Finally, as the clock turned late, the time had come for the act above all others; the one, the only, Manowar!

Not surprisingly, this was what all visitors of the Magic Circle Festival were waiting for; there could be no doubt about it. The audience ground was filled in a way it hadn’t been all day, and expectations were high as these guys always seem to bring something new to the table every time they play these special concerts. This night would be no exception, it was easy enough to know when already from the very start they broke the golden Manowar rule, as they didn’t play the self-titled song as an opener, but instead went with Hand Of Doom from the Warriors Of The World album. This was a hand they would keep dealing us all night in fact, steering clear of a traditional Manowarian setlist and always keeping it new. Not that it was really showing at the time, but I’m sure this brought up mixed emotions from the thousands of fans gathered; for my own part, I have known Manowar for a very long time, but only really started to get into them in 2005, so I had no objection whatsoever to this course of action.

Through the show all members got their own time to shine with inlays of solos from Joey DeMaio and Karl Logan, a voice exercise from Eric Adams and also a drum-thing from Donnie Hamzik. The Hamzik drums were not really planned though I would think; the reason for this solo (if you could call it that) was that the sound was so terribly messed up in the first song, so for a long time drums was basically all I could hear! Still, one must remember that Hamzik kicks the ass of all other drummers Manowar has had, and even most other drummers out there in general, so even though it wasn’t meant to be this was, it was still a delight seeing behind the skins again!
Logan was next, dazzling us with a long and well-played solo in lightning speed, however I found him as a person to be without visible emotion and a bit bland.
There had been an Eric Adams scream contest in the Manowar Activity Tent earlier on, and even though I had not been there to witness it, I am more than sure that none could compete with the real thing. Adams displayed both a great sense of humour and his extreme vocal range as he led the entire audience in several shout- and sing-along’s. At one time he went so deep I at first felt certain it had to be a pre-recorded effect, but no, it was his own voice he proved to us and left us in awe. This time on stage also showed me a man with a great personality, and a great frontman at that. This is something quite new and welcome to me, as there has usually been someone else who has held the spotlight at Manowar’s shows.
Last, but don’t you dare call him least, was Mr. Manowar himself, Joey DeMaio, and just as Logan before him, he gave us a well- and fast-played solo, which showcased his usual tricks, but held nothing out of the ordinary if you’ve seen him play before.

I had held a quiet wish and thought in my breast before the show; how great would it be if ever I was to see a Manowar show which was made up entirely of songs? I know I sometimes complain about some bands not having a connection with the crowd and that they should try and speak a bit more with their fans. This has never been an issue with Manowar, quite the contrary in fact. Getting them to shut up and play has seemed a much more overwhelming task here.
However, to my great surprise, and even greater delight, it would seem my prayers had been answered; only one single speech passed over the lips of DeMaio, and this was even a short one at that! In it was a greeting to the fans and also a birthday greeting to first Adams, who would be of legal age the very next day, then a birthday greeting to Maria Breon of HolyHell who’s birthday it was this very day, and lastly a greeting to none other than Ronnie James Dio, who would have had his birthday the day before, had he not so untimely passed away from us…
What followed then was Manowar performing the Black Sabbath (Dio-era) cover Heaven And Hell, which they have also recorded on their homage album Magic – A Tribute To Ronnie James Dio, and it sounded great.

Only two songs not present on the latest three releases made it into the set, the first one being the semi-old Brothers Of Metal Pt. 1, and the next one was the old but ever-present Black Wind, Fire And Steel.
Nothing more was picked from Manowar’s extensive back-catalogue, and even though the entire crowd screamed for Hail And Kill, the show was now over.
The surprises were not however, and instead of leaving to The Crown And The Ring (Lament Of The Kings) blasting through the speakers, it was now Army Of The Dead, Part II which filled our ears, as our eyes could feast upon a truly magnificent fireworks display from up on the hill. I actually got the idea that the entire budget for the festival was poured into this display, this is how amazing it truly was.

Clocking in at a meagre one hour thirty or forty minutes of play-time, this was without a doubt the shortest Manowar concert I have ever witnessed, but if I would have to choose between this and a concert clocking in at three or something hours but with as many songs as this one and the rest being speeches, I would pick this type of show any day of the week! Even though they had some serious sound issues in the beginning, and in general seemed to devote more energy to making it sound loud rather than good, this was still the most energy-driven and intense Manowar show I have seen to date!

Setlist:

Hand Of Doom
Call To Arms
God Or Man
Swords In The Wind
Solo (Logan)
Let The Gods Decide
Die For Metal
Sons Of Odin
Sleipnir
Solo (Adams)
Solo (DeMaio)
Warriors Of The World United
Loki God Of Fire
Thunder In The Sky
Heaven And Hell
House Of Death
Brothers Of Metal Pt. 1
King Of Kings
Black Wind, Fire And Steel
Army Of The Dead, Part II