It’s official — MANOWAR are the loudest band in the world!
DEAF REYNOLDS is blown away by the Black Wind as The Kings OfMetal crank it up to a record- breaking 130 decibels! Wimps andPosers, Leave The Hall!
Hannover’s music Halle is an amazing rock ‘n’ roll venue.From the outside, it looks like just another large, imposingGerman industrial site. Originally built just before World War 2as a U-boat factory, the building was a prime target for AlliedBombing, but was never successfully hit.
The pens into which the submarines were lowered to starttheir journey toward the North Sea apparently remain intactbeneath the main structure, but security guards keep the curiousaway. Within these cavernous walls, on level ground, there nowlies one of Germany’s best Rock venues. And today, March 8, theMusic Halle has been chosen to host one of the most momentousoccasions in the history of Metal!
This very evening, the mighty MANOWAR are scheduled to playa gig on their «Agony and Ecstacy» tour. But the emphasis is onthe afternoon’s events, for the New York Metal warriors are setto reclaim their crown as the Loudest Band In The World, a recordheld these last few years by a bunch of absolute nobodies calledImmaculate Mare.
There’s pride at stake here!
At 3:30 pm Manowar’s manager, Tom Miller, gives a five-minute warning. He insists that all non-working personnel vacatethe hall, leaving just the bands road crew, two video crews andyour trusty K! duo to witness history in the making. Ear-protection is advised, but not enforced.
Initially the bands outro tape is blasted through the PA toensure all the equipment is working properly. This captures therecord of Loudest PA in the world for the quartet.
Fried-up by this, some five minutes later and dressed infull stage attire, Manowar arrive on stage and launch headlonginto «Black Wind, Fire And Steel».
We all hold our breath. Have they done it? Earplugs or noearplugs, I’m sure I heard the band play louder their first timeat Hammersmith!
TV cameramen crowd round the two sound experts, one of whomis Germany’s top man in this field. The announcement soon comes:the band playing together have registered a record-breaking 129decibels!
And incredibly, bassist Joey DeMaio has managed to exceedeven this, with a ball-breaking 130.7 dB!A Boeing 747 registers 140 dB on take-ff….
Joey and singer Eric Adams are all smiles back in thedressing room. They’ve broken the World Record before now, butthis time it was actually documented.
«When we did it at Hammersmith a few years ago, it wasn’tofficially recorded (the band could only claim to be the LoudestBand In The World), so this time we didn’t want to make the samemistake,» says Eric.
«We had two guys with measuring equipment to ensure thatthey were both getting the same readings…»
But why wasn’t there anyone here from the «Guinness Book OfRecords»?
«The Guinness… people have very little to do with thesetting of records. All they do is print things depending ontheir value to the publication, entertainment-wise,» notes Joey.»You don’t actually set records for their benefit, you set themfor the sake of setting them! If they choose to print it, thengreat»
«We did notify them of what we were doing, in case they hadany specific guidelines we could follow, but this was a WorldRecord attempt for ourselves.»
«See, there are people in this world who talk, and there arepeople in this world who do it. We do what we talk about! We’veblown away every existing record there’s ever been. Now we areofficially — and nobody can dispute it — The Kings Of HeavyMetal! That means we make thunder inside a room. We make morethunder than anyone can, at a louder level, yet as a cleaner,more pleasant, fun experience.
«People may well think they’ve heard us play louder, but itcould be that we produced more distortion, so therefore it seemedlouder. But the equipment we’re using is higher quality. It’slike turning up an expensive stereo: it’s loud, but you don’tperceive it as such.»
So, what became of the previous World Record holders,Immaculate Mary?
«Brother, those small-time fucking creeps had the good senseto split up!»
Obviously, there was no way such levels of decibel excesswould be reached during the gig.
«We care about our fans too much,» says Eric. «We wouldn’twant to permanently deafen somebody.»
Do you wear ear protection?
«No, see, if I wear earplugs in both ears, I’m not able tohear any high-end, which I need as a vocalist. They don’t makeearplugs to give you high end, other than the plastic ones, whichfall out as soon as you open your mouth!»
Manowar’s following in the UK may have become more selectiveof late, but their audiences are increasing in size all the timein Europe, particularly here in Germany.
«We’re at that point in our career where our status is justgoing up and up,» states Joey.
«We sell more records each year and play to more people. Buty’know, I hope we don’t become trendy to like! Nowadays it’salmost a disgrace to have a backline, and these new guys areplaying through amps no bigger than my mother’s microwave!»Y’know, I can’t listen to this new dogshit. Grunge?
