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.
Valley of Unrest
Manilla Road Lyrics
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Valley of dreams
Marred by war's violence
And deathly screams
Machines of metal
Put to the test
Now no survival
In The Valley Of Unrest
Come to this place
The Devil's daughter
Now shows her face
To all the humans
Part of this quest
No light of wisdom
In The Valley Of Unrest
Smell of flesh burning
Death in the air
Phantoms are stirring
Mortals beware
Murder and torture
War at it's best
Life has no future
In The Valley Of Unrest
The song "Valley of Unrest" by Manilla Road depicts a valley once filled with dreams, now destroyed by the violence and chaos of war. It personifies the valley as graceful yet silent and marred by the bloodshed and screams of pain. The machines of metal, symbolizing the war machines, were once put to test here, but now, there is no survival for anyone in the valley. It's a place of absolute chaos, haunted by the phantoms of the dead, with a light of wisdom nowhere to be found.
The devil's daughter now shows her face to all the humans, who are part of this quest for survival in the valley. But there is no hope, as the smell of burning flesh permeates the air, and death is everywhere. Murder and torture are as common as breathing, and war is at its best, leaving no future for anyone. It's a haunting perspective of how wars ravage every living thing, leaving behind a trail of destruction and hopelessness.
Line by Line Meaning
Graceful and silent
The valley was once a peaceful and tranquil place
Valley of dreams
People had high hopes and aspirations for the future of the valley
Marred by war's violence
The valley was destroyed and ruined due to the violence and battles of war
And deathly screams
As a result, the valley is now plagued with the sounds of death and suffering
Machines of metal
Weapons of war made of metal
Put to the test
Used to their full potential in battle
Now no survival
The destruction caused by the machines of war left no chance of survival for those in the valley
In The Valley Of Unrest
The valley is now a place of chaos and destruction
Blood-bath of slaughter
The valley has seen a lot of violent and bloody killings
Come to this place
Those who come to the valley are met with death and destruction
The Devil's daughter
The source of evil and destruction in the valley
Now shows her face
The evil responsible for the valley's destruction is now present and visible
To all the humans
All living beings in the valley are affected by the evil that resides there
Part of this quest
The inhabitants of the valley are trapped in this world of destruction and suffering
No light of wisdom
There is no hope, guidance or wisdom to be found in the valley
In The Valley Of Unrest
The valley continues to be a place of chaos and destruction with no end in sight
Smell of flesh burning
The scent of burning human flesh is common in the valley
Death in the air
The presence of death and destruction is palpable
Phantoms are stirring
The ghosts and spirits of those who died in the valley wander and haunt the area
Mortals beware
Humans who venture into the valley are at great risk of suffering and death
Murder and torture
Violence and suffering are commonplace in the valley
War at it's best
The valley represents the epitome of the horrors and destruction of war
Life has no future
There is no hope or future for those in the valley of unrest
In The Valley Of Unrest
The valley continues to be a place of chaos and destruction with no end in sight
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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