MANOWAR came into my life long ago with the SIGN OF THE HAMMER album …

For me, hearing metal music was like eating bread or drinking coffee. It was essential and it was my brother sticking with me through hard times. As a metal fan in the finance business, you are always the outlaw, and everybody laughs at you. And if you are into metal and have strong opinions about business, nobody lifts you up and you have to fight for each and every step to get further. So I made my own way, went to evening school and university to know things better than the others. Nothing comes easy to me. In all these years the music of MANOWAR was my Blood Brother.

In 2006, I had a stroke of late luck because at 40 years old I married my wife, and in 2019 she got her cancer diagnosis and died the same year, only a few months before the Covid plague. I had to face my mourning during the COVID lockdowns. Only my mother and the music of MANOWAR were on my side. In this time, I discovered very deeply the philosophy of MANOWAR and the Brotherhood, the deeper meaning of the songs, and tried to get stronger for the new challenges in life. For about a year now, I’ve had more intense contact with the Brotherhood on Facebook and a very beloved sister in Romania is now part of my life and I don’t want to miss it.

During the 2025 Tour, I attended MANOWAR concerts in Bamberg Germany, Tallinn, Iceland and London… I visited Bulgaria later that summer and went to the Kavarna area to see where the world record was set. A lot of locals shouted “WARRIORS OF THE WORLD” or made the Sign Of The Hammer. They are so into metal. You have to come back soon to the Black Sea.

We write daily in our community and hope for new concert dates to see our family members in other countries.

Until then, we give each other the strength to go on through this crazy world. Up the hammers and stay strong.

Brother Michael

 

 

Manowarriors,

We just celebrated the anniversary of Sign Of The Hammer – an album that’s meant the world to us and to you for over 40 years.
Now let me give you an update on the re-recording.

We announced this project a while back, and many of you have been asking: Where is it?
Fair question. You deserve an honest answer, so here it is:

Re-recording a beloved album is a massive responsibility for us. These songs are part of your lives. They’re hymns that have carried you through your toughest moments.
We don’t take that lightly.

So here’s what happened:
We recorded everything. We listened. And we weren’t satisfied.

The sound wasn’t there yet. It wasn’t the crushing, earth-shaking power we demand from ourselves—and that you deserve.

So what did we do? We took apart our studios, tried new equipment configurations. We recorded again. But still not quite “it”. And then it was time to prep for tour and hit the road.

Could we have rushed it out? Sure. But that’s not who we are.
We’ve never compromised, and we’re not starting now.

Rest assured: Sign Of The Hammer re-recorded will be released. And new music, too.
And when it drops, it’s going to sound meaner, heavier, and more powerful than anything we’ve done before.

Thank you for your patience and loyalty. Stay tuned!

Hail and Kill!

Joey