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.
Merchants of Death
Manilla Road Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Defilers of light, in god's name they dare
Acolytes of God or Baphomet
By the churches' law merchants of death
Nightmare-like out of their brain
Visions that drive them insane
Holy war inside their head
We don't want your holy war
Don't need this bloodshed anymore
The funeral pyres burn evermore
We don't want your holy war
Fire and ice falls from the sky
Raining death on all human life
Words of fear to breed in the heart
Fractured lies to tear us apart
We don't want your holy war
Don't neeed this bloodshed anymore
The funeral pyres burn evermore
We don't want your holy war
Everyone wants a paradise
Nobody wants to pay the price
Peace only comes from sacrifice
Still the winds of war blow on
So many say that they believe
Yet they don't prctise what they preach
Power hunger spawned out of greed
Still the fires of hell burn on
Blasphemy done in god's own name
Holy men never take the blame
Seems like the world has gone insane
Still the fires of hell burn on
Sands of time are running out for us all
Free your mind before we fall
Senselessly the war machine marches on
Bathory before the dawn
We don't want your holy war
Don't need this bloodshed anymore
The funeral pyres burn evermore
We don't want your holy war
The song "Merchants of Death" by Manilla Road speaks about the horrors of war and the twisted goals of religious crusaders. The first verse describes the crusaders dressed in white with red crosses, which can be interpreted as the Knights Templar, who were a religious military order during the Crusades. However, the lyrics suggest that these crusaders are defilers of light who do not respect the sanctity of life, despite claiming to be acolytes of either God or Baphomet - a pagan deity often associated with Satanism. The phrase "by the church's law" suggests that the church supports and enables these "merchants of death."
The second verse describes the inner turmoil of the crusaders who are driven insane by their visions of a holy war. The chorus asserts that the world doesn't need this bloodshed and that the funeral pyres burn evermore, indicating the continuous cycle of destruction and death. The third verse speaks about the devastation caused by war, with fire and ice raining down from the sky, and words of fear breeding in people's hearts. The fourth verse speaks about the hypocrisy of those who claim to believe in peace but are fueled by power-hunger and greed.
The song's final verse speaks about the urgency of the situation and the need to free our minds before it's too late. The lyric "Bathory before the dawn" refers to the Swedish metal band Bathory, who were known for their anti-war stance. Overall, the song urges the listener to reject the concept of a holy war and to work towards peace.
Line by Line Meaning
Crusaders in white, red crosses they wear
Men who wear white clothes and red crosses symbolizing the Crusades
Defilers of light, in god's name they dare
Those who commit evil under the name of God
Acolytes of God or Baphomet
Men who worship either God or Baphomet
By the churches' law merchants of death
These men who cause destruction and death are sanctioned by the church
Nightmare-like out of their brain
They are driven by terrible thoughts that come from their mind
Visions that drive them insane
They have visions that are driving them to madness
Holy war inside their head
They have a war raging within their own mind
Holy men who walk with the dead
These supposed 'holy men' are actually walking with the dead
We don't want your holy war
We do not want to participate in a war under the premise of a 'holy' cause
Don't need this bloodshed anymore
We do not require any more violence and killing
The funeral pyres burn evermore
There are always more and more dead bodies being cremated
Fire and ice falls from the sky
Weapons of war, such as bombs, are falling from the sky
Raining death on all human life
These weapons are killing everyone indiscriminately
Words of fear to breed in the heart
People are being made afraid through propaganda tactics
Fractured lies to tear us apart
Lies are being spread to divide people
Everyone wants a paradise
Everyone desires a perfect world
Nobody wants to pay the price
No one is willing to make the sacrifices required to achieve this ideal world
Peace only comes from sacrifice
True peace requires some form of sacrifice from everyone involved
Still the winds of war blow on
War continues on regardless of anyone's desires for peace
So many say that they believe
Many people claim to be religious
Yet they don't prctise what they preach
However, these same people do not follow the teachings of their religion
Power hunger spawned out of greed
Greed for power has fueled the continuation of war
Still the fires of hell burn on
War continues to cause destruction and suffering
Blasphemy done in god's own name
People are committing terrible acts under the guise of religion
Holy men never take the blame
Religious leaders do not take the responsibility for the religiously-fueled violence done by their followers
Seems like the world has gone insane
The world has become chaotic and irrational
Sands of time are running out for us all
Time is quickly running out for everyone
Free your mind before we fall
We must clear our minds and think rationally before it is too late
Senselessly the war machine marches on
The war continues without any clear purpose or sense
Bathory before the dawn
The band's name is being mentioned as a reminder of mortality
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Anubis
Falling in trance with these solos! Keep on Marc!
Bludgeon
This song is just out of this world! From beginning to end you will feel the heaviness and you will get goosebumps when hearing the soft melodic parts too.
CaladanDude
This song is up there with the best of Judas Priest, Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden and has some of the best guitar solos ever. This deserves way more views.
J K
Just noticed after listening to this song that Mike Scheidt (from YOB) sounds really similar to Mark Shelton. Both the highs and growls...
Dakota Brown
I thought the same!!
J K
@Bryan Patrick Ah cool, I've only recently started listening to Manilla Road....the mix of vocals really make this album!
Bryan Patrick
Mark and I both sang parts throughout this song. This album has both of us doubled up a lot.