Line #92 Music/Manowar


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/manowar_kings_of_metal.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:'''''Hail and Kill!''''']]
3
4	->''Father, on bend-ed knee''\
5	''I ask thee, raise thy hand''\
6	''[[PunctuatedForEmphasis We! The sons! Of Odin!]]''\
7	''Await thy command!''
8	-->-- "Gods of War"
9
10	Manowar are a heavy metal band from New York, USA, founded in 1980. Fond of [[HornyVikings Vikings]] and insanely over-the-top EpicRocking. They are the [[RatedMForManly manliest]] band of all time.
11	----
12
13	Discography:
14
15	* ''Battle Hymns'' (1982)
16	* ''Into Glory Ride'' (1983)
17	* ''Hail to England'' (1984)
18	* ''Sign of the Hammer'' (1984)
19	* ''Fighting the World'' (1987)
20	* ''Kings of Metal'' (1988)
21	* ''The Triumph of Steel'' (1992)
22	* ''Louder Than Hell'' (1996)
23	* ''Warriors of the World'' (2002)
24	* ''Gods of War'' (2007)
25	* ''Thunder In The Sky'' (2009) (EP)
26	* ''Battle Hymns MMXI'' (2011) (remake of the 1982 release)
27	* ''The Lord of Steel'' (2012) (digital album)
28	* ''Kings of Metal MMXIV'' (2014) (remake of the 1988 release)
29	* ''The Final Battle I'' (2019) (EP)
30
31	----
32
33	!!Manowar's music includes examples of:
34
35	* AlbumTitleDrop: Curiously made in the ''previous'' album: the words "into glory ride" appear prominently in "Battle Hymn".
36	** The first stanza of "Blood of the Kings" on the ''Kings of Metal'' album is mostly a recitation of the band's previous five album titles.
37	** From "The Gods Made Heavy Metal": "They said to play it ''Louder Than Hell''".
38	* AllDrummersAreAnimals: Scott Columbus. He had to play a kit made of stainless steel because his drumming technique destroyed conventional drumkits.
39	* ArcWords: The words "Sword in the wind" shows up in the lyrics of several of their songs.
40	* AsTheGoodBookSays: "Revelation (Death's Angel)". The song is from the point of view of Death's Angel and quotes several verses from the titular book of the Bible.
41	* AudienceParticipationSong: "Die For Metal" has a chorus that was made for singing along to.
42	-->''They can't stop us, let 'em try!''
43	-->''For heavy metal we will die!''
44	** "Kings of Metal" has a chorus which is meant to be a back and forth between the audience and the band, and was recorded at the Thirsty Whale, a hard rock/heavy metal bar in Illinois.
45	* BadassBoast : In ''Kings of Metal'':
46	-->'''Other bands play... MANOWAR KILL!'''
47	* BadassCreed: The Warrior's Prayer in "Glory, Majesty, Unity" counts as this.
48	* BandOfBrothers: A common theme in Manowar lyrics, whether it's warriors on the battlefield or metalheads defending "true metal".
49	* BattleCry: "Death to false Metal!"
50	* BilingualBonus: The lyrics booklet for Gods of War is written entirely in Norse runes (although when translated into latin letters it's in English).
51	* BloodKnight: Pretty much every hero they sing about. Any song that involves a battle is about how [[WarIsGlorious amazing it is to be fighting]] and how your enemies are going to quake in fear at your presence.
52	* BrokenRecord: A couple:
53	** At the end of ''Power of Thy Sword'':
54	--->''They will know the power of my sword''
55	** In the very next song:
56	--->''Feel the demon's whip, demon's whip''
57	** Pretty much the chorus of ''The Power''. Last chorus repeats itself three times.
58	* BurningTheShips: "Heart of Steel" features a few lines about just this trope.
59	-->Burn the bridge behind you\
60	Leave no retreat\
61	There's only one way home\
62	Those who laugh and crowd the path\
63	And cut each other's throats\
64	Will fall like melting snow
65	* ChildhoodFriends: Joey [=DeMaio=] and Eric Adams.
66	* ChildPopstar: Lead singer Eric Adams formed his first band at age 11.
67	* ConceptAlbum: ''Gods of War'', which is about Óðinn.
68	* CoverVersion: ''Warriors of the World'' has their own take on Giacomo Puccini's "Nessun Dorma" and "An American Trilogy" by Mickey Newbury.
69	* {{Cult}}: "Guyana (Cult of the Damned)" is based on the People's Temple led by Jim Jones.
70	* DaddyHadAGoodReasonForAbandoningYou: "Defender"'s opening is a letter from a father who died in battle before his son was born.
71	* DevilsJobOffer: The song "Dark Avenger" is the story of a man who was horribly wronged by local village elders, and eventually killed. When he enters Hades, the "Guardian of Lost Souls", (voiced by Creator/OrsonWelles) offers him a job. The man is equipped with a magic blade which was forged in brimstone and tempered in the tears of the unavenged dead, as well as a pitch-black horse with flaming eyes to carry him back to Earth. The Guardian tells him to "seek payment, not only for thine own anguish, but vindicate the souls of the Unavenged". The song then is told from the Dark Avenger's perspective, which he mostly spends listing the fates of his targets.
72	* DistaffCounterpart: Swedish metal band Hysterica has sometimes been called "The all-female Manowar" due to their leather stage outfits, HeavyMeta lyrics, and sword & sorcery imagery. The band members themselves even admit to being heavily influenced by Manowar, and their debut album was even titled "Metalwar".
73	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: ''Battle Hymns'', the band's debut album, is noticeably "rockier" (think of the first three Music/{{Rainbow}} albums) than their material from ''Into Glory Ride'' onward. With the exception of the song "Battle Hymns" itself.
74	* EpicRocking: Songs surpassing the 6-minute mark is no big thing for Manowar, who favor "bigger is better" in all aspects of their work, but special mention goes to ''Triumph of Steel's'' "Achilles: Agony and Ecstasy (in Eight Parts)", which tops them all at over 28 minutes long.
75	** ShownTheirWork: It goes into quite a bit of depth on ''Literature/TheIliad'' as it pertains to Achilles.
76	* EverythingsBetterWithRainbows:
77	** ''Triumph of Steel's'' "Master of the Wind":
78	--->''Fly away to a rainbow in the sky''
79	--->''Gold is at the end for each of us to find''
80	--->''There, the road begins, where another one ends''
81	--->''Here, the four winds know who will break and who will bend''
82	** ''Gods of War's'' "Sleipnir":
83	--->''Carry we who die in battle,''
84	--->''Over land and sea,''
85	--->''Across the Rainbow Bridge to Valhalla!''
86	--->''Odin's waiting for me.''
87	* TheFaceless: [[MetalBandMascot The Manowarrior]] is TheBlank with GlowingEyesOfDoom. According to artist Ken Kelly, responsible for the covers, it was Joey [=DeMaio=]'s idea, as the Manowarrior was to represent an [[TheEveryman Everyman]] - every fan of Manowar out there.
88	* FanFlattering: [[invoked]]Several lyrics claim that Manowar fans are better than other people. Specifically, they're more metal than other people. [[MemeticMutation ''Wimps and posers, leave the hall'']].
89	* FanService: The cover of the ''Gods of War'' album consists of the Dark and Scary Sons of Odin getting {{Leg Cling}}ed by naked women.
90	* GirlOnGirlIsHot: The intro to "Pleasure Slave".
91	* GreatBallsOfFire: At least half of their album covers features giant balls of flame somewhere in the background.
92	* HappinessInSlavery: "Pleasure Slave" from ''Kings of Metal''.
93	* HeavyMeta: "Metal Daze", "Gloves of Metal", "All Men Play on Ten", "Kings of Metal", Metal Warriors", "Brothers of Metal", "The Gods Made Heavy Metal" and "Die for Metal". In fact, the main focus of the band can basically be summed up as; "Heavy Metal is awesome".
94	** If the lyrics of a Manowar song aren't about Odin or glory in battle, it's a safe bet the song will be about how the awesomeness of heavy metal.
95	* HeavyMithril: When their songs aren't about Norse mythology or how awesome heavy metal is, it will be about glorious fantasy battles.
96	* HellHasNewManagement: This lyric from song "The Power":
97	-->''The power in the darkness to see without my sight''
98	-->''Walk among the living, free of wrong or right''
99	-->''The power of the magic, the power of the spell''
100	-->''Not to serve in Heaven, but one day rule in Hell''
101	* HeroicFantasy: Manowar is probably the most recognizable heavy metal band to focus on sword and sorcery themes and imagery into their lyrics and album artwork.
102	* HomoeroticSubtext: Blood Brothers, a song about the bond between two comrades in arms, understandably has this in SPADES!
103	* HornyVikings: They were actually one of the first Heavy Metal bands to talk about the Vikings, and their lyrical styles ended up influencing a lot of Scandinavian musicians, and, in part, inspiring the European Viking Metal scene in general, alongside Heavy Load.
104	* HorsemenOfTheApocalypse: Revelation (Death's Angel) is about God's cleansing of the earth and the Horsemen are mentioned.
105	* HotBlooded: Unbelievably so. Their music is all about being hot-blooded and conquering your foes in glorious battle, mostly involving a lot of screaming and over-the-top action.
106	* HumansAreWarriors: The lyrics of just about every song in the catalog pretty much bleed this trope.
107	* InTheNameOfTheMoon: "Sons of Odin", "Hand of Doom", "Gods of War" and "Call to Arms" could probably be sung just before a massacre. It is for this reason that their music tends to go extremely well with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPjCfk2XFsk&feature=channel_video_title Warhammer 40000]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBmVndzNIkI Warhammer Fantasy.]]
108	* JumpedAtTheCall: The title character of "Defender".
109	* KayfabeMusic: They're really manly men, fantasy heroes who are always ready to kill anyone. With STEEL, of course.
