By Martin Popoff
"Even fashion, if the next band has long coats on and they go to No. 1, the band after that will have long coats on. They have no true image. We were something new, different, fresh, and it's never going to change, and our fans don't want it to change. But with respect to the sound, that's when Dawk (ed. engineer John Stillwell) comes in. This guy had taken apart all of our gear. I remember when we first got our gear from the factory, when we first started out, Dawk went through everything and changed speakers and upgraded the amps themselves and moved speakers around and re-wired everything, just to make it sound different from everybody else. And our sound quality on stage, I don't think it can be matched. It's something that we're proud of, it's something that when people see us, it's a true happening f**king power thing. You feel it."
Eric was keeping quiet on plans for the next Manowar studio album, also making vague utterances about a DVD and future "Silver Editions", which logically might see release as their respective 20 year anniversaries roll around (Battle Hymns was written and recorded in '81, released in '82). So while the Men Of War plan their next offensive, you'd be wise to study up on the history of these particular rock generals. Battle Hymns - the CD is where it all starts, and Battle Hymns - the booklet is where you'll find out why.