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.
Seven Trumpets
Manilla Road Lyrics
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My mind soars across the planes
The blood upon the stone
Dried ages ago
And the gods are sleeping
No one left to bow before
Our race has lost it's way
Belial in his lair
Awaits the trumpets blare
And the gods are sleeping
No one left to hear our prayers
The ancient gods are waiting for the call
From the seven trumpets of Altamont
The seas will churn the dead shall rise again
The serpent shall be loosed the rivers all run red
Lords of the lihght awake
Rise up unto your fate
Belial's horde awaits
Open the ancient gates
Sounding the horns of war
It's what you've waited for
Rise up and sleep no more
Manilla Road's song "Seven Trumpets" is a narrative of rising doom and destruction, but underlying this is an interesting take on religious beliefs and the cycle of life and death. The singer is surrounded by a whirlwind, and his mind soars across the planes, reminding him of the vastness of existence itself. The blood upon the stone dried ages ago, indicating the passage of time and the inevitability of change. The gods are sleeping, implying that there appears to be no guiding hand directing humanity towards righteousness. The temples are decrepit, and our race has lost its way. Belial, the demon or in some accounts a fallen angel of darkness, who is responsible for deception and perversion, waits in his lair anticipating the trumpet's blare.
The theme of the Seven Trumpets mentioned in the title of the song is derived from the Book of Revelation in the Bible, a prophecy of the end times. The Seven Trumpets shall signify the apprehension of the world's destruction and the onset of punishment to the wicked souls. The song's apocalyptic nature is the focus as the singer speaks of the gods' slumber and the rise of Belial following the reckoning of the Seven Trumpets. The ancient gods await the call from the seven trumpets of Altamont, and their waking will cause seismic events like the seas churning, the dead rising, the loosening of the serpent that will inevitably bring the end of the world. This interpretation is a classic one where the end is marked with apocalypse and destruction because of the rampant sinning of the human race.
Yet, we see a ray of hope at the end when the singer asks the lords of light to awaken and deliver the fate of the human race. Though Belial's horde is waiting, they implore the lords to open the ancient gates and sound the horns of war, indicating that some will rise to the occasion to fight back to the looming darkness. The last line instructs everyone to rise and sleep no more, gaining the courage to fight back the demons and save the world from extinction.
Line by Line Meaning
The whirlwind howls my name
The winds are so strong that they are roaring and creating an intense sound that is being associated with the person’s name, creating a sense of power and might.
My mind soars across the planes
The person’s imagination is flying and crossing over various realms and spaces, experiencing a sense of liberation and freedom.
The blood upon the stone
There is a visible mark of violence and gore on the stone, implying that something significant has taken place in that location.
Dried ages ago
The blood on the stone has been there for a very long time, perhaps even for centuries.
And the gods are sleeping
No one left to bow before
Our race has lost it's way
Temples lye in decay
Belial in his lair
Awaits the trumpets blare
The gods are not answering to the call of the people, no one is paying respect, the human race is lost and has left behind a legacy of decayed temples. Belial, who is the potentate of demons, is waiting for the end to come and to hear the seven trumpets that will announce the Day of Judgement.
The ancient gods are waiting for the call
From the seven trumpets of Altamont
The seas will churn the dead shall rise again
The serpent shall be loosed the rivers all run red
The gods are expecting a warning from the seven trumpets of Altamont to indicate the beginning of the apocalypse. The seas will be turmoil, the dead will come back to life, and the rivers will be filled with blood.
Lords of the lihght awake
Rise up unto your fate
Belial's horde awaits
Open the ancient gates
Sounding the horns of war
It's what you've waited for
Rise up and sleep no more
The rulers of the light rise up to embrace their destiny, to confront the army of Belial. The leaders of the light unleash the horns of war which was long awaited and finally, upon the trumpet call, they rise up to battle and never return to slumber.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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