Metal Nerdism Vol. 10: BLOOD & STEEL - 20 EPIC-er METAL songs to make you raise a sword.

It's not the best ones or the greatest ones, even if a few of them are undeniable champions. It is the 20 EPIC-er METAL songs to make you raise a sword (or an axe... or a hammer) according to Crystal Logic. There is just ONE RULE: One song per band. We don't want to present a list with 20 songs written by Quorthon or the Shark.

by Andreas Andreou

 

It is said that there are no specific rules to define Epic Metal and even if the correct term is Epic Heavy Metal, there are still bands, albums and many songs that are simply Epic Metal. A few of them will be found below. So, what's Epic (Heavy) Metal? The number 1 song in the list below sums up everything but it is more. Lyrics are also a part of it. You know them, name it battles, warriors, fantasy, sword & sorcery, mythology (even folklore), historical events, ancient times, mostly things that offer escapism. Epic Metal though has also the deep and academic approach of modern bands such as Atlantean Kodex and their unique lyrical approach that gives to this so-called sub-genre a quality that requests a devotion in order to approach it and understand it. At the end of the day, Epic Metal can be something more than simple "escapism" and it doesn mean of course that you should go out in the streets wielding a sword!

Roots? Many. It is about bands but mainly songs, and also the visual aspect. The roots in the '70s heavy and rock don't have many differences than the ones of Power Metal, so let's just add songs like Rainbow's "Stargazer" and Ronnie James Dio lyrical approach, Black Sabbath's "Supertzar" and the galloping rhythm of "Children of the Grave", Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song", a few more '70s songs of Uriah Heep, Judas Priest, Rush and Scorpions, the imagery of cover arts from bands such as Dust (Hard Attack, 1972) and Molly Hatchet (Molly Hatchet, 1978), and this is just the top of the ice cube, since there were more less known bands here and there. The New Wave of British Heavy Metal leading to the '80s and Black Sabbath's Heaven and Hell was the foundation upon which bands like Manilla Road and Manowar shaped part of their characteristics.

The first ones? I guess we all agree that bands such as Manilla Road, Manowar and Warlord can claim the "Epic Heavy Metal" term as the leaders without adding any "proto-metal", "proto-epic", "proto-whatever" this thing is, bands. When was this term firstly used? We will discuss it in the last songs of the list below.

A few diverse and controversial choices are a must sometimes, so the list goes like this:


20. BATTLEROAR - Hyrkanian Blades

For us, old fans of Battleroar the debate for the best album was always Age of Chaos or To Death and Beyond... but I was always with the later since there was one of the greatest epic heavy metal openers ever ("The Wrathforge") and songs like "Hyrkanian Blades". Huge band in the underground epic metal scene back then, but it was never the same after the third album. It was just a different act.

Check also: RAVENSIRE - Drawing the Sword


19. SOLSTICE - To Ride with Tyr

I am always trying to find ways so I can add something from Solstice in every list. This wasn't very difficult this time, so Mr. Rich Walker is here, with this epic (doom) metal masterpiece from Halcyon EP. "We die as brothers, and ride with Tyr".

Check also: ISEN TORR - Mighty & Superior

18. TWISTED TOWER DIRE - Axes & Honor

Taken from the third album of one of the best bands of the true new wave of traditional heavy metal movement that took shape a few years before bands like Enforcer led the way, "Axes & Honor" is a glorious anthemic epic heavy metal song. Grab an axe and held it high!

Check also: CRUSH - Kingdom of the Kings


17. DOMINE - The Aquilonia Suite

That song could be higher in the list but having also the music of Basil Poledouris heavily added it would be unfair for all the rest. Conan the Barbarian is the key element here and Domine more or less offer us their epic heavy metal take on the John Milius' film with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the leading role. Perfect from start to finish, the 11-minute epic is a highlight in Domine's impressive catalogue.

