcStitz** · 12-22-2006, 07:38 PM

Kings of Metal, thanks El Lobo

**soonerfan28** · 12-22-2006, 07:50 PM

Well I don't criticize sabbath or any band for satanic stuff. Sabbath was far from satanic anyways. They were labeled that way because it was the early 70s and they were one of the first bands to be the opposite of all the hippie shit. Liking a band like manowar is just a matter of taste. I think that the narrative parts sound stupid because the story he is telling is just flat out retarded and you don't, so what. I was just telling my opinion. Someone else said the exact same thing earlier on this thread and you didn't comment on his opinon. Anyways there was no need for the comment. Everyone else expressed their opinions about manowar so I deserved the same chance.

**El Lobo** · 12-23-2006, 09:32 AM

Originally Posted By: soonerfan28 I was just telling my opinion. Someone else said the exact same thing earlier on this thread and you didn't comment on his opinon. Anyways there was no need for the comment. Everyone else expressed their opinions about manowar so I deserved the same chance.

Sure, man, I was only commenting your comments... No probs.

**St Vitus** · 12-23-2006, 10:07 AM

**El Lobo** · 12-23-2006, 11:30 AM

Oh no! That's is Demaio for you :-) And that's nothing compared with other things he says/does.... It's just his image (or he may be crazy, actually). I often rotflmao listening to him :-)

**commando** · 02-10-2007, 12:52 PM

They're pretty cool. . . in a Spinal Tap kinda way! Seriously, the best thing about Manowar is that their first guitarist, Ross The Boss played in a great band from the '70s called The Dictators.

**Sir Kenneth** · 08-22-2010, 10:33 AM

Necropost!

This thread hasn't seen any activity recently, so I thought it would be interesting to see what anyone currently frequenting the board thinks about Manowar. Personally I'm a fan. I think everything they did from Into Glory Ride and up to Kings of Metal was great, with the exception of Fighting the World which was a bit of a mixed bag (still has some great tunes though). Battle Hymns never really did anything for me, and while I don't think The Trimph of Steel was bad as such, Ross the Boss will always be an integral part of what I like about Manowar.

**devstorm** · 08-22-2010, 12:07 PM

About 7 or 8 years ago they came to San Francisco w Immortal supporting. The place was packed to the rafters. Immortal were in the midst of a surge of popularity at the time, so I guessed the crowd was mostly theirs. But I was wrong and I was shocked! Manowar actually had fans??!!! And even the fact that they were headlining was really odd to me. I always considered them the real life Spinal Tap. With lyrics like "I walked inside so I can hear & the guy beside me gave me a beer," I think they might have Chris Guest, Michael McKean, or Harry Shearer writing their lyrics. But they do have quite a strong following. So I can respect that fact. But musically they just don't quite do anything for me.

**Totentanz** · 08-22-2010, 03:28 PM

I think Manowar are great!

From Battle Hymns right through to Warriors Of The World - there's something for me in every album. Eric Adams is an absolute top quality vocalist. Not many singers have the balls to cover Nessun Dorma AND Elvis Presley on one record - and pull it off!!

I've never gone out of my way to see them live or buy one of their (many) live recordings/DVDs though.

The image they have going is kinda comedy (probably unintentional comedy), but I don't care about that. Music over image every time. As for lyrics, they're actually mostly pretty positive, self-affirming lyrics. Cheesy, but harmless. I seriously recommend a good session listening to Manowar before you attend a job interview - you will go in there ready to kick ass! Works every time - guaranteed!

I did find the latest release Gods of War to be crap, however. I think they spent too much time listening to Rhapsody (of Fire) and got sucked into a whole heap of crap with extended intros/fillers and a complete lack of real songs.

**Riffs** · 08-22-2010, 03:48 PM

Manowar is a huge mixed bag and I love 'em anyways.

First of all, yeah.. they ARE the real life Spinal Taps. The image, the lyrics, outrageous claims... it's all absolutely ridiculous. Just checking out the video for Gloves of Metal is pure comedy gold.

The first four albums are flat out amazing. Seriously, I used to think Manowar was shit but then I actually listened to that stuff and it is so influential and unique. And much like Sabbath, their first four records were done in a blitz, very quickly in a span of three years.

Battle Hymns

The first side of this album is mostly generic, early metal. But the second side is where they show some epic metal in their formative years. Dark Avenger is an amazing song and the title track is just as great. Plus, the song Manowar is a great rock and roll/metal anthem that they still use to this day to open their shows.

Into Glory Ride

I used to think nothing would ever give me the feeling of weirdness and intensity of Black Sabbath's Born Again but this record is the ONLY one who does that. Much like Born Again, it's a mixed bag. Like their first album, the first side is mostly generic hard rock/metal. But the album gets progressively better. Gates of Valhalla is just EPIC. It's a perfect mix of savage vibe and melody. Great basslines to boot. Hatred is the heaviest song Manowar ever created. It could fit right on Born Again, only it's got an extra mean streak that reminds me of Slayer. Revelation is another epic sound with a galloping rythm nt unlike Maiden. March for Revenge is another savage song. These are four masterpieces IMO.

Hail to England

This is considered by most to be their best album and I understand why. There's not a single weak song on it, it's their most well-rounded album. It's also the one with the least cheese on it. Even the cheese anthem "Army of Immortals" is (I am ashamed to say) really great. Blood of my enemies is a super heavy song. Kill with Power is a quick, almost early-thrash kind of song. Every chorus on the album is memorable and great, every song catchy in its own way and uncompromising.

Sign of the Hammer

Another great album. Guyana has one of the greatest metal intro EVER. That song kicks so much ass with its slow, heavy pace. Bonus for tackling the subject of Jim Jones and his cult. Lots of other epic tracks like Thor, Sign of the Hammer, the superb ballad Mountains is absolutely unique. The Oath shows more variety as it is a very speedy song.

Overall, those four albums show a strong identity, a lot of variety musically. A very unique use of the bass as an instrument in a metal four-piece. Eric Adams is one of the best singers in the genre. Like all the greats, what differentiates him is not only a great tone and range but the delivery. The guy really is expressive and sings the LYRICS, not just the melodies.

These albums are a must for anyone interested in amazing early metal and also for those who like early black metal "folk metal" and "viking metal". The formula is all there, copied almost entirely by Bathory (but Manowar did it better).

Manowar's next two albums (Fighting the world and Kings of Metal) are a total departure. After a 3-year hiatus, the guy started experimenting with digital recording and ambitious sound effects. Some of these tracks are still absolutely amazing. They're just less groundbreaking.

All six albums are cool because Guitarist Ross the Boss (who came from the rock and roll/punk of The Dictators) counter-balances the epic, classical over-the-top tastes of DeMaio. Where DeMaio is more of the school of straight, square metal, Ross has the bluesy, punkish mixed vibe that keeps these albums honest.

After these six albums? The rest is mostly shit due in great part to Ross leaving the band and the rest of the guys overproducing their recordings.

But the six first albums are gold, and the first four should be in any metalhead collection, like Sabbath, Maiden, Priest and other early classics.

IMO, of course.

**RLP4ever** · 08-23-2010, 05:30 AM

Manowar is so supremely sucky, that it cannot be even funny, really.

I have honestly hated this band, from the start, for loads of reasons I won't trot out here now. Totentanz is spot-on about the "music over the image every time" point-of-view. I have always felt exactly the same way about many bands (Anthrax, Gwar, Mudvayne, Slipknot, Mushroomhead, The Berzerker..... etc etc....). Sadly, though, in Manowar's case, the music (to me) has scarcely ever been any better than their exceedingly corny, comedic image. All the more astonishing then, to realise just how hugely popular and successful the band's been, over these past nearly thirty years. New York has spawned tons of cool acts of various genres, but Manowar is one of NY's crappier offerings to the world of metal. For much cooler American speed/power/heavy metal, I'd take Texas's Helstar, for example, everyday over something like Manowar.

**Sabbathman** · 08-23-2010, 05:46 AM

After all the hype & sanctimonious "we are true metal" attitudes, Manowar's live performance was truly a disappointment back in 2009. Everything was just too damned loud & even louder, a terrible mix, distortion & resonant noise, crackling & unprecise drum sound, buzzing & at times indecipherable guitars...They hauled every possible amplifier on stage & more - the festival organization had to arrange additional amps from abroad to satisfy the band. For what? An uninspiring setlist, void of the most "defining" classics, delivered with some of the most horrendous soundscape fathomable. I've seen Manowar live once, I don't need a second one.

**nunoni** · 08-23-2010, 07:00 AM

if you didn't want LOUD then you shouldn't go to a Manowar concert!!!

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