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.
Megalodon
Manilla Road Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Prehistoric - monstrous distortion
From the depths of creation
Comes the hunter - death's incarnation
Birth of the Gods, first of the Titans
Mastered by no-one, before Poseidon
From the depths of inception
Comes the monster - lost from redemption
Ancient king of tides
Killer instinct in his eyes
'Tis the deep desolation
Dark aquaticx - life's domination
'Tis the thirst for consumption
Comes the creature - bloody seduction
Abomination. life's decimation
Hells' own creation, beast of damnation
'Tis the wake of destruction
Feeding frenzy - god of disruption
Ancient king of tides
Killer instinct in his eyes
Feel the urge for the blood feast
Murderous nature - nature of the beast
Feel the wrath of seven seas
Catclysmic - Fate of the deep-freeze
Cycles comletion, doomed to extinction
Ancient creations, cold termination
Ther will never again be
Such a killer - a shark so deadly
The lyrics of the song 'Megalodon' by Manilla Road tells the story of a prehistoric creature, the Megalodon, rising from the depths of the ocean, possessing killer instincts with death's incarnation. The song narrates the tale of the Megalodon as a monster from the depths of inception, lost from redemption, and an abomination seeking bloody seduction, and life's decimation. The Megalodon is portrayed as a god of disruption, a beast of damnation causing wake destruction, and a cold termination to ancient creations, finally extinct.
The song 'Megalodon' is an epic ballad describing the monster-like qualities of the Megalodon, which lived millions of years ago, and the fears that it instilled in humans. The song is an ode to the extinct beast that has always fascinated people. The lyrics make reference to the ancient beliefs about the creature, relating to the Megalodon as an incarnation of death.
Line by Line Meaning
From the depths of the ocean
A prehistoric and monstrous predator emerges from the depths of the ocean.
Prehistoric - monstrous distortion
The creature is ancient and ferocious, defying the natural order.
From the depths of creation
The predator is a product of creation, born to cause fear and destruction.
Comes the hunter - death's incarnation
The creature is a hunter, a harbinger of death and destruction.
Birth of the Gods, first of the Titans
The creature is a god-like being, the first of its kind.
Mastered by no-one, before Poseidon
No being has ever been able to master the creature, not even Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea.
From the depths of inception
The creature's origins lie in the earliest stages of creation.
Comes the monster - lost from redemption
The creature is monstrous and beyond redemption.
Ancient king of tides
The creature is an ancient ruler of the sea.
Killer instinct in his eyes
The creature has a fierce and deadly instinct for killing.
'Tis the deep desolation
The ocean it inhabits is a desolate and dangerous place.
Dark aquaticx - life's domination
The creature dominates and controls life in its underwater realm.
'Tis the thirst for consumption
The creature has an insatiable thirst for blood and destruction.
Comes the creature - bloody seduction
The creature's deadly nature is alluring and seductive.
Abomination. life's decimation
The creature is an abomination that brings death and destruction to all life forms it encounters.
Hells' own creation, beast of damnation
The creature is a creation of hell itself, a beast damned to bring chaos and destruction to the world.
'Tis the wake of destruction
The creature leaves a trail of destruction in its wake.
Feeding frenzy - god of disruption
The creature causes a feeding frenzy wherever it goes, disrupting the natural order of things and becoming a god-like figure.
Feel the urge for the blood feast
The creature has an insatiable urge to feast on the blood of its prey.
Murderous nature - nature of the beast
The creature's nature is inherently murderous and savage.
Feel the wrath of seven seas
Those who challenge the creature will feel the full force of the seven seas.
Catclysmic - Fate of the deep-freeze
The creature's actions have a catastrophic impact, causing a deep-freeze and disturbing the natural balance of the world.
Cycles comletion, doomed to extinction
The creature's cycle is destined to end, and it will face extinction.
Ancient creations, cold termination
The creature is an ancient creation that will face a cold and abrupt termination.
Ther will never again be
There will never be another creature that matches the megalodon's deadly power.
Such a killer - a shark so deadly
The megalodon is a killer without rival, a shark so deadly that it strikes fear into the hearts of all who encounter it.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Adrian Åslund
When I comd back to Manilla Road I realize how impressive their bass/drum elements are.
Attila Szabo
I like this song, because isnt a radio poprock&troll music! I wish you from Hungary! I think Atlantis rising is the best album of MR !