there's been a lot of ambivalence and a distinct lack of surety emanating from this blog for the past 24-48 hours. after some serious deliberation, my doubts on at least one count were badly misplaced. Manowar is actually the best thing i have heard of in the past week. Here are a selection of quotes & facts about/by the band scoured from the internet:

"The whole purpose of playing live is to blow people's heads off", says Manowar bassist Joey Demaio. "That's what we do; that's the energy of this band. We're out there to kick ass, we're out there to turn our gear on and blast, we're out there to kill ... We will melt your face!"

"Recorded and mixed in six days, Manowar's third album was titled HAIL TO ENGLAND. It heralded the band's debut tour of Great Britain. Not since the Vikings invaded northeast England in 878 had the isles seen such all-comsuming power. The whole of Europe fell prey to Manowar with the "Spectacle of Might" tour as the band slashed and burned their way acorss the Continent in support of their fourth album, SIGN OF THE HAMMER. It was then that Manowar entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's loudest rock'n'roll band."

"In Hanover, Germany, they established a new standard in ear-splitting power by breaking their Guinness record for loudest rock band in the world. Two sound specialists officiated, measuring and documenting with painstaking care as Manowar shook the city, playing live at a staggering 129.5 decibels through 10 tons of amplifiers and speakers measuring 40 feet in length and 21 feet in height."

My sincerest thanks to some German guy for this great info.