Manowar

Manowar is an American Heavy / Epic Metal band from Auburn, New York. Formed in 1980, the group is known for lyrics based on fantasy and mythology, particularly Norse mythology. With their loud and bombastic sound, Manowar has become one of the few bands that deliver big, epic metal drenched with crushing guitars, choirs, and orchestras.

In 1984, Manowar was included in the Guinness Book of World Records for delivering the loudest performance. They have since broken this record twice and also hold the world record for the longest heavy metal concert after playing for over 5 hours in Bulgaria in 2008. Despite not achieving mainstream commercial success in the United States, they have a strong cult following there while being extremely popular in Europe and South America.

The band's many innovations include being the first to incorporate sword & sorcery imagery into their lyrics and album covers as well as recording with Orson Welles. They were also among the first metal bands to record with an orchestra and design their own speaker cabinets and guitars. Additionally, they were pioneers of recording in Dolby 5.1 and promoting SACD (Super Audio Compact Disc).