Manilla Road is an American heavy metal band from Wichita, Kansas, USA, for… Read Full Bio ↴Manilla Road is an American heavy metal band from Wichita, Kansas, USA, forming around its master of lead guitar Mark 'The Shark' Shelton (vocals and guitar). They are considered to one of the early pioneers of the epic metal subcategory of traditional heavy metal and one of the most influential bands in that style.

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.

Hammer Of The Witches
Manilla Road Lyrics

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Hammer of Hell
Not of The Well
A book of sin
Fathered by men
Unholy deeds
Done out of greed
Murder by law
In the Name of God

Burn them all
Burn them all
Burn them all
The blood runs cold
We've paid the toll
They burned the truth
Out of our youth
Bringers of pain
In the Father's name
Not of The Well
We'll send them back to Hell
And burn them all

Burn them all
Burn them all

Overall Meaning

The song "Hammer of the Witches" by Manilla Road is all about the persecution and execution of so-called witches throughout history. The lyrics are powerfully evocative, describing the horrific acts committed against innocent people in the name of religion and supposed justice. The reference to the "Hammer" is likely a nod to the infamous Malleus Maleficarum, a book written in the 15th century which became a handbook for witch hunters. The book was responsible for countless deaths as it encouraged the torture and execution of anyone accused of witchcraft.

The lyrics go on to describe how these unholy deeds were committed out of greed and were sanctioned by those in power, including corrupt men of the cloth. The reference to "burn them all" is a nod to the practice of burning witches at the stake, a particularly cruel and torturous method of execution. The line "the blood runs cold, we've paid the toll" speaks to the chilling impact that these atrocities would have had on society and future generations, while "they burned the truth out of our youth" alludes to the erasure of the history of these atrocities, which was prevalent in many societies for many years.

Overall, "Hammer of the Witches" is a powerful condemnation of the fear and ignorance that led to the persecution and execution of innocent people throughout history. It stands as a reminder of the importance of standing up to injustice and fighting against prejudice and cruelty wherever it may be found.

Line by Line Meaning

Hammer of Hell
A weapon forged by the forces of evil

Not of The Well
Not blessed by the divine

A book of sin
A text containing wickedness

Fathered by men
Created by mortal beings

Unholy deeds
Acts of wickedness and blasphemy

Done out of greed
Motivated by selfish desires

Murder by law
Killing as punishment under the guise of justice

In the Name of God
Justifying evil deeds by invoking divine authority

Burn them all
Destroy everything associated with this evil

Burn them all
Eliminate all vestiges of corruption

Burn them all
Leave no trace of sin behind