Manowar

WORK IN PROGRESS

Manowar are a heavy metal band hailing from Auburn,NY. They are known as the Kings of Metal due to their album, Kings of Metal. Most known for their fantasy and mythology based lyrics regarding subjects such as heavy metal, Norse gods, War, Glory, and Honor. They have grown to be infamous due to their 'true metal' aesthetic, as expressed on songs including Metal Warriors and Warriors of the World United, and their cheesy lyrical content.

History

Manowar was formed in New York City 1980 and released their debut album "Battle Hymns" in 1982 after signing with Liberty Records in 1981. Soon after the release of this album, they went on a tour that only lasted for a few months, opening for Ted Nugent. However, they decided to embark on a short tour of their own, which made them gain popularity in European countries. However, despite the successes of Manowar's first 5 albums, Kings of Metal was arguably their break-out album and also their most well-known album to date, with some of their most popular songs being on it, such as 'Heart of Steel', 'Hail and Kill' and the title track.

Manowar hold the world record for both the longest set at five hours and one minute, and held the world record for loudest performance both in 1984 and 1994. However, the Guinness Book of World Records no longer keeps track of this record in an attempt discourage bands, particularly Manowar from breaking it because it's dangerous. This is why their 1994 claim is not recognized by them. In 1994, Manowar managed to achieve 129.5 dB at Hannover, Germany. This record has been beaten numerous times since 1994 by bands including Sunn O))), Swans, Motorhead, Kiss and My Bloody Valentine. Many of their lyrics have caught on as taglines, memes and slogans, along with the statements of the band and of their fervent fans.

Memes

Wimps and posers, leave the hall

'Wimps and posers, leave the hall' is a line from the song Metal Warriors on the album Triumph Of Steel. The line suggests that if you are not into 'true metal', you are a poseur who should 'leave the hall'. Metal fans tend to associate this line with metal elitism, as they believe that metal elitists tend to adopt this ideology. Manowar have also expressed their distaste for 'wimps and poseurs' on track like Kings of Metal ("We don't attract wimps, 'cause we're too loud"). This aesthetic tends to turn people on and off the band. On one hand, people see Manowar as a silly band they can have fun with, however, people feel that the band is too goofy for their own good, which prevents them from getting into them.

If you don't like Manowar you are afraid of yourself

"If you don't like Manowar you are afraid of yourself, of Manowar!" is a quote from a Manowar fanatic from one of the band's DVD's. Manowar is infamous for having a incredibly devoted and passionate fanbase. This meme originated when this clip was posted to /r/metaljerk, a satirical metal parody subreddit, in 2015, where it gained widespread popularity amongst the community. As this meme became more popular, it started spreading to other subreddits, such as /r/metal.

Death to false metal

'Death to false metal' is Manowar's slogan. This slogan suggests that Manowar's aesthetic is that they represent 'true metal', and that they will fight against 'false metal' to keep metal alive.

Spread

Manowar has been infamous for their cheesy lyrics and goofy aesthetic for years, but it was not until recently that they have become known for the aforementioned memes. A reddit user, which goes by the name of /u/BukkakePizza, used to spam Manowar songs constantly in /r/metal back in it's earlier days. This was the sole reason to why the band became blacklisted from the subreddit. Since then, many users have protested to the mods for the band to be blacklisted, but to no prevail. This made the band more popular on metal satire subreddits, most notably /r/metaljerk.

After being banned from /r/metal, /u/BukkakePizza took to /r/metaljerk to spam Manowar songs. After being banned from there too, he used numerous alt. accounts to spam more Manowar songs, most notably /u/metalwarriors, and /u/AllMenPlayOn10 (the account he currently uses today). This encouraged many users to post Manowar-related content throughout 2015, mainly the aforementioned memes. However, the Manowar memes slowed down in late 2015 due to several users feeling that they became over-saturated.

Search Interest

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