Check also: IRONSWORD - Cimmeria


16. CIRITH UNGOL - Nadsokor

"Mighty warrior raise your sword against the seething chaos horde" is the first line and the voice of chaos brings an archaic and mystical aura that only Cirith Ungol had in specific moments of their albums. One Foot in Hell is definitely not the best Ungol album (that one is King of the Dead for all of the older Ungol fans) but "Nadsokor" is one of their epic-er songs that's also has been covered in the debut album of the following band in No.15.

Check also: STONE DAGGER - The Siege of Jerusalem


15. DOOMSWORD - Heathen Assault

DoomSword is one more of the bands that can be labeled simply as "Epic Metal". They have the doom element in their music (and name) but this is just pure epic metal because playing slow metal music doesn't really make you doom metal. "Heathen Assault" sums up the essence of the band. The band's music is forged in tales of steel and battles, the triumph of the conqueror and the blood of the conquered.

Check also: BLOOD COVERED - Memories Through Centuries...


14. WRATHBLADE - God-Defying Typhoeus

Wrathblade is the most underrated epic heavy metal band ever. Everyone, more or less, has taken the credit it deserves but Wrathblade still haven't. Following the band from their early years and having seen them live numerous times (almost everywhere) before even releasing the debut album Into the Netherworld's Realm (2012), I was confident that this album was going to rule. And it did. The opening track "God-Defying Typhoeus" was a live favourite (just like "Reins of Doom") before even the album was released, among the few fanatics of the Athenian legion. A different kind of lyrics, epic but different and unique, the most suitable voice for their epic music, huge riffs and an excellent rhythm section, a lack of guitar solos and keyboards that adds an archaic and barbarian feeling, and the perfect production for their stuff. Wrathblade is the real epic heavy metal deal.

Check also: TALES OF MEDUSA - Bade the Myrmidons


13. ATLANTEAN KODEX - The Atlantean Kodex

There are many songs you can add here from Atlantean Kodex, but this anthemic epic heavy metal track is the hymn of the Kodex battalions and having seen live many times the German epic metal armada, it is also a live favourite. Atlantean Kodex is a very special epic metal band, the greatest one of the new era alongside Eternal Champion, but their approach differs and makes them really unique. It is the overall aesthetic element of the music, the lyrics, and the band's physical products. The band is already considered as one of the greatest in epic heavy metal and in the years to come, the new generations will view them as masters of their game. Still though, don't get fooled, the music of Atlantean Kodex is not a game, it is a form of art and at the same time, pure and regressive metal. Behold the fire, behold the force.

Check also: SCALD - A Tumulus

12. ETERNAL CHAMPION - I Am the Hammer

What Eternal Champion did with The Armor of Ire is bring back the way one album could change the scene instantly. That was the underground metal scene of course, but it really changed. Instantly. It was the moment where people thought "I can do that, too!". No one really did it so far but many tried. Others failed, others came close but still to this day, Eternal Champion stands as the greatest modern epic heavy metal band. A band with a songwriting and sound that influenced many and brought back to the USA a new generation of fans wanting traditional metal. The album's opening track "I Am the Hammer" is a modern totemic epic metal monument.

Check also: SMOULDER - Ilian of Garathorm

11. LORDIAN GUARD - War in Heaven

"And lo, Michael with sword in hand, he leads the Lordian Guard to slay, to damn"... that one, was the line that stuck in my head the first I listened to this song. It was during the pre-internet era where there was a rumor that "Bill Tsamis is coming back with Warlord". It wasn't Warlord though but the shock of listening to that album was one of the biggest in my life. It still has a very special place in my heart and adding blasphemy to the Christian themes Tsamis was dealing with back then in his lyrics, I listened more often to Lordian Guard than Warlord nowadays. Nothing really bothers me in Lordian Guard and I can't imagine those songs with another voice, arrangements, even "drums". "War in Heaven" is one of the greatest songs Tsamis ever wrote. And no, the version in Warlord's Rising Out of the Ashes is not a better one. The way William has added the keyboards in the Lordian Guard version is unmatchable and perfectly suitable with his guitars, plus Vidonne's theatrical voice sounds like descending from the sovereign sky forth God's command.

