Manowar formed in 1980 in New York by bassist Joey DeMaio, guitarist Ross «The Boss» Friedman and singer Eric Adams, and since then they have sold more than 30 million records worldwide. In this tribute we go through their entire discography: the eleven studio albums, the singles, the EPs, the live recordings, the compilations, the videos and the re-recordings.
Country: USA
Genre: Heavy metal, power metal
For fans of: Black Sabbath, Saxon, Iron Maiden
The beginnings: 1982-1984
The story starts on a Black Sabbath tour: DeMaio was working on the «Heaven & Hell» pyrotechnics and Friedman was playing in the support band, Shakin’ Street. From that acquaintance came Manowar – Battle Hymns in 1982, their first record, with «Dark Avenger» featuring narration by Orson Welles. Liberty dropped them almost immediately, and the answer was Manowar – Into Glory Ride in 1983: a new drummer, Scott Columbus, a contract with Megaforce signed in their own blood and the phrase «death to false metal» becoming a banner.
The Atlantic era
Manowar – Hail to England in 1984 was their first record to enter a chart, at number 83 in the UK, and Manowar – Sign of the Hammer that same year brought the mythological themes that would become a permanent habit. Manowar – Fighting the World in 1987 was among the first heavy metal albums recorded entirely digitally and the first with a Ken Kelly cover — since then all their covers are his. Manowar – Kings of Metal in 1988 closed the era with Ross the Boss and went gold in Germany, while Manowar – The Triumph of Steel in 1992 brought «Achilles, Agony and Ecstasy in Eight Parts», a 28-minute piece based on the Iliad.
The 1990s and the return
Manowar – Louder Than Hell came out in 1996 on Geffen, with a new guitarist, Karl Logan, and Scott Columbus back on drums. Three live recordings followed — «Hell on Wheels» in 1997, «Hell on Stage» in 1999 and «Gods of War Live» in 2007 — until Manowar – Warriors of the World in 2002 on Nuclear Blast, the record that brought them back into the spotlight with «Warriors of the World United», but also with two unexpected covers, Puccini’s aria «Nessun Dorma» and «An American Trilogy».
Magic Circle Music
Since 2007 the band releases on its own, through Magic Circle Music. Manowar – Gods of War is a 73-minute concept album about Odin and Norse mythology, with symphonic parts and a connection to Wagner’s «Ring» — the last record with Columbus, who died in 2011. Manowar – The Lord of Steel in 2012 turned to a more stripped-down, direct sound, released first as a download and then in a limited CD edition with the British Metal Hammer.
The singles
More than twenty singles have come out from 1983 to today: «Defender» in 1983, «All Men Play on 10» in 1984, «Blow Your Speakers» in 1987, the German version of «Heart of Steel» as «Herz aus Stahl» in 1988, «Metal Warriors» in 1992, «Return of the Warlord», «Courage» and «Number 1» in 1996, a series of live 7-inches from Spain, Portugal, France and Germany in 1998, «Warriors of the World United» in 2002, «King of Kings» in 2005, «Thunder in the Sky» in 2009 and «Laut und hart, stark und schnell» in 2023.
EPs, compilations, videos and re-recordings
The EPs include «The Dawn of Battle» (2002), «The Sons of Odin» (2006), «Thunder in the Sky» (2009), «The Lord of Steel Live» (2013), «The Final Battle I» (2019) and «Highlights from the Revenge of Odysseus» (2022). Among the compilations, «Manowar Kills» (1992), «The Hell of Steel» (1994), «Anthology» (1997), «The Kingdom of Steel» (1998) and «Steel Warriors» (1998) stand out. The videos include «Secrets of Steel» (1997), the four-part «Hell on Earth» series (2000-2005), «The Day the Earth Shook» (2006) and the two «Magic Circle Festival» releases (2007, 2008). Finally, the band has re-recorded older albums: «Battle Hymns MMXI» (2010), «Kings of Metal MMXIV» (2014) and, in 2019, the «Imperial Editions» of «Hail to England» and «Into Glory Ride».
Our take
Manowar’s discography is a shape with a beginning, a peak and a long tail: in the early years they built their legend with eleven records, half of which are considered classics of the genre, and after that they held the same line without chasing trends. In 2027 they return to Europe with a tour around «Kings of Metal» and «Fighting the World».
See also
Manowar and Hellfest 2019: The cancellation that became a legend · MANOWAR – Kings Of Metal / Fighting The World Tour 2027 · Heavy metal
