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.
Weavers of the Web
Manilla Road Lyrics
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Cries will fill the dead of night
Screaming for the morning light.
Insane maneuvers of the mind
Shall sow the wrath of all mankind.
In crystal towers off the shore
I've seen the light of evermore
But politics has barred the door
Chorus
It could happen today
Unless we learn to change our ways
Warlords lead us to death,
They're Weavers of the Web.
2nd verse
My soul calls out to all of life
To stop this hell and end the strife
Stand up for your humane rights
Reject the web will all your might.
Inside the charms of ancient lore
There's magik truth and much much more,
But new beliefs have slammed the door,
Shut out the light of Evermore.
Chorus
It could happen today
Unless we learn to change our ways.
Warlords lead us to death,
They're Weavers of the Web.
The song "Weavers of the Web" by Manilla Road is a powerful critique of war and the corrupt leaders who lead us towards destruction. In the first verse, the singer warns of the dangers of insane maneuvers of the mind and how they will sow the wrath of all mankind. He has seen the light of evermore in crystal towers off the shore, but politics has barred the door, and left us with no way out but war. The chorus warns that unless we learn to change our ways and reject the weavers of the web, warlords will lead us to death.
In the second verse, the singer calls out to all of life to stop the hell and end the strife. He urges the listeners to stand up for their humane rights, and reject the web with all their might. He knows that inside the charms of ancient lore, there is magik truth and much more, but new beliefs have slammed the door and shut out the light of evermore. The chorus repeats the warning that unless we change our ways, warlords will lead us to death.
The song highlights the importance of rejecting violent solutions to problems and standing up against corruption and tyranny. It also touches upon the power of ancient wisdom and how it holds the key to unlocking the true potential of humanity.
Line by Line Meaning
Cries will fill the dead of night
The night will be filled with sounds of people crying.
Screaming for the morning light.
They will be hoping for the dawn to come and end their sufferings.
Insane maneuvers of the mind
The actions of those in power could drive people to madness.
Shall sow the wrath of all mankind.
This could result in widespread anger.
In crystal towers off the shore
There is a place that symbolizes hope and enlightenment, but it's unreachable.
I've seen the light of evermore
I have witnessed the possibility of eternal happiness.
But politics has barred the door
However, political constraints have made this hope inaccessible.
And left us no way out but war.
Now our only recourse is to go to war.
It could happen today
The danger is imminent and could occur anytime.
Unless we learn to change our ways
The only way to avoid this fate is to make changes in our conduct and attitudes.
Warlords lead us to death,
Those who lead us to war are leading us towards death.
They're Weavers of the Web.
They are skilled in manipulating people and making them do their bidding.
My soul calls out to all of life
I am appealing to all living beings through my spirit.
To stop this hell and end the strife
I implore others to put an end to this suffering.
Stand up for your humane rights
It is important to demand and defend your basic human rights.
Reject the web with all your might.
Refuse to be entangled in the manipulations of those in power.
Inside the charms of ancient lore
There are old legends and myths that are imbued with mystical powers.
There's magik truth and much much more,
These stories hold valuable lessons and truths that have been lost.
But new beliefs have slammed the door,
However, modern beliefs have made people disregard these ancient teachings.
Shut out the light of Evermore.
This has closed the door to eternal enlightenment.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
kakolykia
LOVE this riff
James Micco
Can hear the Sabbath influence in this riff.
Bludgeon
Cool lyrics
Carlos CD HOUSE PELOTAS
OBRA PRIMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!METAL FUDIDO
Konstantinos Karagiorgos
HAIL from Greece!!!
Manny Ruiz
Am I Eviiiiiiiillllllll.......