Check also: BLACK SWORD THUNDER ATTACK - Evil Sorcery


10. YNGWIE J. MALMSTEEN - I Am a Viking

Speaking of the roots of power metal, what Yngwie Malmsteen did with his first two albums, is one more of the most important steps to the evolution of the genre alongside the early years of Europe. And while in Sweden you have Heavy Load standing at the top of what we're talking about here, "I Am a Viking" is just a pure epic heavy metal masterpiece coming from one of the greatest albums ever made. When maestro Malmsteen was writing music for a line like "I'm a Viking, I'll walk all over you and by my sword you will die", he definitely felt like the ruler of this world. He probably still feels like that even if there aren't any vikings in Florida.

Check also: HEAVY LOAD - Singing Swords


9. BROCAS HELM - Fly High

You can't understand Brocas Helm if you weren't raised with underground metal. And if you joined the epic heavy metal wagon and the underground scene in a later age during the social media, you still can't understand the true essence of underground metal. Sorry, but that's true. Brocas Helm is the ultimate underground metal band. It's not the best, but it's the essence of everything underground metal stands for. Among their catalogue, "Fly High" stands as the ultimate anthem of epic heavy metal with the insane opening lead and its galloping riff. The galloping riff, the riff that sounds like horses riding is one of the elements that makes a song "epic heavy metal" as long as it has the suitable lyrics too. There you go! You have another definition too!

Check also: STEEL ASSASSIN - Spartacus


8. RUNNING WILD - Conquistadores

Running Wild are mostly known for their pirate era, often labeled just as a Heavy Metal band but they really have played almost everything between heavy, speed, power and epic metal until the mid '90s with an unmatchable sequence of 10-rated-out-of-10 albums. And while their heavy metal from 1989 up to 1995 is more "power metal" than the majority of American bands labeled as such, they always had a few raise-fisting epic power metal hymns like "Conquistadores" with its anthemic chorus and the powerful leads that put to shame most of your favourite bands. If someone considers bands like Fifth Angel as "power metal", then Running Wild is ultra power metal. So what's our beloved German band? The ultimate soundtrack to hooliganism, one of the few bands that makes you raise your fist (and sword sometimes) in the air all the time and breaking stuff. Any kind of stuff. "Conquistadores" is an epic heavy metal hymn.

Check also: JAG PANZER - The Moors


7. VIRGIN STEELE - The Burning of Rome (Cry for Pompeii)

Often labeled as the bigger rival of Manowar in the '80s, Virgin Steele that decade didn't really have the "total" epic heavy metal album but they definitely had the songs! Released the same year with Manowar's Kings of Metal, Age of Consent didn't even come close but among a few others it had "The Burning of Rome (Cry for Pompeii)", one of the greatest Virgin Steele songs ever, coming from an uneven album that became better with its 1997 re-release and the addition of bonus material such as the "Perfect Mansions (Mountains of the Sun)" song. While David DeFeis' band met its bottom by entering the '90s with the album Life Among the Ruins and its suitable title, the following albums established them as one of the greatest American epic heavy metal bands. Still though, no one can deny that if you'll make a short list with the best Steele songs, there's a strong possibility most of them coming from the '80s, including the one mentioned here in the top.

Check also: BLACK KNIGHT - Warlord's Wrath

6. OMEN - Teeth of the Hydra

The 3-out-of-3-row-of-albums Battle Cry, Warning of Danger and The Curse is one of the greatest in the field of epic heavy and power metal. The excellent songwriting, the A-male voice of J.D. Kimball, the master riffing and the pounding rhythm section pretty much sum up that advert used to promote The Curse writing "Tired of bands that are better looking than your girlfriend? We have the answer: Omen. True Metal returns to L.A." Having once more the term "true metal" used since the '80s already, The Curse is the better sounding Omen album so far including also one of the best metal drum sounds ever, even if most of the people will give to one of the two previous ones the "best Omen album" tag. No argue with that. Still though, "Teeth of the Hydra" is one of the strongest candidates for "best Omen song". And you can't argue with that, too.

