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.
In Gein We Trust
Manilla Road Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A lot of holes to dig, a lot work to be done
Good old Gein goes to pay a visit to a stone
Maybe he'll keep you company if you're all alone
[chorus]
Gein we trust in you we trust in me
Gein, but what is this, what does it mean
Have you seen Gein
Mister Ed comes back from the dead to ply his trade
Skull cup-a-soup fast on a boney chair he's amde
Lots of parts all packed away in boxes nice and clean
Human nipple necklace, your a scream Mister Gein
[repeat chorus]
He's happy to watch the kids till you get back
Let's go out to the smokehouse, something new upon the rack
Nothing really showing through the windows all day
They're painted black so we don't know what to say
Wearing what face flayed grey and frozen
Sad sick desd faces, he's got them by the dozen
He becomes the person that he'd taken way back when
So he can kill himself and still live to kill again
The lyrics of Manilla Road's song "In Gein We Trust" delve into the twisted and gruesome world of Ed Gein. The first verse sets the scene with the mention of a good crop, implying that this could be taking place in a farming community. However, the focus immediately shifts to the infamous Gein, who is on his way to visit a stone, perhaps a gravestone. The chorus emphasizes the singer's trust and allegiance to Gein and their curiosity about what his actions mean.
The second verse brings in a reference to "Mister Ed," who is possibly a nod to the talking horse on the TV show of the same name that was popular in the 1960s. However, in this context, Mister Ed is back from the dead and has some kind of trade, possibly a reference to Gein's infamous habit of making items out of human remains. The lyrics describe the gruesome details of what he has made, including a "skull cup-a-soup" and a "human nipple necklace."
The final verse takes on a more ominous tone, with the suggestion that Gein is taking care of children and offering to take someone to the smokehouse. The painted black windows and the mention of flayed faces add to the unsettling atmosphere. The final lines describe Gein's desire to become the people he has taken, essentially killing himself in the process so he can continue to kill again. Overall, the lyrics paint a vivid and nightmarish picture of Gein's twisted mind and actions.
Line by Line Meaning
Father said the crop was going to be a good one
Father predicted a good harvest, but there is a lot of work that needs to be done, including digging many holes.
A lot of holes to dig, a lot work to be done
There are many holes to dig and a lot of work to be done.
Good old Gein goes to pay a visit to a stone
Ed Gein visits a stone, perhaps to keep himself company.
Maybe he'll keep you company if you're all alone
Ed Gein might be willing to keep someone company if they are alone.
Gein we trust in you we trust in me
We have faith in Ed Gein.
Gein, but what is this, what does it mean
We don't understand what is happening with Ed Gein.
Gein, no we don't know this place
We are unfamiliar with the location where something is happening with Ed Gein.
Have you seen Gein
Have you seen Ed Gein?
Mister Ed comes back from the dead to ply his trade
Ed Gein has returned to his morbid trade after being presumed dead.
Skull cup-a-soup fast on a boney chair he's made
Ed Gein drinks soup from a cup made out of a skull, sitting on a chair made from bones.
Lots of parts all packed away in boxes nice and clean
Ed Gein has many body parts packed away in clean boxes.
Human nipple necklace, your a scream Mister Gein
Ed Gein has made a necklace out of human nipples, which is amusing to him.
He's happy to watch the kids till you get back
Ed Gein is willing to watch over children while their parents are away.
Let's go out to the smokehouse, something new upon the rack
Ed Gein suggests going to the smokehouse, where there may be something new hanging up to dry.
Nothing really showing through the windows all day
Nothing is visible through the blacked-out windows all day.
They're painted black so we don't know what to say
The windows are blacked-out, so it is unclear what is happening inside.
Wearing what face flayed grey and frozen
Ed Gein wears a face that has been removed from someone's head and is now grey and still.
Sad sick desd faces, he's got them by the dozen
Ed Gein has many sad and sick faces that he has taken from corpses.
He becomes the person that he'd taken way back when
Ed Gein takes on the identities of the people whose body parts he has collected.
So he can kill himself and still live to kill again
Ed Gein wants to kill himself so that he can continue to kill in the afterlife.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
alexing86
most underrated metal band i personally know of
Manny Ruiz
RIOT, the Rodz, and Manilla Road are the unsung, American metal bands.
Manny Ruiz
Devastating metal. My face is melting.
M RG
brilliaaant