It continues to be an unbelievably brutal year for rock and metal as the defenders of true steel, Manowar, have announced they will be bowing out of the metal arena. The power metal heroes broke the news today that they will be embarking on their farewell tour, "The Final Battle."

The news came from the band's Facebook page where they thanked their fans for 'The Gods and Kings' tour, one of the most successful in the band's 35 plus year career. Armed with 10 studio albums lined with heavy metal anthems, the New York outfit will begin their trek in Germany as stated in the full announcement below.

Message To All Manowarriors - Nachricht an alle Manowarrior
The Gods And Kings Tour was a groundbreaking moment in our career. The stage, sound, video and you, our fans, were magnificent!
Coming off such an amazing tour it was clear that the next time we must go even bigger and beyond anything we have ever done; something that will fulfill every Manowarrior’s dreams. Then that will be the ultimate moment to say Thank You and farewell!
The Final Battle will begin in Germany and take us all over the world to say goodbye to all of you.
If you know Metal
you know MANOWAR.
If you know MANOWAR
you know Metal!
Those who join this tour will be left with an eternal memory; having witnessed the band that has dedicated their blood, hearts, souls and every moment of their career to True Heavy Metal.
We are calling all Manowarriors to prepare yourselves now and to join us for The Final Battle!”
MANOWAR
‪#‎TheFinalBattle‬

Manowar might not be a household name, but the warriors have built up one of the most dedicated worldwide followings of any metal act. A Manowar concert is more than just a show and more than just a band getting up onstage; it is a true experience that has to be seen to be believed as fans raise clutched fists feverishly in the air, belting out every line of every song to the point where singer Eric Adams can take each night off and extend the mic out to the crowd instead.

The news comes while metal and rock fans around the world are still reeling from the losses of some of the genre's most beloved acts. The death of Lemmy Kilmister brought the end of Motorhead, Black Sabbath are currently in the midst of a farewell tour with Ozzy Osbourne expected to retire in the near future altogether, Brian Johnson remains on the outs in AC/DC as of now, two transcendental mega-stars were lost in David Bowie and Prince and now we will bid farewell to Manowar, a band willingly saying goodbye.

See Where Manowar's Joey DeMaio Ranks Among the Top 50 Hard Rock + Metal Bassists of All Time

See Manowar in the Top 10 Power Metal Bands

More From Loudwire