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.
War in Heaven
Manilla Road Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ancient warrior-gods are marching on
Here arise the sons of vengeance
Born upon the breast of every dawn
Here the time never elapses
Only quickening towards the fall
Here the horde of Chaos passes
Blindly following Cthulu's call
The Seventh Seal is broken
Valhalla's doors are open
The Fires of Mars burn on
All waring gods are destined
To fight until the fall
A war made here in heaven
The Fires burn ever on
Into the fire
Burning desire
Chaotic dreams of sin
Sacred words spoken
Seven Seal broken
Valhalla's doors open
Here the gods have come to fight
The heavens burn this night
Funeral pyre
Still growing higher
Fed with the souls of men
Mass execution
Chaotic solution
To this war in heaven
Here the gods have come to fight
The heavens burn this night
All waring gods are destined
To fight until the fall
A war made here in heaven
The Fires burn ever on
The lyrics of "War in Heaven" by Manilla Road depict a grand battle between ancient warrior-gods and the horde of Chaos, led by the powerful and sinister Cthulu. The scene is set before the gates of Heaven, where the Sons of Vengeance have emerged, born upon the breast of every dawn. This is a timeless, sacred place where time never elapses, only quickening towards the fall. The Seventh Seal is broken, and Valhalla's doors are open as the warring gods are destined to fight until the fall. The fires of Mars burn on, and the heavens burn this night, fueled by the funeral pyre and growing higher with each mass execution.
Throughout the lyrics, there are references to chaos, sin, and the inevitability of war. The chaotic dreams of the gods culminate in this massive battle, as they blindly follow Cthulu's call. The sacred words are spoken, and the Seventh Seal is broken, signifying a great and terrible shift in the balance of power. Despite this, the warrior-gods fight on, burning ever stronger in the Fires of Mars. The war in Heaven is a chaotic solution to a catastrophic problem, and one that leaves nothing but destruction and death in its wake.
Line by Line Meaning
Here before the gates of heaven
In this place just outside of heaven
Ancient warrior-gods are marching on
Powerful and old gods who represent war and fighting are moving forward
Here arise the sons of vengeance
In this place, those who seek revenge emerge
Born upon the breast of every dawn
They are created by the morning light of each day
Here the time never elapses
In this place, time doesn't stand still - it is always moving forward
Only quickening towards the fall
Time is moving quickly towards the end
Here the horde of Chaos passes
In this location, a large group of followers of Chaos move through
Blindly following Cthulu's call
They are following Cthulhu, a powerful being who provides no real guidance or direction
The sacred words are spoken
Words that carry great importance and meaning are being said
The Seventh Seal is broken
A significant event has occurred, likely indicating the end times
Valhalla's doors are open
The gates to Valhalla, a place for warriors who have died in battle, are now unlocked
The Fires of Mars burn on
The flames of Mars, the Roman god of war, continue to burn
All waring gods are destined
Each god associated with war and fighting is predestined
To fight until the fall
They must battle until the end, until there is nothing left to fight for
A war made here in heaven
This particular battle takes place outside of heaven
The Fires burn ever on
The flames continue to burn, never extinguishing or diminishing
Into the fire
Moving closer towards the flames
Burning desire
An intense craving or longing that is characterized by heat
Chaotic dreams of sin
Disorganized and vivid dreams of immoral acts
Sacred words spoken
Important and meaningful words are being said
Seven Seal broken
A crucial event has occurred, possibly signifying the end of the world
Valhalla's doors open
The doors to Valhalla are unlocked and accessible
Here the gods have come to fight
In this location, the gods have gathered to engage in battle
The heavens burn this night
The sky is on fire tonight
Funeral pyre
A large fire that is used to cremate someone who has died
Still growing higher
The fire is increasing in size and height
Fed with the souls of men
The fire is fueled by human souls
Mass execution
A large group of people are being killed
Chaotic solution
A disorganized and confusing way of putting an end to the conflict
To this war in heaven
This is the battle occurring outside of heaven
The heavens burn this night
The sky is on fire tonight
All waring gods are destined
Every deity associated with war and conflict has an inevitable fate
To fight until the fall
They will battle until the end of time
A war made here in heaven
A battle happening outside of heaven
The Fires burn ever on
The flames continue to burn forever
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Shpadoinkle
Gone but never forgotten, thank you so much Mark "The Shark" Shelton. May you Rest in Peace.
Red21Viper
First song of Manilla I heard. After that there was no way back
Marcin Dec
The best song on the album.
Nyckel
I like the odd rhythms in the intro.
The rhythmic elements of this album is pretty interesting in general.
Nyckel
a8anasios666 To clarify. This particular song is pretty majestic.
a8anasios666
Definately more thrashy yes
Nyckel
a8anasios666 But I think in Out of the abyss they experimented more with a very rhythmic sound.
Its not quite as majestic as Manilla Road usually is. It's more Thrashy.
a8anasios666
IntermediateJesus album mystification is full it. Drums and base and guitar are all "lead" is what makes em so feking amazing
Gabriele Pisani
May the lords of light be with you Shark! Love you...
Jesser Ornelas
2:04 🤘