Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Join the fight to bring MANOWAR to Sweden!

For all Swedish MANOWAR fans out there, here's the place to gather and show the Swedish promotors that we want to see MANOWAR in Sweden again!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kings-of-Metal-Sweden/178674882162564

Monday, December 20, 2010

A quick update

Hi everyone.. I haven't written anything in a while so I would just let you know that I'm alive. :-)

I love the new version of Battle Hymn, the sound quality is AMAZING!

Looks like MANOWAR finally returns to Birmingham, England on March 27th! It looks like I'll be there! Don't want to miss the return to English shores.

Hail and Kill!

Johan

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

I saw Ross the Boss in Sweden

I saw Ross and his band here in Sweden earlier this month when they played a little festival located in the middle of nowhere, a 2,5 hour drive from where I live. The place was really small and I guess there was around 500 people.

Especially for this show he had brought with him Scott Colombus and it was fun to see him behind the drums again playing MANOWAR songs..

Ross started out with playing two of his own song and it was first until the third song the crowd went nuts during "Death Tone", which is a great song live and I'll hope I'll hear MANOWAR play it many more times.

Ross band did a great show and had a lot of energy.. most of their setlist was classic MANOWAR songs such as Gloves of metal, Kill with power, Blood of my enemies, Hail and Kill, Blood of the kings, Fighting the World and Battle hymn... It was great to hear these songs live again and it was my first time to see Ross live.

Here's a clip (not mine!) with Gloves of Metal:

Saturday, February 27, 2010

The MANOWAR shows I've seen

I thought it would be nice to put together some text and links to the shows I've seen with MANOWAR. Here's links to my stories, videos and more from the shows I've seen. I will complete this list as it happens.

Sweden Rock Festival, Sölvesborg, 1999
Malmö, Sweden, 1999
Gothenburg, Sweden, 2002
Copenhagen, Sweden 2002
Roskilde Festival, Roskilde, Denmark, 2002
Hamburg, Germany, 2007
Bad Arolsen, Germany, 2008
Bad Arolsen 2nd show, Germany, 2008
Norway Rock Festival, Kvinesdal, 2009
Loreley, Germany, 2009 (link 1, link 2, setlist)
Offenbach, Germany, 2010

Planned:

Magic Circle Festival IV, Tolmin, Slovenia, 2010


(Eric on the Roskilde Festival in Denmark, 2002)

Monday, January 25, 2010

I'm back home

after a fantastic weekend in Offenbach, Germany.

My flight was scheduled from Copenhagen airport at 9 AM Saturday morning and when I arrived at Frankfurt I thought about a lot of memories from the days in Loreley as this was the same airport I traveled to for the MCF last year. I took a taxi from the airport to Hotel Ibis, where Thor from Norway was waiting, sitting in the lobby bar having a beer and looking pretty wasted from last night's partying. We went out to have something to eat in Offenbach, then he had to leave to get to the arena for the Ultimate Fan Package-thing. We managed to get a couple of beers before he left so I spent the rest of the time sleeping so I could be ready for the show. A few hours later I met Cathy and Pete from Ireland and a few other Brothers in the hotel bar. We had a few beers and shared a taxi to Stadthalle, Offenbach where the show would take place.

When I entered the venue I immediately saw a lot of familiar faces from the House of Death forum and it was like coming to a mini Magic Circle Festival. So great to meet and talk a few minutes to everyone, it makes a MANOWAR show to something much more than only a concert. We'll meet in Slovenia again but I hope it will be earlier.

As Megaforce played I spent my time in the lobby drinking beer and talking to friends. I like Holyhell so I spent some time checking out their show and they are always great live. After Holyhell was finished there happened some stuff but it's nothing I consider worth any attention.

MANOWAR was ready a bit later than scheduled and opened their set with "Call to Arms", which is an awesome song live, and they switched over to the last notes of "MANOWAR" so they could end the first song as they usually do.


