Manowar

Known for their sword and sorcery imagery, Manowar are an American heavy metal band formed in 1980 in New York by vocalist Eric Adams, guitarist Joey DeMaio, keyboardist Ross Friedman and drummer Carl Canedy. The line-up has gone through several changes since then; Carl Canedy left after one year and Ross Friedman in 1989. Other musicians who have played with the band include drummers Donnie Hamzik, Kenny Earl Edwards and Scott Columbus (who died in 2011) and guitarist David Shankle. They released their debut album Battle Hymns in 1982 followed by Into the Glory Ride the following year. Hail to England went to number 83 on the UK Albums Chart in 1984 and Sign of the Hammer reached number 73 the same year. Several albums followed and they went on to tour internationally. Warriors of the World went to number 42 on Billboard's Independent Albums Chart in 2002 and Gods of War (2007) reached number 46. They released Kings of Metal MMXIV in 2014 and in 2016 they embarked on a world tour that was to take them through to 2019. The current line-up features Eric Adams and DeMaio along with guitarist Michael Angelo Batio and drummer Dave Chedrick, who both joined in 2022. On March 26, 2026, « Ross the Boss » Friedman died at the age of 72.