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.

Murder by Degrees
Manilla Road Lyrics

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In a dream was playing the hero when
Lightning stopped my nerves were shattered
Dark laughter said that I was much too late
For the very last time
Night again and somehow colder
Breath escapes in a crystal haze and I
Chase panic in the black of a whispered scream
As blood turns to crimson ice

Murder by degrees
And frost killing time
I still see my brothers eyes
Burning through the freeze

Vision clouds to the sight of a dream and then
Grey eyes of a snow wolf fills the skies
Feel the hot sting of winters dying kiss
A glass angel chills my heart

Murder by degrees
And frost killing time
I still see my brothers eyes
Burning through the freeze

Snow creatures swarming as sleep comes I fall
I'm pulled through a crack in the ice

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Manilla Road's song Murder by Degrees seem to describe a surreal, dreamlike experience of confronting death in cold and isolating conditions. The singer of the song, at first, appears to be playing the role of a hero in a dream. However, this image is shattered when lightning strikes and dark laughter declares it to be too late. The scene shifts to a frigid night, with the singer struggling to breathe and feeling panic in response to a whispered scream. The blood turns to ice and the sensation of murder seems to occur slowly, or by degrees.

The chorus repeats the same lines, bringing the focus back to the theme of murder by degrees and the effect of cold and frost on time. The second verse introduces the image of a snow wolf and a glass angel, both of which suggest a certain beauty amid the hostile environment. The snow creatures appear to be overwhelming the singer, pushing them through a crack in the ice and into a deeper state of sleep or unconsciousness.

Overall, the lyrics to Murder by Degrees create a haunting sense of mortality and vulnerability in the face of an indifferent, wintry landscape. The dreamlike quality of the imagery adds to the disorienting, unsettling feel of the song.

Line by Line Meaning

In a dream was playing the hero when
I was dreaming that I was a hero when

Lightning stopped my nerves were shattered
Lightning struck and left me terrified

Dark laughter said that I was much too late
I heard laughter in the darkness which told me I was too late

For the very last time
This was the final end

Night again and somehow colder
It was night and felt colder than before

Breath escapes in a crystal haze and I
I breathed out into the cold air in a crystal haze

Chase panic in the black of a whispered scream
I frantically tried to escape with a whispered scream

As blood turns to crimson ice
The blood in my veins turned to frozen ice

Murder by degrees
A killing that happens gradually

And frost killing time
The winter cold is killing time

I still see my brothers eyes
I still remember my brother's eyes