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.
Time Trap
Manilla Road Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A world filled with the damned
A last cold kiss
The radiation contaminated our brains
It seems, it seems to fight
Is all in vain
In this time of disbelief
For death to take us away
From this horrible lie
We dream of long ago
And the hole in the sky
With darkness, darkness and cold
We're trapped in time
In a time trap
The sciences have brought us to this
A world of damnation
A cold last kiss
We dream of long ago
And a hole in the sky
With darkness, darkness and cold
We're trapped in time
In a time trap
The darkness prevails
The light goes on
But my eyes they don't see
For now I'm trapped
In time my love
I don't think I'll break away
I can't give any more life myself
I can't live for only life itself
I'm in a time trap
The lyrics to Manilla Road's song "Time Trap" express a sense of hopelessness and despair in a world that has been contaminated by radiation and filled with damned individuals. The song reflects a post-apocalyptic world where the sciences have left humankind in a state of disarray. The line "A world filled with the damned, a last cold kiss" suggests a world that has experienced a final kiss of death. The contamination of radiation has affected the brains of the individuals and the idea of fighting seems to be in vain.
The chorus of the song talks about the horrors of the world that they dream of escaping. They dream of a time before the apocalypse, before the darkness and cold, and of the hole in the sky. This hole in the sky is a reference to the ozone layer, which has become depleted due to pollution and other human activities. The main theme of the song expresses the feeling of being trapped in a time where the darkness prevails and the light cannot break through. The line "For now I'm trapped in time, my love. I don't think I'll break away" suggests that the individual feels trapped and unable to escape the horrors of their reality.
The song is a reflection of the anxieties that people have regarding the potential consequences of human actions. It talks about the dangers of science and its impact on the world. The message of "Time Trap" is still relevant today, with the global climate crisis and the potential for nuclear disaster. The lyrics express an overwhelming sense of despair and hopelessness in a world where the actions of humans have led to the destruction of the environment.
Line by Line Meaning
The sciences have brought us to this
The advancement of science and technology has resulted in the current state of the world.
A world filled with the damned
The world is full of people who are doomed or cursed.
A last cold kiss
The end of the world is near, and death is inevitable and painful.
The radiation contaminated our brains
The exposure to radiation has impacted our mental abilities.
It seems, it seems to fight
Despite the efforts to resist, the situation seems to be insurmountable.
Is all in vain
All the efforts to save the world, or oneself, are futile.
In this time of disbelief
In this era of doubt and uncertainty.
We've learned to cry
We have become familiar with expressing our sadness and despair.
For death to take us away
We wish for death to save us from the misery of life.
From this horrible lie
From the deception that the world is a good or just place.
We dream of long ago
We long for a time when things were better or different.
And the hole in the sky
And the gap, or the emptiness, in the heavens.
With darkness, darkness and cold
With the absence of light and warmth.
We're trapped in time
We are stuck in a situation that seems unchangeable.
In a time trap
In a situation where time seems to stand still.
The darkness prevails
The lack of light or hope dominates.
The light goes on
Life goes on, but it doesn't necessarily bring joy or happiness.
But my eyes they don't see
But I am unable to perceive or understand anything around me.
For now I'm trapped
Because of the circumstances, I am stuck and unable to escape.
In time my love
In this temporal existence I exist, my beloved.
I don't think I'll break away
I don't believe I will ever be free from this situation.
I can't give any more life myself
I am unable to continue to live fully.
I can't live for only life itself
I can't find a reason to live just for the sake of living.
I'm in a time trap
I am caught in a situation where time seems to be standing still.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
God
The sciences have brought us to this
A world filled with the damned
A last cold kiss
The radiation contaminated our brains
It seems, it seems to fight
Is all in vain
In this time of disbelief
We've learned to cry
For death to take us away
From this horrible lie
We dream of long ago
And the hole in the sky
With darkness, darkness and cold
We're trapped in time
In a time trap
The sciences have brought us to this
A world of damnation
A cold last kiss
We dream of long ago
And a hole in the sky
With darkness, darkness and cold
We're trapped in time
In a time trap
The darkness prevails
The light goes on
But my eyes they don't see
For now I'm trapped
In time my love
I don't think I'll break away
I can't give any more life myself
I can't live for only life itself
I'm in a time trap
G A S K I L L I N G A N I M A L
god damn - those vocals featured on this song are some of the strongest and emotional i've ever heard from manilla road...some of the best metal ever crafted and it's home is in the USA!
God
The sciences have brought us to this
A world filled with the damned
A last cold kiss
The radiation contaminated our brains
It seems, it seems to fight
Is all in vain
In this time of disbelief
We've learned to cry
For death to take us away
From this horrible lie
We dream of long ago
And the hole in the sky
With darkness, darkness and cold
We're trapped in time
In a time trap
The sciences have brought us to this
A world of damnation
A cold last kiss
We dream of long ago
And a hole in the sky
With darkness, darkness and cold
We're trapped in time
In a time trap
The darkness prevails
The light goes on
But my eyes they don't see
For now I'm trapped
In time my love
I don't think I'll break away
I can't give any more life myself
I can't live for only life itself
I'm in a time trap
Abreu Silva Júnior
Manilla Road desperta um sentimento de muita introspecção! Mark Shelton deixou um grande legado.
javier ortegon
Thanks for this magic song !! Mark, you're The Boss !!
D C
easily the best manilla road album ever. even better than crystal logic
Ian Cavon
Yeah, to think that back then they didn't want to release the 'Dreams of Eschaton' (later 'Mark of the Beast') material at all...!
BrecMadak
well imo best are a tie between Open the Gates and The Deluge.
SaYaN RaY
R.I.P Mark, this is indeed a heavy day
Untiverse
I'd LOVE to hear it live!
Did you played it live...Ever?
Is there any footage or audio?
Ari The Finnish Music Lover! 💖
Simply Amazing song. I'm Speechless..... 🙏💞