They were in top shape and delivered the same setlist as in Leipzig and for the rest of the tour. The setlist was filled with energy and I really love "Hand of Doom" being played as second song, followed up by "Kings of Metal", it sets off the perfect energy and magic for the rest of the show.




"Kings of Metal" was followed by "God Or Man" and I took notice that Donnie had improved his skills on this song from last time I saw them in Loreley. Then one of the highlights of the show came, the full-version of "Swords in the Wind". This song was played on the 2002 tour as well, but only acoustic and the beginning of the song. Now they played the whole song and was surely one of the highlights of the show and Eric was amazing!

The sound was perfectly clear but not that loud in the beginning until when Eric now asked us if we thought it was loud enough (of course it wasn't!), and he told Jeff Hair to put up the volume. Joey went up and did his bass solo with a lot of fun when he entertains the crowd. After a few more songs, it was so loud that I couldn't notice that I had my earplugs anymore. 

The bass solo was immediately followed by Die With Honor and then Donnie started to pound the drums for "Let The Gods Decide". It was followed by "Die for Metal" with a slightly improved guitar intro by Karl. Die for Metal is one of those songs that was made to be played live. It works great live!



The next song was "The Sons Of Odin" which has got better since it was recorded on the Gods of War tour 2007. Then it was time for Joey's speech followed up by partying on stage together with a guitar player and some girls, followed up by "Sleipnir" and "Loki God Of Fire" which has been one of my two favorite songs for the last weeks. The show continued with "Thunder in the Sky", followed by House of Death and Black Wind, Fire and Steel as an encore. 

Eric was constantly putting his hand to the left of his stomach and it seemed that he had some problem that disturbed him, altough he went on perfectly and gave 100 % throughout the whole show. Apparently he had fell sometime during the show, but as for I have understood he should be alright.




The band was in a very good mood with a lot of laughter and smiles during the whole show and it's great to see that the band are having a good time on stage. It makes so much for the show and the energy.

The hall was smaller than I thought it would be and I was happy to see the band in a slightly smaller venue as the shows I've seen before has either been outdoors or in big ice-halls.

I can't wait to be in Slovenia this summer for the Magic Circle Festival and I hope they announce some more dates before that so it won't take so long until I get to see the band and my Brothers and Sisters again. I have a dream to see the band in South America or in a smaller venue in the States and I hope I will be able to realize that dream very soon.

The fire we burn inside is the legacy of warrior kings who reign above in the sky!

Hail & Kill to the greatest band in the world!
Hail & Kill to the best fans in the world!

See you in Slovenia!

Hail & Kill!

Johan

Friday, January 22, 2010

I'm getting ready....

to leave tomorrow morning for Frankfurt airport and to see the show in Offenbach. It will be great, I'm so happy and excited!

Keep an eye open, I might post some pictures tomorrow from my cell phone.

Hail & Kill!

Johan

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Death To Infidels World Tour 2010 setlist

Here's the setlist for the first show on MANOWAR's Death To Infidels Tour 2010, in Leipzig, Germany, January 16th.

1. Call To Arms
2. Hand Of Doom
3. Kings Of Metal
4. Gor Or Man
5. Swords In The Wind
6. Bass Solo
7. Die With Honor
8. Let The Gods Decide
9. Die For Metal
10. The Sons Of Odin
11. The Gods Made Heavy Metal
13. Sleipnir
14. Loki God Of Fire
15. Thunder In The Sky
16. Warriors Of The World United
17. House Of Death
18. Black Wind, Fire And Steel

Friday, January 15, 2010

Happy and excited...

to see the band in only one week!!!

It's VERY rare to see people in Malmö where I live wearing MANOWAR shirts..... guess that I was surprised when a girl walked into the gym today wearing a GODS OF WAR-sweater! Of course I had to say hello!

I hope to be able to post a few photos from the show so keep your eyes open!

/Johan


Wednesday, January 13, 2010

I can't wait...

for the show at Magic Circle Festival this summer, so I booked a flight to see the show in Offenbach, Germany.

See you there!