Manowar was formed by ex-Dictators and Shakin Street guitarist Ross the Boss. Its original lineup included vocalist Eric Adams, ba**ist Joey DeMaio, and drummer Donnie Hamzik. The group's kitschy approach was designed to be the raw, primal, macho antithesis of cla**ic rock. Their music was based on raw, aggressive riffs, and their lyrics were mostly about fighting, violence, and d**h. The group dressed in animal skins in concert to underline the point. Their first album featured a solo-ba** arrangement of the "William Tell Overture," and the press branded the group as a joke. The band tried to become even more extreme with each album and usually ended up dropped from their labels. They tried to take a more commercial direction in the late '80s, but this approach failed too, and Ross the Boss quit in disgust in 1988; undeterred, Manowar continued recording into the next decade, issuing records including 1992's Triumph of Steel, 1994's Hell of Steel and 1996's Louder Than Hell. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide