Manowar fans of the world united :-) (1 Viewer)

[MickeS]

So who here is a fan of Manowar? Anyone?
I'm pretty psyched about their new album "Warriors of the world", due in May, after hearing the awesome single "Warriors of the world united". Sounds a lot like their material on "Louder than hell".
Is anyone going to see them live on the tour? They're not playing here unfortunately (nearest show is 2 hrs away, but it's on a Tuesday :frowning, I'd love to see them again.
/Mike

 

[John_Bonner]

Manowar, wow there's a blast from the past!

Whenever I think of Manowar I think of the song "Battle Hymn" and that chorus: da da da KILL! da da da KILL!

I also remember every bass player I knew in the 80's trying to play "William's Tale".

I really haven't listened to them past the "Fighting the World" album. Do they still have the early line-up of Joey DeMaio, Ross the Boss, Eric Adams, Scott Columbus?

NP: Manowar - "Battle Hymn"

 

[MickeS]

Ross The Boss quit 10 years or so ago, he went back to play with The Dictators. The other members are still there though (Scott Columbus left but came back).
There's more info on http://www.manowar.com (get ready for some serious Spinal Tap vibes ).
/Mike

 

[Martin Fontaine]

Not that I'm a fan or anything (As it's not my kind of music at all) but I remember someone telling me a while ago that they hold the world record for the highest SPL in live concert ever. Something like 400+ dBs or something!

Is this true?

 

[MickeS]

Martin, yes it's true that they hold the record for loudest concert (at least they did a couple of years ago) and they do play REALLY loud, but not 400 dB, which I think is actually impossible to do. I think they played something like 140 dB.

/Mike

 

[Sam Hatch]

I remember seeing these guys back in what must have been '88 or '89. I had never heard them before, and I mainly went to see the openers Nuclear Assault.

But holy cow! That was some funny stuff! The Spinal Tap reference hit it right on the money. The drum riser must have been fifteen feet off the stage, the guitar solo consisted of four straight minutes of pure feedback -- and then there was the consistent cry of 'Death to fahhlse mehtull' from the vocalist.

Then I thought my dad was going to get us killed (Yes, my father was a metalhead when I was in high school. Strange indeed...) by shouting 'You suck!' at the top of his lungs ad infinitum. I know the band probably wasn't joking, but their serious attitude made it all the more hilarious.

Pure comedic genius!

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

The world record issue is a bit of an interesting legend. Manowar's FOH engineer Jeff Hair happens to be a very good friend of mine (my first pro audio internship at 16 years old was with his company), and I have spoke with him about this a number of times.
The world record was not for actual concert DB, but rather was achieved in sound check. And the measured SPL level was defined as only "from front of house mix position"- but no one offered a guideline of how far back that position should be.
I believe that another metal band (Immaculate Mary I think) held the previous "record" - but theirs was taken from a point almost three times further away from the PA (where, if they had measured at the same location Manowar did, they'd probably still be champs).
I don't know if this record is recognized by any serious authority (I have seen Guinness claimed many times on Manowar fan sites [although every fan site spells Guinness wrong], but I've never seen it in actual print- and from what I've heard they retired the category years before Manowar's "record" )- rather I think it is just a fun addition to the Manowar (spinal-tap-esque) mistique.
400db wouldn't even be close to possible.
Jesus- first of all DB is an exponentical scale- meaning 400db would be like your home theater to the 4,000,000th power. I think if it were possible to hear a star explode it wouldn't be measured to 400db! Air on earth cannot carry such sound pressure.
For ref, 160db would instantly crush your eardrum. A gun shot with your ear against the muzzle is like 135!
I think the Manowar Soundcheck was like 129.5 peak (but I've seen it listed at 122 as well, which seems a bit low)- and an interview with Joey Demaio calimed "127.9. That was for the band. For myself 131.7", which makes it sound like he's talking monitor levels (??).
I could call Jeff and check if anyone is seriously interested in the number.
On a side note, if you search for Guinness Loudest Concert on the web, many bands claim to hold the record. Heck, even a Hanson fansite claims 140db Guinness record in Canada (maybe the DB levels in Canada are different, with the exchange rate and all).
Sites for Motorhead, AC/DC, Deep Purple and many other all claim the record for loudest.
-Vince

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

PS: I did find this from a 1994 Kerrang:

Deaf Metal!

It's official - MANOWAR are the loudest band in the world!

DEAF REYNOLDS is blown away by the Black Wind as The Kings Of Metal crank it up to a record- breaking 130 decibels! Wimps and Posers, Leave The Hall!

Hannover's music Halle is an amazing rock 'n' roll venue. From the outside, it looks like just another large, imposing German industrial site. Originally built just before World War 2 as a U-boat factory, the building was a prime target for Allied Bombing, but was never successfully hit.

