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.
Spirits of the Dead
Manilla Road Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The Spirits did appear
Where life escaped but not the souls
Mortally bound in fear
Their voice is like a whisper
Appearance brief and fey
Visions of holy sinners
Not seen by light of day
Holy Fire
Burning the brain
Crossed with desire
Reincarnate
They stood before, here
Now laid to rest
Trapped by their own fear
To make The Quest
Spectres climbing through the mist
Where the mourners tread
Apparitions from the past
Eyes now orbs of red
They're Spirits Of The Dead
Born of The Fire
I have come
Unto The Fire
I shall return
Know well thy soul's path
Don't bar it's way
Hell has the last laugh
For those who stay
The lyrics to the song "Spirits of the Dead" by Manilla Road paint a picture of a cemetery and the spirits of the deceased that haunt it. The first verse describes the appearance of the spirits among the tombs and gravestones. The spirits are mortally bound by fear, unable to leave the earthly realm even though their physical bodies have passed on.
The second verse describes the spirits' ghostly presence, with voices like whispers and visions of holy sinners that are not seen by the light of day. As the bridge of the song comes in, the spirits are described as being born of fire, with holy fire burning within their brains and desires crossed.
The chorus repeats the name of the song, "Spirits of the Dead," and emphasizes the power of these spirits as they reincarnate and seek to make the journey to their ultimate destination. The final two verses describe spectres climbing through the mist, and the eyes of the spirits turning red as they become more powerful. The final lines of the song warn listeners to "know well thy soul's path" and not to let fear bar the way, lest hell have the last laugh.
Overall, the lyrics to "Spirits of the Dead" convey a sense of mystical and otherworldly power, as the spirits of the dead haunt the living and seek to find their way to their final destination.
Line by Line Meaning
Among the crypts and grey tombstones
The Spirits appeared in the cemetery, among the crypts and grey tombstones.
The Spirits did appear
The presence of the Spirits was felt.
Where life escaped but not the souls
The souls were bound by fear and could not leave, even though life had escaped.
Mortally bound in fear
The spirits were trapped by their own fear and could not move on.
Their voice is like a whisper
Their voices were soft and barely audible.
Appearance brief and fey
The Spirits only appeared for a short time and seemed otherworldly.
Visions of holy sinners
The Spirits showed visions of people who were both holy and sinful.
Not seen by light of day
The visions of the Spirits were not visible during daylight.
Spirits Of The Dead
The Spirits were those of the deceased.
Holy Fire
The Spirits were created by a divine force.
Burning the brain
The divine force caused an intense and overwhelming mental experience.
Crossed with desire
The desire for the spiritual experience was strong, even though it was overwhelming.
Reincarnate
The idea of reincarnation is present.
They stood before, here
The Spirits once lived on Earth.
Now laid to rest
The Spirits have passed away and are now at peace.
Trapped by their own fear
The Spirits are trapped in the afterlife because of their own fears and emotions.
To make The Quest
The Spirits are on a spiritual journey.
Spectres climbing through the mist
The Spirits are ascending through the spiritual realm, shrouded in mist.
Where the mourners tread
The Spirits are seen in places where people mourn for the dead.
Apparitions from the past
The Spirits are ghosts from a time gone by.
Eyes now orbs of red
The Spirits' eyes have turned red, perhaps from anger or desperation.
Born of The Fire
The Spirits were created by some sort of divine flame.
I have come
The singer is referring to their own arrival on this spiritual journey.
Unto The Fire
The artist is referring to the divine flame that created the Spirits.
I shall return
The singer will also return to the divine flame upon their own death.
Know well thy soul's path
It is important to understand one's own spiritual journey in life.
Don't bar its way
One should not interfere with the spiritual path of oneself or others.
Hell has the last laugh
Those who do not follow their spiritual path will face the consequences in the afterlife.
For those who stay
Those who do not move forward on their spiritual journey will suffer in hell.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind