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.
The Fires of Mars
Manilla Road Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The fires of Mars shall burn
From this we all shall learn;
The gates unbarred at last
Banishing the past.
The standard raised on high
Pen-Dragon rides this night
Against the mighty Horde
Warriors at the end of time,
Masters of light,
Feed the fires, storm the gates
It's not too late.
2nd verse
The mighty spear of Tiw
Drinks deep the blood anew
Of Demon lords from Hell
Who are poisoning the well... the well.
Warriors at the end of time,
Masters of light,
Feed the fires, storm the gates
It's not too late.
The Trinity, three Norns of Fate,
All-Father's Knights open the gates.
Golden wisdom from the stars
Bids us light the Fires of Mars,
Light the Fires of Mars.
3rd verse
In war there's always loss
All victories have their cost.
But hope shall conquer hate
For light Open the Gates,
Open the Gates.
Through the mists of Hell we ride
To the battle side by side
For survival of mankind
The Fires of Mars shall burn this night.
Through the mists of Hell we ride
To the battle side by side
For survival of mankind
The Fires of mars shall burn this night
Burn this night.
The Fires of Mars by Manilla Road speaks of a battle between the forces of light and the demon lords from hell who are poisoning the well. The first verse describes the coming of the fiery storm from Mars which symbolizes the end of time and the start of a new era, where the demons are finally banished and the gates to a new world are open. The Pen-Dragon and the Legion of the Sword ride with warriors to fight against the mighty horde. The warriors are the masters of light, who feed the fires and storm the gates, hoping for a better tomorrow.
The second verse speaks of the mighty spear of Tiw, the Norse god of war, which drinks deep the blood of the demon lords anew. The Trinity, three Norns of Fate, and the All-Father's Knights all come together to open the gates and bless mankind with golden wisdom from the stars. The chorus repeats the call to light the Fires of Mars, to fight for survival and conquer hate with hope.
In the third verse, the song reminds us that war always has a cost, but hope shall conquer hate. Through the mists of Hell, the warriors ride to the battle side by side for the survival of mankind. The Fires of Mars shall burn this night, paving the way for a new and better world.
Line by Line Meaning
The fires of Mars shall burn
The impending war on Mars will be intense and destructive.
From this we all shall learn;
There will be lessons to be learned from the war on Mars.
The gates unbarred at last
The gates to the enemy stronghold will finally be opened.
Banishing the past.
The past will be left behind as the warriors move forward towards victory.
The standard raised on high
The symbolic flag of the Pen-Dragon will be flown in the battle.
Pen-Dragon rides this night
The Pen-Dragon, a leader, will be riding into battle tonight.
Against the mighty Horde
The warriors will be fighting against a formidable enemy.
With Legion of the Sword... the Sword.
The warriors will be supported by the powerful and deadly Legion of the Sword.
Warriors at the end of time,
These warriors are fighting in the final battle of humanity.
Masters of light,
These warriors possess spiritual and intellectual knowledge.
Feed the fires, storm the gates
The warriors will fight fiercely and relentlessly to achieve their goals.
It's not too late.
There is still hope for humanity even in the face of such dire circumstances.
The mighty spear of Tiw
The warriors will be wielding the powerful weapon of Tiw, the god of war.
Drinks deep the blood anew
The spear will cause great destruction to the enemy forces.
Of Demon lords from Hell
The enemy forces are made up of demons from the depths of Hell.
Who are poisoning the well... the well.
The demons are causing harm and destruction to the people of Mars.
The Trinity, three Norns of Fate,
The three Norns of Fate, known as the Trinity, will have a role to play in the upcoming battle.
All-Father's Knights open the gates.
The All-Father's Knights will aid in opening the enemy stronghold's gates.
Golden wisdom from the stars
The warriors possess knowledge and enlightenment from the stars.
Bids us light the Fires of Mars,
The warriors are compelled to start the fires of war on Mars.
In war there's always loss
War is never without casualties and loss of life.
All victories have their cost.
Victory comes at a price.
But hope shall conquer hate
The hope for a better future will overcome the hatred and violence of war.
For light Open the Gates,
Light is the key to opening the enemy's gates.
Through the mists of Hell we ride
The warriors are riding towards the enemy through a thick fog of danger.
To the battle side by side
The warriors will fight together as a united force.
For survival of mankind
The battle on Mars will determine the fate of humanity.
The Fires of Mars shall burn this night.
The fires of war will intensify and rage throughout the night.
Burn this night.
The fires of war will be intense and all-consuming tonight.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@FaustianSpirit1997
Lyrics:
The fires of Mars shall burn
From this we all shall learn;
The gates unbarred at last
Banishing the past.
The standard raised on high
Pen-Dragon rides this night
Against the mighty Horde
With legion of the Sword......the Sword.
Warriors at the end of time,
Masters of light,
Feed the fires, storm the gates
It's not too late.
The mighty spear of Tiw
Drinks deep the blood anew
Of Demon Lords from Hell
Who are poisoning the well......the well.
Warriors at the end of time,
Master of light,
Feed the fires, storm the gates
It's not too late.
The Trinity, three Norns of Fate,
All-Father's Knights open the gates.
Golden wisdom from the stars
Bids us light the Fires of Mars,
Light the Fires of Mars.
In war there's always loss
All victories have their cost.
But hope shall conquer hate
For light Open the Gates,
Open the Gates.
Through the mists of Hell we ride
To the battle side by side
For survival of mankind
The Fires of Mars shall burn this night.
Through the mists of Hell we ride
To the battle side by side
For survival of mankind
The Fires of Mars shall burn this night,
Burn this night.
@Bucketbothead007
I can see the fires of Mars burning bright tonight...
@Arxeu
Fucking hell, I just lost any chance to hear the greatest Manilla Road song live. RIP
@nutronhammernutronhammer
Will remain one of my biggest regrets
@tournication
2019 there will be a Manilla Road-Tribute show by past- and remaining members.
@Arxeu
Yep, I have a KIT ticket. I hope they gonna play it.
@bludgeon1081
That solo freaking destroys!
@SepulchralPablo
Shame on me for not have listened to Manilla Road enough
@tournication
shame on you!😀☝☝☝
@mannyruiz1954
Shame on me too. I only discovered them a year ago. It's like finding buried treasure.
@Wabin22
@@mannyruiz1954 Even more shame on me then, I just recently discovered them and I'm all hooked.
Such a shame Shelton couldn't be around anymore.. R.I.P dude!