The pens into which the submarines were lowered to start their journey toward the North Sea apparently remain intact beneath the main structure, but security guards keep the curious away. Within these cavernous walls, on level ground, there now lies one of Germany's best Rock venues. And today, March 8, the Music Halle has been chosen to host one of the most momentous occasions in the history of Metal!

This very evening, the mighty MANOWAR are scheduled to play a gig on their "Agony and Ecstacy" tour. But the emphasis is onthe afternoon's events, for the New York Metal warriors are setto reclaim their crown as the Loudest Band In The World, a recordheld these last few years by a bunch of absolute nobodies called Immaculate Mare.

There's pride at stake here!

At 3:30 pm Manowar's manager, Tom Miller, gives a five-minute warning. He insists that all non-working personnel vacate the hall, leaving just the bands road crew, two video crews and your trusty K! duo to witness history in the making. Ear- protection is advised, but not enforced.

Initially the bands outro tape is blasted through the PA to ensure all the equipment is working properly. This captures the record of Loudest PA in the world for the quartet. Fried-up by this, some five minutes later and dressed in full stage attire, Manowar arrive on stage and launch headlong into "Black Wind, Fire And Steel".

We all hold our breath. Have they done it? Earplugs or no earplugs, I'm sure I heard the band play louder their first time at Hammersmith!

TV cameramen crowd round the two sound experts, one of whom is Germany's top man in this field. The announcement soon comes: the band playing together have registered a record-breaking 129 decibels!

And incredibly, bassist Joey DeMaio has managed to exceed even this, with a ball-breaking 130.7 dB! A Boeing 747 registers 140 dB on take-ff....

Joey and singer Eric Adams are all smiles back in the dressing room. They've broken the World Record before now, but this time it was actually documented.

"When we did it at Hammersmith a few years ago, it wasn't officially recorded (the band could only claim to be the Loudest Band In The World), so this time we didn't want to make the same mistake," says Eric.

"We had two guys with measuring equipment to ensure that they were both getting the same readings..." But why wasn't there anyone here from the "Guinness Book Of

Records"?

"The Guinness... people have very little to do with the setting of records. All they do is print things depending on their value to the publication, entertainment-wise," notes Joey.

"You don't actually set records for their benefit, you set them for the sake of setting them! If they choose to print it, then great"

"We did notify them of what we were doing, in case they had any specific guidelines we could follow, but this was a World Record attempt for ourselves."

"See, there are people in this world who talk, and there are people in this world who do it. We do what we talk about! We've blown away every existing record there's ever been. Now we are officially - and nobody can dispute it - The Kings Of Heavy Metal! That means we make thunder inside a room. We make more thunder than anyone can, at a louder level, yet as a cleaner, more pleasant, fun experience.

"People may well think they've heard us play louder, but it could be that we produced more distortion, so therefore it seemed louder. But the equipment we're using is higher quality. It's like turning up an expensive stereo: it's loud, but you don't perceive it as such."

So, what became of the previous World Record holders, Immaculate Mary?

"Brother, those small-time fucking creeps had the good sense to split up!"

Obviously, there was no way such levels of decibel excess would be reached during the gig.

"We care about our fans too much," says Eric. "We wouldn't want to permanently deafen somebody."

Do you wear ear protection?

"No, see, if I wear earplugs in both ears, I'm not able to hear any high-end, which I need as a vocalist. They don't make earplugs to give you high end, other than the plastic ones, which fall out as soon as you open your mouth!"

 

[MickeS]

Vince, thanks for the info. I thought 140 dB sounded too much.
I love this typical Joey DeMaio quote:
That sums up Manowar.
Sam, thanks for the concert anecdote, that sounds about the same as my experiences. I've seen them 3 or 4 times, and each time has been great. Yeah, the fun part is that they take themselves so seriously.
/Mike

 

[James Zubb]

I have a love/hate relationship with this band. I really hate all their "we are great" songs, but I really love all their fantasy themed songs. Well, maybe hate is a bit too strong, those songs are just too corny to really get into them. I really like "Triumph of Steel" though almost in total ("Metal Warriors" is a bit much), especially the last part of "Achilles" which just blows me away.

 

[MickeS]

Yeah, their "we're the greatest band in the world" can get tiresome, and I think they alienate a lot of potential fans with them. But that's Manowar... and I like those songs too. I can't resist verses like

Manowar Manowar Living On The Road
When We’re In Town Speakers Explode
Now We Don’t Attract Wimps Cause We’re Too Loud
Just True Metal People That's Manowar's Crowd


/Mike

 

[MickeS]

I just listened to the track "Fight for Freedom" off of "Warriors of the world", and MAN what a great song!
Yes, very patriotic, but it's a rousing Manowar anthem with a great chorus and a wonderful melody.
Where the eagles fly, I will soon be there
If you want to, come along with me my friend
Say the words and you'll be free
From the mountains to the sea we'll fight for freedom again
Along with the other songs I've heard so far (off the Internet) this seems like it could be the best Manowar album ever!
/Mike