Check also: OVERLORDE - Keeper of the Flame


5. WARLORD - Deliver Us from Evil

There weren't so many metal musicians in the '80s so unique and talented like William J Tsamis. Since the early Warlord songs you always had a different kind of approach in melody and lyricism that's weird how it didn't create a legion of bands influenced by that style. A truly ahead-of-its-time guitarist and composer with an unmatchable guitar tone and style recognizable at once. Huge part of the Warlord's music was always drummer Mark Zonder too, something you can easily understand by listening to "Deliver Us from Evil", one of the most iconic Warlord songs, and Epic Heavy Metal in general.

Check also: AGATUS - Perils of the Sea (Pt II) 

 

4. MANILLA ROAD - The Veils of Negative Existence

Mark Shelton is one (if not The One) of the most important key figures of epic heavy metal. The third Manilla Road album Crystal Logic (1983) is one of the cornerstones of this so-called sub-genre and Manilla Road is the band responsible for all those epic (heavy) metal bands formed over the last 20 years. The line "I will never put my sword down, I will never run away" is so effective that stuck in your head for eternity from the very first moment. And every time you're listening to one of those classic '80s Manilla Road albums, you rediscover the essence of epic heavy metal. Mark Shelton was always a person that never stopped following the metal scene and always was listening to new bands and albums. From the early Rush-and-Sabbath influenced albums, to the Angel Witch and NWOBHM influence you can catch in Crystal Logic, the Shark never stopped breathing metal, just like that "Metal is dead so I've heard but not while I'm still above ground" line in "Dig Me No Grave" from 1990's The Courts of Chaos. Most bands that were changing in the history of metal music from 1980 onwards, were just getting "softer" and less aggressive, while Manilla Road (with the addition of drummer Randy Foxe) echoed the changes and were getting more aggressive leading to the almost-thrashy Out of the Abyss album of 1988. "The Veils of Negative Existence" is another mythical song in the band's catalogue, that became extremely influential for many bands, including the one you will see in Number 3...

Check also: THUNDER RIDER - Blackwing


3. CANDLEMASS - A Sorcerer's Pledge

Have you ever thought that the album Epicus Doomicus Metallicus is probably the first official time where you see the origin of the term "Epic Metal"? This is definitely the birth of Epic Doom Metal (that wasn't widely used until the '90s) but most likely, it is also the moment when Epic Metal made its first appearance as a term. We're in 1986, Manowar have already started their "Death to False Metal" crusade and since there is "false metal", there's also "true metal" (whatever that means), right? The "true metal" term has also been used in metal magazines and fanzines in the mid '80s but has the term "epic metal" been used before 1986? Is it written anywhere?

We used to keep terms since their first appearance but sometimes this is blurry. For example, Possessed used the "Death Metal" term for their same-titled demo in 1984 and the "Death Metal" song also appears in the Seven Churches album of 1985, so we use to have this as a starting point but already in 1983, editor Bernard Doe of Metal Forces magazine writes, "Hellhammer take the meaning of Death Metal it its extreme" reviewing (burying actually) the Triumph of Death demo of Hellhammer. So, this term is already used. Might happened with Epic Metal too, but it wasn't widely used until Greek Metal Hammer's editor and shady character Charis "Sun Knight" Prasoulas started using that term and later it was spread from Greek metal fans influenced by his texts, around the globe through letters and tape trading, so after a while, you could see this term also used in Italy, Germany and more countries, leading to a whole new underground movement and later, even bands that described their music as "Epic Metal".

