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.
Spiral Castle
Manilla Road Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As I traverse o'er the sands of time
I Taliesin have seen the signs
Within the muses' ancient rhyme
Here on the fall of Luxifera
Unto the depths of hell
I bore the banner well
At length every king
Shall say my holy name is blasphemy
Shub Ngirith is calling out of the void
The serpent has us in it's coils
Into the courts of chaos and toil
To the victor go the spoils
Hre on the fall of Luxifera
Unto the depths of hell
I bore the banner well
I'm the magician, some call me Merddin
At length every king
Shall say my holy name is blasphemy
White Goddess
Watches over us
As gaze upon
Tetragramaton
Learn the mystic truth
Secret of the brew
Hear the call to war
The Gajallar horn
The elder gods of mystic rhyme
Have marched across Bifrost
The rainbow bridge trough space and time
Is shattered ever lost
Ragnarok
Gathering the flock
Sons of Valhalla
Bardic warriors all
Yog Sothoth has come
And the ancient ones
Nine worlds meld in war
Birth of evermore
The elder gods of mystic truth
Have marched across Bifrost
The rainbow bridge trough space and time
Is shattered ever lost
The song "Spiral Castle" by Manilla Road is rich in esoteric and mythical elements. The lyrics speak of a journey through the sands of time and the call of a goddess to the mind of the singer, who is Taliesin, a Welsh bard and legendary figure known for his wisdom and poetic gifts. He has seen the signs within the ancient rhymes of the muses and is also known as the magician Merddin. However, his holy name is considered blasphemy by every king, which suggests that he is a rebel against established authority and dogma.
The song also refers to Luxifera, a variant of Lucifer, who has fallen to the depths of hell, and the singer bore the banner well. This could suggest that Taliesin was involved in a conflict or war against the forces of darkness and chaos. The serpent, Shub Ngirith, is calling out of the void and has ensnared the singers in its coils. Chaos and toil await those who venture into its courts, but the victor will go with the spoils.
The song also has references to mythology, such as the White Goddess, Tetragramaton, elder gods of the mystic rhyme, and Yog-Sothoth, ancient beings or forces that are beyond the comprehension of mortals. The call to war, the Gajallar horn, and the marching of the sons of Valhalla, suggest a battle or conflict between different forces or factions. The song ends with the shattering of the rainbow bridge, Bifrost, and the birth of evermore, which could symbolize a new era or cycle of existence.
Line by Line Meaning
The goddess is calling unto my mind
A deity is reaching out to the singer's psyche
As I traverse o'er the sands of time
The singer is journeying through history
I Taliesin have seen the signs
The singer, who identifies as Taliesin, recognizes mystical portents
Within the muses' ancient rhyme
These signs are present in an old poetic tradition
Here on the fall of Luxifera
The artist is present at the downfall of Lucifer
Unto the depths of hell
Lucifer falls to the underworld and the singer follows
I bore the banner well
The singer proudly displays a symbol of their cause
I'm the magician, some call me Merddin
The artist identifies as a magician, and may be known by another name
At length every king
Eventually, all rulers
Shall say my holy name is blasphemy
Will view the artist's name as a sacrilege
Shub Ngirith is calling out of the void
Another deity is summoning the singer
The serpent has us in it's coils
The artist is under the control of a powerful entity
Into the courts of chaos and toil
They go to a realm of disorder and hardship
To the victor go the spoils
The singer believes that the winner of a conflict will earn the rewards
White Goddess
A female deity who represents purity
Watches over us
She is protecting the artist and others
As gaze upon
As they observe
Tetragramaton
A four-letter name of God in Jewish tradition
Learn the mystic truth
The singer urges listeners to gain knowledge of the supernatural
Secret of the brew
A mysterious recipe or technique involving alcohol
Hear the call to war
The artist is summoning people to battle
The Gajallar horn
A tool used to rally troops
The elder gods of mystic rhyme
Deities associated with magic and poetry
Have marched across Bifrost
They have crossed over a mythical rainbow bridge
The rainbow bridge trough space and time
This bridge allows passage between distant realms and eras
Is shattered ever lost
However, it is now destroyed and perhaps forever inaccessible
Ragnarok
A Norse apocalyptic event
Gathering the flock
Assembling the faithful
Sons of Valhalla
Warriors who have earned a place in the afterlife
Bardic warriors all
These are poets who have also taken up arms
Yog Sothoth has come
A Lovecraftian being has arrived
And the ancient ones
Other entities who existed long ago
Nine worlds meld in war
Various realms or dimensions are involved in the conflict
Birth of evermore
A new era or creation is beginning
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mak Metal
One of the best metal bands of history!!!
Klaus Wigsmith
I'm 52 and I JUST discovered them yesterday!
Love'em!
keeperofthereign
@Francesco Laruffa There are many underrated bands out there, who made one or two good albums and then forgotten. Manila Road were lucky enough to make a living out of it.
Francesco Laruffa
Also the most underrated!
tournication
The Very Best!
FrankinChicken B
Gateway to the Sphere: 0:00 - 2:30
Spiral Castle 2:31 - 10:56
Shadow 10:56 - 15:20
Seven Trumpets 15:21 - 20:36
Merchants of Death 20:37 - 31:31
Born Upon the Soul 31:32 - 38:48
Sands of Time - 38:49 - 46:30
Alan Enticott
When I was a kid in the 80s, I read a pile of Robert E. Howard and Fighting Fantasy books, and I loved them. Then I grew up, and after many years I finally discovered this band, who'd been writing the soundtracks to those books for decades! It's like finding a crucial, missing musical jigsaw piece. As a fantasy fan, hearing Manilla Road makes all other metal bands sound less metal. \m/
No name
I'm currently doing that
Steve Ward
By Crom and Ymir I ken exactly what you mean.
Hector Tobias
@Wesley Kelvin You are welcome =)