As the guitar intro rang out for Manowar’s self titled anthem the expectant crowd knew exactly what they were going to get. The immense sound of the bass guitar and drums as they kicked in made extremities shake, and internal organs shake even harder. It was more than loud, it was an extreme wall of sound that hit the crowd like a sledgehammer.
Manowar are presently embarked on an extensive tour to mark the 30th anniversary of their debut album, Battle Hymns. For the anniversary the album has been rerecorded in the band’s own studios, and renamed Battle Hymns MMXI. Eric Adams epic stage presence, alongside Karl Logan on guitar, Donnie Hamzik on drums, and Joey DeMaio on the thundering bass reinvented their wheel so to speak-not that it really needed reinventing at all. Playing all but one song from the original album, they went from track to track with little in the way of small talk in between – they clearly meant business. One of the high points of the first half of the show saw Karl produce a rip roaring guitar solo that defied belief, and a few tracks later Donnie showed us what he was made of, a god of thunder who made the whole building rattle and shake.
The second half of the show didn’t slow the pace, and certainly didn’t disappoint with anthems such as Kings of Metal, Call To Arms, and Warriors of the World United. For me the ultimate pinnacle of the show was when Joey stepped up to the mark and rattled the audience’s skulls with a legendary bass solo, throwing chords in at every opportunity and working effortlessly to produce a floor rumbling sound. These guys are living legends, this was a simply awesome show and as things came to a close Eric clearly stated ‘We will return.’.
Can’t wait….
This tour was an event not to be missed, but if you did this time around there will be a next time, so if you do get the opportunity to see these guys in action, jump to it.
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