Gelap Pekat

"The Asgard Saga", the world premiere of the fantasy collaboration between MANOWAR and Wolfgang Hohlbein, will begin at Magic Circle Festival III, scheduled to take place at the Loreley on the Rhine River in Germany on July 18, 2009. Headlining the festival, MANOWAR will perform material from the concept album currently in the works. It is based on Hohlbein's tales of one of the most iconic characters in Norse mythology, Thor, the God of Thunder. Hohlbein will debut the captivating fantasy adventure that is promised to be full of action, drama, romance, passion and conflict. It is a modern spin on the classic tale interpreted via the media of our time: the internet, interactive web communities, books, music, video games and beyond. The first phase of this concept launched worldwide last week at www.asgard-saga.com.

Regarding the new album's musical direction, bassist Joey DeMaio told MetalItalia.com, "We're thinking that this album will be more guitar-oriented. At first we thought about pursuing the symphonic approach, but then we said, 'No, let's never make the same album sound twice.' This one will be as heavy, but more guitar".

Video footage of MANOWAR in the studio at Magic Circle Music mixing new material from the album that will be performed exclusively at the Magic Circle Festival can be viewed below.