Manowar is an American
heavy metal band from
Auburn New York. Formed in 1980, the group is known for lyrics based on
fantasy (particularly
sword and sorcery) and mythology (particularly
Norse mythology). The band is also known for a loud and bombastic sound. In an interview for
MTV in February 2007, bassist Joey DeMaio lamented that "these days, there's a real lack of big, epic metal that is drenched with crushing guitars and choirs and orchestras... so it's nice to be one of the few bands that's actually doing that." In 1984 the band was included in the
Guinness Book of World Records for delivering the
loudest performance, a record which they have since broken on 2 occasions. They also hold the world record for the longest heavy metal concert after playing for 5 hours and 1 minute in
Bulgaria in 2008. They also have been known for their slogan "Death to false metal".