Dinosaurdays - Manowar

US heavy metal quartet Manowar were formed in 1981 by ex-Black Sabbath roadie, bassist Joey Demaio and ex-Dictators and Shakin' Street guitarist Ross Friedman (aka Ross the Boss). They recruited vocalist Eric Adams and drummer Donnie Hamzik and they decided on an approach that was to be the total antithesis of melodic AOR, with on outrageous stage act which saw them dressed in animal skins, playing monstrous riffs and featuring barbaric vocals from Adams. Their debut album, "Battle Hymns", was released in 1982. It was a milestone in the metal genre, with subject material centered on bloodshed, fighting, death and carnage. The band's motto was "Death to False Metal". They were unfortunately treated as a joke by the media and they were subsequently dropped by their record label, Liberty. They subsequently signed to Megaforce Records, using their own blood in the contract, their veins opened via a ceremonial dagger! Hamzik left in 1983 and was replaced by Scott Columbus and they released a couple of albums with this line-up during the next few years, this album included. The band was still ridiculed by the press and their albums were still not making any headway, so, disillusioned, Ross the Boss quit in 1988, followed by Columbus following two years later. For all their flamboyance and "over the top"-ness, Manowar were still an essential cog in the wheel that was the heavy metal scene at the time. They're still a going concern today, having released an awesome double live CD, " Hell on Stage - Live" on Metal Blade Records in 1999, with a bonus third CD, " Live in Germany''.
Question: What was Manowar's motto - was it "In Rock we Trust", "Death to False Metal" or "Techno Sucks"?
Prize: A copy of their 1996 album, "Louder than Hell".
Answer: " Death to False Metal".

(If you have more info on this band, please e-mail us)

Biography by Steve Huey
Manowar was formed by ex-Dictators and Shakin Street guitarist Ross the Boss. Its original lineup included vocalist Eric Adams, bassist Joey DeMaio, and drummer Donnie Hamzik. The group's kitschy approach was designed to be the raw, primal, macho antithesis of classic rock. Their music was based on raw, aggressive riffs, and their lyrics were mostly about fighting, violence, and death. The group dressed in animal skins in concert to underline the point. Their first album featured a solo-bass arrangement of the "William Tell Overture," and the press branded the group as a joke. The band tried to become even more extreme with each album and usually ended up dropped from their labels. They tried to take a more commercial direction in the late '80s, but this approach failed too, and Ross the Boss quit in disgust in 1988; undeterred, Manowar continued recording into the next decade, issuing records including 1992's Triumph of Steel, 1994's Hell of Steel and 1996's Louder Than Hell.