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.
No Sign From Above
Manilla Road Lyrics
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To find the hidden truth
But it still remains a mystery
Man doesn't have a clue
And we strive so hard for snity
That we can't find the news
What happened to serenity
Waiting for a sign
Waiting for a sign from above
Waiting for a sign
Waiting for a sign from above
As the tyrants lead us all astray
Through the timeless winds of war
There will be no other games to play
When our bones rot on the shore
And it seems we've nothing more to say
Than the things we've said before
We must break out of the moldedc lay
Get back our wings and soar
Don't wait for a sign
There'll be sign come from above
Get your wings and fly
Wash away the stain of blood
Yet the chains are still unbroken
And you haven't learned to fly
If we don't get back our wings
We're sure to die
Don't wait for a sign
Tere'll be no sign from above
Get your wings and fly
Wash away the stain of blood
The lyrics of "No Sign From Above" by Manilla Road speak about the quest for truth and serenity in a world filled with war, tyranny and bloodshed. The first stanza of the song talks about the struggle of man to find the hidden truth and how it still remains a mystery even after searching throughout eternity. The mention of sanity and serenity, paid dues, and still not finding what one is looking for, reflects the frustration of humankind in the face of the ongoing struggle towards enlightenment and understanding.
The second stanza of the song speaks of tyrants leading people astray through wars, leading to the lack of any other games to play. The lyrics reflect the idea that there may be no more time left for us to make things right, and we've said all that we can say before. The lyrics convey the idea that we need to break out of the mold and soar, to break free from the chains that bind us.
The chorus, "Waiting for a sign from above," reflects the need for a divine intervention that seems to elude us. However, the band members seem to suggest that waiting for a sign from above will not solve our problems, and instead, we must take flight on our own.
Line by Line Meaning
We have searched throughout eternity
For an immeasurable amount of time, we have been seeking a particular answer
To find the hidden truth
We have been trying to uncover a truth that has been concealed
But it still remains a mystery
Despite all of our efforts, the truth is still an enigma
Man doesn't have a clue
We are completely ignorant of the answer we seek
And we strive so hard for serenity
We put forth so much effort to achieve peace and tranquility
That we can't find the news
However, our efforts are futile and we remain unable to find peace
What happened to serenity
We wonder why we cannot attain peace
I thought we paid our dues
We believed that we had done enough to earn peace
Waiting for a sign
We're hoping for some sort of indication
Waiting for a sign from above
We're hoping for some sort of divine intervention
As the tyrants lead us all astray
We're being led in the wrong direction by those in power
Through the timeless winds of war
This is happening despite the fact that war has been a constant throughout history
There will be no other games to play
We won't have any other options once the consequences catch up to us
When our bones rot on the shore
When we die and are left to decay
And it seems we've nothing more to say
We've run out of new things to say
Than the things we've said before
We're just repeating ourselves
We must break out of the molded lay
We need to break free from our routine and do something different
Get back our wings and soar
We must regain our ability to fly and reach new heights
Don't wait for a sign
We shouldn't wait for a sign or divine intervention
There'll be sign come from above
There won't be any sign or divine intervention
Get your wings and fly
We must rely on ourselves and take action
Wash away the stain of blood
We need to eliminate the violence and conflict that have stained us
Yet the chains are still unbroken
However, we are still bound to our old ways
And you haven't learned to fly
We have not yet taken the necessary steps to escape our old ways
If we don't get back our wings
Unless we make an effort to change and improve ourselves
We're sure to die
We'll be destined to a bleak fate
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
S. Craig Zahler
Manilla Road makes a funky tune...and it's great. Mark the Shark's legacy is eternal.
Manny Ruiz
This was not supposed to be a MR album from what I've read about this album. It's got a different vibe but goddamn it rocks. It's tough.
donjurga
Long Live Circus Maximus
Ioannis N. Tsiroyiannis
Toughest album ever written.