Candlemass' Epicus Doomicus Metallicus is the beginning of Epic Doom Metal, but the closing track "A Sorcerer's Pledge" can also be described as one of the greatest epic metal songs ever. A dramatic song separated in three parts. Starting with the acoustic first part that sets the atmosphere, the second epic part of "a tyrant that will conquer, so spoke the wise, of the day when the sorcerer will rise" and the third part that brings the atmosphere of the opening part with the exceptional use of keyboards and the ethereal female anthemic chanting sealing those ancient halls.

Check also: SOLITUDE AETURNUS - Opaque Divinity

2. BATHORY - Song to Hall Up High / Home of Once Brave

There are many Bathory songs you can add here and even if we're talking about two tracks, this will always be one song. Quorthon has managed to shape different metal sub-genres and has been called innovator of both Black Metal and Viking Metal. But his "viking metal" is actually what we can call "Epic Metal" in its purest form. This is not epic heavy metal or epic black metal, this is just Epic Metal. He did it with his albums Hammerheart, Twilight of the Gods, Blood on Ice and both parts of Nordland. So, if viking metal nowadays is something you can call bands such as Amon Amarth, then Bathory is definitely something else, even if Quorthon created this sub-genre.

Music is a form of art. Art has many forms and ways of expression. Art can be a mirror of life, art can be escapism, art can just be the expression and feelings of the artist. The artist's will and/or need to express specific ideas, visions, feelings. And just like there are no boundaries in art, there are also no rules and/or guidelines of how an artist should express its art. Not everyone can understand that a few of the greatest forms of art were created through the feelings and the need the artist wanted to express. Art is not about only following a specific guideline of how you "must" sing, perform, write, paint, act, dance, paint, create. There is not only one way. And Quorthon was a unique artist that never really followed the way you "must" follow, that's why his art will remain forever, creating legions of bands and musicians influenced by him and the sub-genres he shaped. A true artist that surpassed his imperfections with a remarkable epic metal songwriting that breaks the boundaries of simple "songwriting" and becomes a wormhole to an age long gone. 

Check also: ZEMIAL - In Monumentum (Stone of the Ages)

 

1. MANOWAR - Secret of Steel

The epitome of Epic Metal.

 

 

Metal Nerdism Vol. 3: Five cases of albums that were not meant to be under that BAND name.

"I don't want it" - "You will do it" Vs "I will do it because I can!"

Oh... that name...

written by Andreas Andreou

Part I
Artists: "I don't want it.''
Record label, managers, executives: "You will do it."

BLACK SABBATH - Seventh Star (1986)

To be more specific, the complete "band" name is Black Sabbath featuring Tony Iommi and that's what you also see on the actual album. That alone is enough to separate it from the rest of the Sabbath catalogue until that point, so let's just see what happened in the mid '80s and the stormy life of Tony Iommi.

After the release of Born Again and the supporting tour for the most disturbing Sabbath album, the band was falling off the edge of the world. Ozzy Osbourne's fame (and sales) were already much higher and in the summer of 1985, the original 4 got back together for a one-off performance at Live Aid Festival in Philadelphia, USA. Black Sabbath performed 3 songs ("Children of the Grave", "Iron Man", "Paranoid") in a day with 100.000 attendants, including also names like Judas Priest, Bryan Adams, Simple Minds, Santana, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Madonna, Led Zeppelin and more... And that's it. Nothing more happened, nothing would happen. After that point, Iommi was left alone without a band and he had the idea to record a solo album with different singers including Rob Halford, David Coverdale, Robert Plant and Glenn Hughes, but there were contractual issues and it couldn't happen, so Iommi started working with singer Jeff Fenholt but after few demo recordings that project also fell apart. However, there were few great ideas and songs written, so Iommi was joined by singer Glenn Hughes, bassist Dave Spitz, drummer Eric Singer, keyboardist Geoff Nicholls, and with producer Jeff Glixman, an album was recorded.

