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.

Only The Brave
Manilla Road Lyrics

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Metal mayhem and wonder
Rolling on through the night
Bringing down holy thunder
In the circle of light

No one shall put asunder
What we've forged here in fire
Let the halls of Valhalla resounding

Hail to the god with one eye

If we must all go down in flames
We'll go down fighting in Thor's name
We'll ride the thunder to the grave
Wielding death by the hammer
Glory comes only to the brave

Stand for metal and honor
Raise your blades to the light
Let the war cries of Midgard ring out
Press on and never say die

If we must all go down in flames
We'll go down fighting in Thor's name
We'll ride the thunder to the grave

Wielding death by the hammer
Glory comes only to the brave

Overall Meaning

The song "Only The Brave" by Manilla Road is definitely a headbanging and fists-in-the-air anthem that encapsulates the epicness of metal music. The lyrics speak of metalheads who are not afraid to live their life. They roam through the night, deafening the world with their music and proclaim that no one will take away what they've created, or separate them from their love for Metal.

The opening lines "Metal mayhem and wonder, Rolling on through the night" sets an energetic tone for the song and prepares the listeners for the ensuing thrill. The lyrics talks about metalheads as warriors fighting against all the obstacles the world throws their way and ready to face adversity even if it means going down in flames.

The chorus is very captivating, filled with power and glory. The lyrics "If we must all go down in flames, We'll go down fighting in Thor's name, We'll ride the thunder to the grave, Wielding death by the hammer, Glory comes only to the brave" encapsulate a sense of endurance, bravery, and victory. The song reminds metalheads that they must fight and stand for their beliefs and inspires them to look forward towards glory.

Line by Line Meaning

Metal mayhem and wonder
The chaos and beauty of metal music

Rolling on through the night
The music continues nonstop

Bringing down holy thunder
The powerful sound of the music

In the circle of light
The spotlight on the band performing

No one shall put asunder
No one can break apart what we've built

What we've forged here in fire
What we've created through passion and hard work

Let the halls of Valhalla resounding
Our music will be heard far and wide

Hail to the god with one eye
Praise to Odin, the one-eyed god of Norse mythology

If we must all go down in flames
If our band must come to an end

We'll go down fighting in Thor's name
We'll continue playing until the end, in honor of Thor

We'll ride the thunder to the grave
We'll keep playing until our dying breath