The Final Battle I is the fifth EP by American heavy metal band Manowar, released March 29, 2019. It is the first recording without former member Karl Logan, who was arrested a year prior.[5] He was replaced with guitarist E. V. Martel, who first was a touring replacement following Logan's arrest.[6] On March 22, 2019, the band announced that they would release a trilogy of EP's based upon The Final Battle World Tour. Plans for any follow-up recordings were silently canceled for unknown reasons. The first EP, The Final Battle I, was released on March 29 in an exclusive pre-sale at the merchandise booth in Frankfurt and also during the European shows. It was then released on iTunes worldwide that day. The EP was digitally and physically released on May 30.[7] Former HammerFall and Yngwie Malmsteen drummer Anders Johansson was announced as the new live drummer shortly after and made his debut at the March 25 show in Brno, afterward joining the band full time.[8] In promotion of the EP, the band went on tour, dubbed "The Final Battle World Tour 2019". Upon the reveal of the EP, fans and critics believed the title was a reference to this being their final studio recording before retiring. Despite the tour's name, the band's sole ruler and bassist, Joey DeMaio however, dismissed any claims of Manowar's retirement, mainly due to the fans' demands to have them continue to perform.[9] In an interview published on Manowar's website, bassist Joey DeMaio says Manowar is not breaking up and The Final Battle is not their farewell tour. [10]
