Manilla Road was created by Shelton in 1977 with high school friends Benny Munkirs, Rick Fisher and brothers Robert and Scott Park. After playing in local bars, the group first gained attention with their song "Herman Hill," inspired by the Herman Hill riot. Their first album "Invasion" was released in 1980 on the band's own label, Roadster Records. Between this time and their next release the band recorded material for an album to be titled "The Dreams Of Eschaton", however this was not released until 2002 (under the name "Mark of the Beast") as they were not happy with the sound. Shelton has been quoted as saying the music was "not metal enough" and "sounded like shit." Despite this "Mark of the Beast" was critically well received when it was eventually released. These early albums have more in common with progressive rock and proto-heavy metal than the band's later epic metal sound.
The next record was "Metal" in 1982, which began to define the future musical direction of Manilla Road. Their "classic" sound was solidified with the epic release of "Crystal Logic" in 1983.
The next five Manilla Road albums (along with a live release, "Roadkill") featured new drummer Randy Foxe, who had more of a thrash-oriented style than original drummer Rick Fisher. Along with "Crystal Logic" (1983), the new lineup's first two albums, "Open the Gates" (1985) and "The Deluge" (1986), are generally considered to be classics in the field of epic heavy metal. It was on these three albums that Manilla Road's style became fully formed. Lyrics typically feature fantastic elements from Norse mythology, Arthurian legend or other literary sources. These are often combined in one setting, the concept album "Atlantis Rising" (2001), for example, features a war between the Æsir and Cthulhu, centered around the city of Atlantis.
"Mystification" (1987) suffered from exceptionally poor production resulting, ironically, from the substandard equipment at a new studio the band hoped would improve their sound. The recent re-release has fixed this problem to a large extent. After Mystification came "Out of the Abyss" (1988), widely criticised at the time for its thrash metal influences. The band released one more album, "The Courts of Chaos" (1992), described by Shelton as "the first true Manilla Road masterpiece" before splitting up because of personal and musical disagreements between Scott Park and Randy Foxe.
In 1992 Mark Shelton recorded "Circus Maximus" with Aaron Brown and Andrew Coss. Despite having never been intended as a Manilla Road project, the album was released under this name at the record company's insistence.
Manilla Road re-formed in 1994 and released "Atlantis Rising" in 2001, again with Mark Shelton as the only original member. On this occasion, however, the sound was much more consistent with the Manilla Road of old and it was the band who decided to continue using the name. Their latest albums are "Spiral Castle" published in 2002, "Gates Of Fire", in 2005, and "Voyager" in 2008. In May 2009 they released their second live album called "After Midnight Live", which was recorded live, on the air, at KMUW radio studios, Wichita, Kansas in December of 1979 shortly before the release of their debut album "Invasion". The album "Playground of the Damned" was released in 2011, followed by "Mysterium" in 2013, "The Blessed Curse" in 2015, and what was their final release, "To Kill a King" in 2017.
Mark "The Shark" Shelton died in Germany from a heart attack at the age of 60. Manilla Road were on tour at the time of Shelton’s death; he had performed at Germany’s Headbangers Open Air Festival the previous night.
Cat and Mouse
Manilla Road Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The mice are in the cage
The cat is in the toilet
And the dog's got the mange
The up is now the down
The front is now the back
We've got it all so turned around
That I can't keep track
That's the way the story goes
They say it's all so clear
What is real nobody knows
They have all drowned in fear
They're drowning
The lions are roaring
The wolves they howl
The old men are snoring
And the cops they just cop out
Our diamonds are rusty
Our gold is no good
Our minds are so dusty
Nothings understood
That's the way the story goes
They say it's all so clear
What is real nobody knows
We have all drowned in fear
Ah damn it I'm drowning
The rats are in the cellar
The mice are in the cage
The cat is in the toilet
And my fucking dog he's got the mange
The up is now the down
The front is now the back
We've got it all so turned around
That I can't keep track
It's a cat and mouse
game in which the roles and hierarchies have been completely reversed. The rats, typically considered lesser beings, are now in control of the cellar while the mice, traditionally considered harmless and docile, are locked in cages. The cat, usually the dominant predator, is now reduced to hiding in a toilet while the dog, also typically a hunter, has fallen on hard times with the mange. Even directional distinctions have been muddled with the up/down and front/back relationship being completely flipped.
This song can be interpreted as a commentary on the instability and unpredictability of the world we live in. Everything we once thought we knew and trusted has been turned on its head with no clear explanation as to why. It's a scary place to be where even reality itself seems to have lost its footing.
Line by Line Meaning
The rats are in the cellar
The problem is hidden away and not addressed
The mice are in the cage
The innocent are locked up and helpless
The cat is in the toilet
The one in charge is doing something absurd and ineffective
And the dog's got the mange
Even the ones we rely on are sick and ineffective
The up is now the down
Everything is turned around and confusing
The front is now the back
Everything is reversed and disordered
We've got it all so turned around
Our situation is chaotic and hopeless
That I can't keep track
I can't make sense of what's going on
That's the way the story goes
This is how things always seem to be
They say it's all so clear
People claim to understand, but they really don't
What is real nobody knows
The truth is hidden or obscured
They have all drowned in fear
Everyone is paralyzed and unable to act
The lions are roaring
Danger is present and loud
The wolves they howl
Danger is near and terrifying
The old men are snoring
Those who should be wise and experienced are ignorant or indifferent
And the cops they just cop out
Those who should be protecting us are abandoning us
Our diamonds are rusty
Our valuables are tarnished and worthless
Our gold is no good
Even our most prized possessions are useless in this situation
Our minds are so dusty
Our thinking is outdated and ineffective
Nothings understood
We can't make sense of anything
Ah damn it I'm drowning
I am overwhelmed and helpless in this situation
It's a cat and mouse
It's a futile game of trying to evade danger and find safety
Contributed by Lucas D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Manny Ruiz
Sounds very 70s, jammy, and psychedelic.
Artagok
Masterpiece
Pat Singleton
Fuckin love this song!!!
Manny Ruiz
In another reality this would be a Rush album. It's heavy, prog/rock.
itkojecockot
yeah, same for early CIRITH UNGOL..... also influenced by those heavy rock riffs by Alex Lifeson
Pat Singleton
Manny Badabing Indeed!!
CHRIS ANDREA
Heavy epic metal
Jeremy Grimes
Hailed in obscurity.