Why did I know you were going to continue to argue with me about this, in spite of the fact that you have "no horse in this race?"
I live in Austin, TX yet create traditional Kenyan ritualistic music. It does not translate well in a honky tonk. Why is this hard to grasp?
That is super. But Manowar is a metal band, and metal is a well known and appreciated form of music here.
Whoa - from wikipedia - "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. The EP consisted of two discs: the first playing the regular track list; the second playing the song "Father" in fifteen different languages" And... "Manowar's subsequent release was a re-recording of their 1982 debut album, Battle Hymns. This album was released on 26 November 2010, with the narration of Sir Christopher Lee and formally entitled Battle Hymns MMXI. " They re-recorded their first album and re-issued it? Why, did the original have Bob Daisley and Lee Kerslake on it? "On the 28th July 2013, Manowar announced that they will be re-recording their 1988 release Kings Of Metal with an expected release date of late 2013. Brian Blessed will be doing the narration for the track "The Warrior's Prayer". Like the re-recording of Battle Hymns MMXI, this album will allow the band to use modern day technology." Well, why not, it worked once before...
Heck no. I mean, could there possibly be a more manly metal band than one consisting of a bunch of dominant bearish leathermen?
Love guitarist Ross the Boss and have seen him numerous times live with The Dictators. I've only heard a few Manowar songs.
That was totally a money move - but with the re-recording, you're now getting that album sung and tuned down a whole step, which is not usually a good thing.
Serious or not, there isn't a person posting in this thread who wouldn't pass an opportunity to play in the band.
Bought Hail To England in the 10th grade and became a full fledged Manowarrior. They used to play all over Ohio when they were getting ready for European tours. I remember seeing them in tiny shacks with crowds that ranged from 12 to 75 people. Loud as all get out. The one thing I remember about all the times I saw them was the true camaraderie amongst the fans. Everyone knew the words to all the songs and you could talk to someone like you knew them for years. I can't count the number of times someone would come up, put their arm around me, hand me a beer and shout along with the band. One guy we met at a show in Elyria summed it up perfectly, "Man, I went to a Slayer show and tried to go up and sing with a dude and he punched me in the face! Manowar fans just hand me a beer and sing along." If you've never seen their appearance on Nickelodeon from 83/84, watch this now. I first saw this in the early 90's on VHS, total Spinal Tap moment. I've had a couple run-ins over the years with the band, was once pulled from the photo pit and taken backstage to be grilled by a very upset Joey DeMaio only to pull out a copy of the email from him granting me a photo pass. I've posted this link in a prior Manowar thread, a few years back I interviewed Scott Columbus for Classic Rock Magazine where he revealed that he was no longer with the band and claimed that the band made up his son's illness when he left the band in the early 90's. Still like the band even though I'm on their s*** list. Shame about Scott's passing, a really nice dude. http://www.classicrockmagazine.com/news/scott-columbus-why-i-left-manowar/
Thanks for posting that video. I enjoyed that and the interview AND watched another couple of interviews. Joey sounds quite intelligent.
Metal with prog, death and Viking overtones may not be unknown in the US, but it is freakishly popular in Europe. IMO Americans tend to like their metal to be a little more rock'n'roll.
Hopefully you'll appreciate this story - about 7 years ago, I went to see Lindsay Buckingham do a solo show at House Of Blues. We showed up a bit early, and there weren't too many people around, etc. So, I headed to the bar to get a few drinks. Right next to me was a very intimidating-looking dude chatting with some girl, and I couldn't believe that the guy was a wearing a Kings Of Metal hoodie. What are the freaking odds of this at a Lindsay Buckingham show??! The girl walked away, so I said, "Excuse me." He sternly asked me, "Can I help you?" I pointed to his attire and said, "Hail And Kill." He stuck his hand out, shook mine and said, "Definitely."
There's no prejudice here... As long as you don't speak ill of The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin, everyone gets along just fine.
It is in no way as widely known or deeply appreciated in the states like it is in Europe. Europe has a much larger, much more diverse and much more vibrant metal scene than the U.S. ever had. There are literally a few dozen genres and sub genres - Celtic black metal, anyone? How about djent? Or crust? Melodic death metal? Etc. - and bands that have never been heard, let alone appreciated, in the U.S. Ever heard of Blut Aus Nord? Deathspell Omega? The Ocean? Take a look at a metal-specific site like Last Rites (formerly Metal Review) and you will see what I mean. What America knows about metal pales in comparison to Europe.