Manowar initially announced their tour The Final Battle in 2016 with a statement that used phrases like "that will be the ultimate moment to say Thank You and farewell", and that the tour will "take us all over the world to say goodbye to all of you." While you could clearly take this as Manowar saying farewell on their farewell tour given statements like that, apparently that isn't the case.
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.
"Okay, let me clarify something. We never announced the end of Manowar; we didn't even plan to never tour again. There are so many places that we constantly get fan requests from… We said it's time for a break. So that we can work on other projects for our fans: For example, I'll be traveling with my spoken-word tour this winter where I'll be talking about the history of the band, rare photos and video included. I am working on a metal opera (think 'We Will Rock You', but Manowar style). And, of course, we'll continue with Part II and III of our 'The Final Battle' trilogy. But I'll be honest: With the overwhelming feedback from this tour, and fans literally begging us to continue it is really hard to not think of new touring. We've had fans tell us that the thought of us retiring or not touring anymore takes the joy out of their lives. Having such an impact is an honor and a responsibility that we take seriously."
So then what exactly was the point of Manowar saying "Thank You and farewell" and "goodbye to all of you" if the band isn't breaking up and this isn't the final tour? This is pretty confusing.