110	* LargeHam: Joey [=DeMaio=] is the embodiment of this trope.
111	** Also applies to Eric Adams.
112	* LeadBassist: Joey [=DeMaio=] is both a Type A and Type C. He's most certainly a virtuoso bass player (just check out [[https://youtu.be/Q3RtiOr58TM "William's Tale"]]) and he's also more or less always been in charge of the band alongside Eric Adams.
113	* LegCling: Seen on the cover artwork for ''Gods of War'', which features several beautiful, buxom naked women clinging to the legs of the four dark sons of Odin.
114	* LoudnessWar: Officially the loudest band on earth. Just ask Guinness.
115	** Officially, at least, they were the last band to hold an actual Guinness World Record for ''loudest musical performance'' after a show in 1984. By the time they tried to submit their ''129.5dB'' show in Hanover in 1994, Guinness had retired the record, citing a lack of willingness to "promote hearing damage".
116	** They then ''broke'' their 1994 record at a ''soundcheck'' for the 2008 Magic Circle Fest, which measured a sound-pressure level of 139dB.
117	** Though, arguably, one could say that Manowar achieved true victory in ''any'' LoudnessWar back in the summer of 2005 when a show in Geiselwind managed to elicit a reading on '''the Richter Scale'''. No wonder they called the DVD ''The Day The Earth Shook''.
118	* MetalBandMascot: The Manowarrior, an extremely muscled guy while a FaceFramedInShadow at all times.
119	%%* MetalScream: Eric Adams is a master of these.
120	%%* MisogynySong: "Pleasure Slave".
121	* NightOfTheLivingMooks: ''Battle Hymn'' makes reference to soldiers "brave beyond the grave". ''March For Revenge'' on the following album continues the theme of an undead army.
122	* NoTrueScotsman: Manowar has a very [[RatedMForManly manly]] definition of Heavy Metal, but not all Heavy Metal groups fit into it. Those are rejected as "false metal".
123	* PowerBallad: At least one per album since the late 80s. Often more.
124	* ThePowerOfFriendship: "Blood Brothers"
125	* PowerMetal: Some of Manowar's songs have a distinct power-metal feel to them, more so on their later albums.
126	* PretenderDiss: The song "Metal Warriors" from ''The Triumph of Steel" includes this in its lyrics.
127	-->''Heavy metal or no metal at all,''
128	-->''Wimps and posers leave the hall!''
129	* ProudWarriorRaceGuy: The protagonists of Manowar lyrics are often portrayed this way.
130	** This makes songs like ''Father'', about a peaceful and kind family man, actually pretty jarring.
131	** Fairly in line with the band's RatedMForManly attitude, though. Ask yourself, what's a manlier subject than the relationship between a father and his son?
132	* RatedMForManly: So much so that the trope might as well be renamed, 'Rated M for Manowar'. Manowar's music has so much testosterone that it just might impregnate unprotected female listeners (and some ''males'').
133	* RockOpera: ''Gods of War'' is an album heavily influenced by the works of Richard Wagner. The album is a Myth/NorseMythology-influenced tale that tells the story of Odin and his four sons.
134	%%* SeriousBusiness: Served up with extra cheese.
135	* SignatureStyle: Huge, chugging power metal, with the machismo and bombast turned up to twelve.
136	* SpikesOfVillainy: "We wear leather, we wear spikes, we rule the night...".
137	* SpokenWordInMusic: ''Defender'' has more words spoken than sung, and even the instrumental doesn't work up to full volume for a full minute into the song.
138	* StabTheSky: On the cover of ''Gods of War'', and the often used line "Swords in the Wind", which is also the name of a song.
139	* SwordAndSorcery: Many of their songs feature lyrics about warriors (not always [[HeroicFantasy heroic]]) and their battles in a fantasy world of this type.
140	* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: "'till the blood on your sword is the blood of a king, 'till the blood on your hands is the blood of a king!"
141	* TitleDrop: "Sound the '''death tone''' on our '''march for revenge''', Spill '''the blood of my enemies''', '''the oath''' a friend, Fight the '''holy war''' for '''the crown and the ring'''..." .
142	* TurnOutLikeHisFather: ''Father'' is a song about a boy who hopes this will happen, since his father was a NiceGuy; and now that he's grown up enough, realizes that his father really did know best.
143	* TheImmodestOrgasm: The intro of "Pleasure Slave" features... [[GirlOnGirlIsHot Two girls sexually moaning]], coupled up with an EvilLaugh.
144	* UnPerson: "Hand of Doom"
145	* WalkingShirtlessScene: [[MetalBandMascot The Manowarrior]] on every cover he appears on.
146	* WarIsGlorious: Several of their songs are about battles (usually medieval or fantastic instead of current) and how honorable it is to kill or die on the battlefield. However, "Shell Shock" on their debut album is a about a shell-shocked veteran struggling to adjust to normal life.
147	* WorldOfHam: Every album they have promotes war, heroism and violence. Listening to this band is like eating one big Ham.

Context Music / Manowar