Manowar's origins go back to Black Sabbath's Heaven And Hell tour of the UK in 1980, when Black Sabbath bass tech and pyrotechnic operative Joey DeMaio met former Dictators guitarist Ross The Boss, then playing guitar with French support band Shakin' Street. At the end of the tour, the pair joined forces with singer Eric Adams and Manowar were born. Scott Columbus would join on drums for 1983's "Into Glory Ride". Releasing the self-explanatory and genre defining "Battle Hymns" in 1982, they would release three more influential and ground breaking albums of heavy metal before signing to Atlantic Records in 1987 for "Fighting The World". Notable for being the first Manowar LP to sport a cover painting by celebrated fantasy artist Ken Kelly, famed for his iconic artwork for KISS and Rainbow, Kelly would collaborate with Manowar for many years to come. Among the 9 tracks penned by Joey DeMaio was a revisit to the epic 'Defender' featuring Orson Welles (the only occasion that the legendary actor collaborated with a heavy metal band). Also included was lead single 'Blow Your Speakers', whose video gave the band a wider audience through the growing popularity of MTV.