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.
Enter the Warrior
Manilla Road Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The Time has come, The Hammers crashing down
Ride this night, for the Crown
Take thy place upon the battle ground
Twilight Gleaming
Thou must Fight
For thy Freedom
Tis the Time
Is what they say to take the pain away
When will they learn that pain is truth
And God be manifested in thy Youth
Twilight Gleaming
Thou must Fight
For thy Freedom
Tis the Time
Thou shallt pay for all thy Sins
Hel awaits the blood tis thin
Crimes of Gods and Man and Beast
If Thou dost not pay, then Hel shall feast on thee.
So ride, my son, through the snow
If thee be True, then thou shallt feel no blow
For Gods own Grace rides with you
And never underestimate the Fool
Twilight Gleaming
Thou must Fight
For thy Freedom
Tis the Time
The song "Enter the Warrior" by Manilla Road is an epic tale of a warrior preparing to go into battle. The opening lines, "Sword and Shield, await thee now, The Time has come, The Hammers crashing down" signify that the warrior is readying himself for battle. The next line, "Ride this night, for the Crown" suggests that he must ride into battle to defend his kingdom and earn his place upon the throne. The phrase "Twilight Gleaming" may be interpreted as a metaphor for the battle itself, with the twilight symbolizing the final moments before the dawn breaks and the battle commences. The lyrics "Thou must Fight, For thy Freedom, Tis the Time" further emphasize that the warrior must fight for his freedom and the freedom of his people.
The song later touches on the theme of sacrifice, with the lyrics "Thou shallt pay for all thy Sins, Hel awaits the blood tis thin, Crimes of Gods and Man and Beast, If Thou dost not pay, then Hel shall feast on thee." This suggests that the warrior must be prepared to sacrifice himself for the greater good of his people, and that there will be consequences for his actions, good or bad. The final lyrics, "So ride, my son, through the snow, If thee be True, then thou shallt feel no blow, For Gods own Grace rides with you, And never underestimate the Fool", suggest that the warrior must ride into battle with confidence, knowing that he is protected by divine guidance.
Overall, "Enter the Warrior" is a powerful and inspiring song about courage, sacrifice, and the will to fight for what is right.
Line by Line Meaning
Sword and Shield, await thee now
Prepare yourself for battle with armor and weapons
The Time has come, The Hammers crashing down
The moment of truth has arrived and the fighting has begun
Ride this night, for the Crown
Fight to protect your kingdom and king
Take thy place upon the battle ground
Stand your ground and fight for what you believe in
Twilight Gleaming
The sun is setting and darkness is approaching
Thou must Fight
You are obligated to engage in battle
For thy Freedom
In order to preserve your freedom, you must fight
Tis the Time
The moment to take action has arrived
Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done
May the kingdom thrive and the higher powers' desires be fulfilled
Is what they say to take the pain away
People say such things to alleviate pain, but it doesn't always work
When will they learn that pain is truth
Only through experiencing pain can one truly understand the reality of a situation
And God be manifested in thy Youth
God can be seen in the purity and energy of youth
Thou shallt pay for all thy Sins
You will be held accountable for your wrongdoings
Hel awaits the blood tis thin
Death and the afterlife (Hel) will come for you if you don't fight well enough
Crimes of Gods and Man and Beast
Sins committed by both divine and mortal beings will have consequences
If Thou dost not pay, then Hel shall feast on thee.
If you don't face the consequences of your actions, you'll be punished after death
So ride, my son, through the snow
Go forth bravely, even through difficult circumstances
If thee be True, then thou shallt feel no blow
If you are truly faithful, you will be protected in battle
For Gods own Grace rides with you
You have divine favor and protection in battle
And never underestimate the Fool
Don't let your guard down, even against someone you consider foolish
Twilight Gleaming
The end of the battle draws near
Thou must Fight
Keep fighting until the end, no matter what
For thy Freedom
This is the battle for your freedom and rights
Tis the Time
The time for victory has come
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
blackmetallas666
Sword and shield
The time has come, The hammers crashing down
Ride this night, for the crown
Take thy place upon the battleground
Twilight gleaming
Thou must fight
For thy freedom
Tis the time
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done
Is what they say to take the pain away
When will they learn that pain is truth
And God be manifested in thy youth
Twilight gleaming
Thou must fight
For thy freedom
Tis the night
Thou shallt pay for all thy sins
Hel awaits the blood is thin
Crimes of God and man and beast
If thou dost not pay, then hel shall feast on thee
So ride, my son, through the snow
If thee be true, then thou shallt feel no blow
For Gods own grace rides with you
And never underestimate the fool
Twilight gleaming
Thou must fight
For thy freedom
Tis the night
Zach Bos
Love this song ! That beat !
Manny Ruiz
Totally progged out. I swear the first two Manilla Road albums sound like early Rush in an alternate universe.
RRR nigth💀👀
Fantástic epic metal 🤘🎸😎😉💀☠️🍻🍺🛡️⚔️🗡️👏🍷🇧🇷👍
blackmetallas666
Sword and shield
The time has come, The hammers crashing down
Ride this night, for the crown
Take thy place upon the battleground
Twilight gleaming
Thou must fight
For thy freedom
Tis the time
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done
Is what they say to take the pain away
When will they learn that pain is truth
And God be manifested in thy youth
Twilight gleaming
Thou must fight
For thy freedom
Tis the night
Thou shallt pay for all thy sins
Hel awaits the blood is thin
Crimes of God and man and beast
If thou dost not pay, then hel shall feast on thee
So ride, my son, through the snow
If thee be true, then thou shallt feel no blow
For Gods own grace rides with you
And never underestimate the fool
Twilight gleaming
Thou must fight
For thy freedom
Tis the night
Rene Rodrigues
Essa e minha preferida do manilla road total epic metal
CHRIS ANDREA
Epic metal!
Nerdothrasher
Excelent song.
Fagner Magno
🤘classico absoluto
Rene Rodrigues
Sastifacao em curtir manilla road isso nao tem preco para mim viva manilla road
Rafael Aguiar
Unique!