Manowar began, fittingly enough, during a low point in Black Sabbath's career. In the hands of the smartest and most creative musicians over the years?like Slayer, Metallica, Ministry, Helmet and the Melvins, to name a few?metal has been a source of incredible innovation for others, it's basically loud bubblegum.
![manowar warriors of the world drum cover manowar warriors of the world drum cover](https://www.frontview-magazine.be/sites/default/files/news/144623-burning-witches-unveil-dance-with-the-devil-cover-artwork-1290556.jpg)
Metal, perhaps by virtue of its perceived lack of intelligence, has been uncommonly malleable. Even hiphop?just a decade younger than metal?still basically sounds the same as it did at its inception. What other pop form has gone through so many changes? Not punk, not r&b, not country, not reggae, not funk, not even Top 40. It has gone from bluesy minimalism to prog to virtuoso sideshow to bad-boy pop to vicious thrash to grunge to a hybrid with rap, with all kinds of underground trends bubbling through it all the time. Such a band could not be fictional?even Spinal Tap is not quite as perfect a spoof of heavy metal, a form that in three decades has changed and developed perhaps more than any other branch of rock 'n' roll, yet gets no respect. 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.Īh, Manowar. Maybe you've heard their slogan?"Death to False Metal!" This is actually part of a self-imposed mandate never to betray their vision of "true" heavy metal. Manowar, who seem to have difficulty writing songs that do not contain the word "metal" in the title?"Metal Daze," "Kings of Metal," "Gloves of Metal," "Brothers of Metal Part 1," "The Gods Made Heavy Metal," "Metal Warriors (Brothers of Metal Part 2)." Manowar, Manowar, who found one sound more than 20 years ago and have deliberately not changed, even a little bit. Manowar, whose albums, showing men in black leather with greased pectorals and we're-squeezing-our-butt-cheeks-as-tight-as-possible expressions, could be mistaken for gay porn video box covers.
![manowar warriors of the world drum cover manowar warriors of the world drum cover](https://i2.wp.com/thisisnotascene.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Manowar-LPs.jpg)
Manowar, whose formulaic pop-metal has been surpassed even by Danzig, fer crissakes. Manowar, Manowar, "Kings of Metal." Manowar, an amalgamation of the worst attributes of KISS, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Motörhead?the stiff, galloping beat, the stentorian anthems, the gothic imagery, the reduction of the art of songwriting into something resembling Saturday morning cartoons. But I'm not moving, nor is anyone else in the hall?Manowar has yet to play. My ears have been pounded into putty, I'm tired of waiting through bands with names like Cryptameria and Pissing Razors, I'm tired of watching chubby guys perform in Peavey tank-tops, and the seat I have staked out for the last four hours is uncomfortably hot. Twenty bands have blasted across the main stage here at Metal Meltdown IV, and more than 40 have played on the other two stages today?plus the dozens that were here the day before.
![manowar warriors of the world drum cover manowar warriors of the world drum cover](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Xv8QSQE-2JA/mqdefault.jpg)
It's just after midnight on a chilly Saturday in early April, and the air in the sturdy old Convention Hall in Asbury Park, is thick with bad metal?it lingers, like a smell.