Historically, Manowar have been fighting the world, but more recently they've been fighting Hellfest in particular over what they deem to be a violation of contractual obligations which led to the defenders of true steel balking on their headlining set hours before stage time. Manowar place the blame solely on the festival, saying the band were not the ones who canceled and have released another official statement.

In the statement, Manowar insist the set was canceled by Hellfest. Their staggering megalithic stage set (seen in the video below) had been brought to other countries without a problem and they urged that they "will not be pushed around by Hellfest promoters who chose not to honor their contractual obligations and think they can do wrong to us and to our fans"

Read the power metal legends' statement in full below.

Regarding Hellfest cancellation

Our performance at Hellfest scheduled for June 21, 2019 was NOT cancelled by the band; it was cancelled by the Hellfest organizers in their announcement that appeared on their websites.

In the days prior to Hellfest, Switzerland, Greece, and Bulgaria all witnessed our massive production that brought The Kingdom Of Steel to life. We brought it to Hellfest because we came to play.

We fought to give our fans the performance we promised last year at Hellfest, but we will not be pushed around by the Hellfest promoters who chose not to honor their contractual obligations and think they can do wrong to us and to our fans.

Those of you who have requested information regarding ticket refunds should contact the outlet where you purchased your ticket or the Hellfest organizers directly, as they are responsible.

We are currently seeking every legal remedy available to us by law.

In their announcement of Manowar's cancelation, Hellfest's organizers said, "Despite a presence on site on June 20, the team and members of the group decided to leave the site. The Manowar concert, scheduled for Friday, June 21, will not take place for reasons beyond our will. We are sincerely sorry for all Manowar fans and more widely for all the fans attending Hellfest."

This prompted an immediate response from Manowar, who promised that the "truth will come out."

Sabaton performed the headlining set in Manowar's absence, but were forced to do so without singer Joakim Brodén, who blew out his voice playing the Knotfest pre-Hellfest party. Guitarist Chris Rörland pulled double duty, handling vocals that night too.

Marvel at Manowar's outrageous stage set here:

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