"It was supposed to be a solo album. I certainly didn't want to release it as a Black Sabbath album, because I hadn't written it as a Black Sabbath album", Tony Iommi wrote in his biography, but we already knew it, as mentioned many, many times over the years. Glenn Hughes was also uncomfortable with the idea to sing in a Black Sabbath album. But during an era were record companies were more powerful than you can imagine nowadays, it was said to Tony Iommi, that according to his contract, he owes to the record company another one Black Sabbath album and they wanted this one. And so it happened. Record label executives and managers wanted to name it "Black Sabbath", no matter how it was recorded and who performed. Seventh Star was released in January 1986 under the name Black Sabbath featuring Tony Iommi, with Tony alone on the cover sleeve; exactly as a solo project.

During the mid '80s, both Tony Iommi and Glenn Hughes were on drugs but that wasn't affecting the live presence of Iommi. On the other side, there were times when Glenn was unable to perform, so after just a week of touring as Black Sabbath, supporting the release of Seventh Star, Glenn Hughes was replaced by Ray Gillen and the tour was a commercial failure while many shows were even cancelled. Tony Iommi couldn't do something else, so he continued using the name "Black Sabbath" and the next album (The Eternal Idol, 1987) was the step to something different. Still with great albums, but something different.

Acceptance: The press considered Seventh Star as a Black Sabbath album and Tony Iommi couldn't do something else, so he supported the album that way, since he needed to go on tour. The audience was confused, press details and promotion weren't clear and confusion continued when singer Ray Gillen replaced Glenn Hughes, where many fans were expecting to see on stage (Ian) Gillan and they saw (Ray) Gillen. Many people didn't even know that Hughes performed live with Black Sabbath.

Nowadays, you can see "Seventh Star" in the official discography of Black Sabbath. There are many fans that don't really consider it as a Black Sabbath album.

Highlights: "Seventh Star", "Danger Zone", "Angry Heart".

CANDLEMASS - Dactylis Glomerata (1998)

After the release of the album Chapter VI (1992) Candlemass entered a period of uncertainty and took them a while until the moment where they were really accepted as the Masters of Doom Metal. Candlemass broke up in 1994, so their founder, songwriter and bassist Leif Edling, formed Abstrakt Algebra with an extraordinary line-up including Mats Levén on vocals, Mike Wead and Simon Johansson on guitars, Jejo Perković on drums and Carl Westholm helping with keyboards. The same titled debut album of Abstrakt Algebra was released in 1995 and it is something really different; something you could label as a progressive power doom metal release. Two years later, Leif Edling wrote the second Abstrakt Algebra album and started recordings with Mats Levén, Jejo Perković and Carl Westholm, while guitar duties were handled by Patrik Instedt. That second album took a long time to be completed and the band had problems with the studio and the producer. Lot of money was spent and no album was completed, so at one point, Edling was contacted by a record label and he was told that they will finance the album and help him, only if he will release it under the Candlemass moniker instead of Abstrakt Algebra... So Edling got in the studio again and reworked the songs with Jejo Perković and Carl Westholm, added by Björn Flodkvist on vocals and Mike Amott on guitars, plus few guests. And another Candlemass album is released.

Acceptance: The press considered Dactylis Glomerata as a Candlemass album and so did the audience, but a few years later, when Messiah Marcolin, Lasse Johansson, Mappe Björkman and Jan Linh got together again with the Doomfather, this was presented as a reunion, and the late '90s years was something like a break time, despite the fact that two albums were released under the Candlemass moniker.

Nowadays, you can see Dactylis Glomerata in the official discography of Candlemass. There are many fans that don't really consider it as a Candlemass album. The band doesn't perform live songs from that period.

Highlights: "I Still See the Black", "Dustflow", "Abstrakt Sun".