Sponge?! What’s it supposed to be? It’s just a wank! It’sdogshit! People say it’s new Metal. What’s it got to do withMetal!?! It’s not even False Metal! C’mon, fuucking Poison areeven heavier than the fucking shit these guys are playin!»
«When we used to say «Death To False Metal», we weretalkin about all the poser music, but this new stuff doesn’t evencome up to that standard! Is there a word for something beneathshit!?!
«You can’t fool the real music fans. These «New Metal»assholes will get away with it for a while, but once peoplereally listen to it, they’ll discover guys who can’t play anddrummers who just sound like they’re farting. It’s not music.»This band offers quality entertainment. We offer a goodsound, good music — a total value-for-money package. What I thinkhas carried us forward more than anything is that it’s not hardto get into us, and our fans are welcoming to others.»
But the announcement of a date at London Marquee for the endof this European tour, has fuelled rumors that the band is on thewane….
DeMaio smiles again.
«It’s strictly our choice to play the Marquee. We’ve neverplayed a club in London before, because we went straight intoHammersmith.»
«We want to play the Marquee because it’s a legendary venue.It’ll be an honour to play there. It’s the last gig of the tour.Our aim is to go in there and take the roof off that shack,brother!»
Back in the US, Manowar will soon be turning their attentiontowards their first album for new label Geffen, having recentlyswitched from Atlantic. Recrd labels have always been a problemfor the Loudest Band In The World.
«When we sign on that dotted line we’re always promised themoon, but just end up with a telescope and the message: ‘That’sclose neough’!» remarks Eric. «We’ve been together 13 years now.We deserve worldwide promotion.»
Did you have any say in the recently released compilation,’Best Of Manowar — The Hell Of Steel’, on Atlantic?
«We had nothing to do with it! It was a contractual thing.It’s got the worst cover ever. I mean, what the hell do thosegirls chained-up represent?! We don’t chain up women. We let ’emloose!» says Eric.
«It’s weird to be optimistic about a new record deal afterhaving so many,» Joey shrugs,» but we are. There’s always a goodvibe at the start. Before, the only problem in America was thatpeople just didn’t get the fact that we weren’t Winger or WhiteLion. We were not like any other Atlantic bands. This isManowar.»
«As a matter of fact, where are all those bands now? We’restill here!»
Just one question remains. How does Joey feel about becomingthe World’s undisputed Loudest Individual Musicial?»Righteous!»
All three of us crease up in hysterics….
KING BIRDERS OF METAL!!!
The MANOWAR guide to pulling «hot chicks» as revealed toDAVE REYNOLDS!
SOME BANDS you’d be happy to introduce your girlfriend to,some you wouldn’t. Of the latter, Manowar top the list! Everynight on tour, Manowar pick members of the audience to get uponstage during the battle anthem, ‘Kings Of Metal’. Most arewomen, usually the ones best described by the band as «hotstuff»…
In Hanover, two of the girls ‘lucky’ enough to be invited upare 21-year-old Katy and her best friend, 20-year-old Jasmine.Joey takes an instant liking to Jasmine, and if he didn’t havemore pressing engagements (the gig!) he probably wouldnt’t havebeen seen for a couple of hours…
«We have no problem in stopping the show if we see a hotchick out there,» says Joey. «And we make sure we grab herattention and invite her to come backstage. Alone.»
Manowar should’ve penned ‘You’re Invited But Your FriendCan’t Come’!
Sometimes things happen so fast that the boyfriend usuallydoesn’t know they’ve gone!» laughs Eric. Sometimes they do. Ireally felt for the guy who had to watch his girlfriend get uponstage in Wolverhampton during ‘Kings Of Metal’. Not only did hewiness DeMaio thrusting his tongue down her throat; he had towatch her shoving her hands inside the bassist’s pants… Still,sometimes there are benefits.
«I was talking to this chick in Berlin last night and I’dremembered seeing her with another girl,» relates Joey. «I askedher where her friend was and she replied, ‘She had to go home tofuck her boyfriend. After hearing Eric’s voice and this kind ofmusic, her next thought was, ‘Where’s my boyfriend?’ «So I asked,’Are you saying Manowar’s music makes girls horny?’. She says,’Yes I am!'»
When it comes to pulling, you won’t hear DeMaio boasting toany girls that he’s just become the World’s Loudest Musician…»Idon’t believe in chat-up lines. The last thing they want to hearis yet another one. Besides women know the minute they first lookat a guy whether or not they’re gonna fuck him. In that instantyou win or lose. The only thing that works is meaningfulconversation and getting down to the real nitty-gritty.»
I wonder, in the meaningful conversation he had with Jasminelater that evening, did he discover that her absolute favoriteartists were Journey and Richard Marx?!