MANILLA ROAD - The Circus Maximus (1992)

 
After the release of the album The Courts of Chaos (1990) and the poor reception and distribution at the time, Mark Shelton decided to disband Manilla Road and started working on a new band under the name The Circus Maximus, a new collective effort with Aaron Brown (drums, vocals) and Andrew Coss (bass, vocals, keyboards). When their debut album was completed, The Circus Maximus tried to shop a record deal but in the end, the project ended again with Black Dragon Records, the label of Manilla Road. But Black Dragon Records, pressed and released the album as "Manilla Road" without asking the band and that led to confusion and mess, since the band was performing live as The Circus Maximus at that time...

Acceptance: The press considered The Circus Maximus as a Manilla Road album but the promotion and the reception was very poor, while the band known as "Manilla Road" wasn't even active at that time since Mark Shelton and his new bandmates were performing locally as The Circus Maximus. Many fans at the time, didn't even know about the release of that album.

Nowadays, you can see The Circus Maximus in the official discography of Manilla Road. There are many fans that don't really consider it as a Manilla Road album. Mark Shelton also never considered it as a Manilla Road album and he only allowed to be re-released keeping the Manilla Road moniker in order to avoid further confusion.

Highlights: "Throne of Blood", "Spider", "No Sign from Above"


Part II
Artists: "I will do it because I can!"

QUEENSRYCHE - Frequency Unknown (2013)

The previous Queensrÿche album Dedicated to Chaos (2011) is the strongest candidate for The Worst Album ever released by a major act. Up to that point and over the last few years after the departure of guitarist and songwriter Chris DeGarmo in 1998, Queensrÿche seemed to "evolve" as a Geoff Tate Band until that day in April 2012 before a show in São Paulo, Brazil.

Jason Slater who produced Frequency Unknown, also produced the 'rÿche albums Operation: Mindcrime II (2006), American Soldier (2009), Dedicated to Chaos (2011) and was one of the main songwriters of the band during that period, where many of the ideas of other 'rÿche members were rejected or changed. The other members looked like "session musicians" to Tate, the management (Tate's wife, Susan) and the producer, who were using the Queensrÿche name for years.

In a band meeting during April 2012, while Geoff Tate wasn't there, the other members decided to fire the manager (Susan, Geoff's wife) and the person who was running the Queensrÿche official fan club (Miranda, Geoff's stepdaughter). Tate was angry with them when he learned about it and before a show in São Paulo, Brazil, on April 14 of 2012, he had a strong argument with few of the rest members where Tate assault and spit them, even on stage during that night's show. Geoff Tate was off the band and both parties used the "Queensrÿche" brand. The rest of the members were supposed to start the project Rising West where they could play live shows based on older material of Queensrÿche, so eventually, with the addition of ex-Crimson Glory live singer Todd La Torre, they continued performing as Queensrÿche and in 2013, they even released the Queensrÿche album with new material.

Guitarist and producer Kelly Gray, and producer Jason Slater, who also had writing credits in various 'rÿche songs that period, continued working with Geoff Tate and just two years after the events of April 2012, a settlement was reached on April 2014, where the brand name "Queensrÿche" would belong to Micheal Wilton, Scott Rockenfield and Eddie Jackson, who along with Todd La Torre and Parker Lundgren will be the touring and recording Queensrÿche band, while Geoff Tate solely has the right to perform both Operation: Mindcrime and Operation: Mindcrime II in their entirety.

Queensrÿche continued releasing more albums and performing tours supporting them, focusing on them and the early material of the band, while Geoff Tate released his second solo album Kings & Thieves (that was recorded around the events of April 2012), the albums The Key (2015), Resurrection (2016), The New Reality (2017) under the band name Operation: Mindcrime, and also performed selected shows with Queensrÿche material and albums like Operation: Mindcrime with success, while the last years he looks in great shape, living a happy life.

Acceptance: The press and fans lightly approached Frequency Unknown as a Queensrÿche album in 2013 since it served as a normal continuation to what the band was releasing back then, but the Queensrÿche album that was released by the rest few months later, was held higher. However, many 'rÿche fans stopped following the band and the latest albums, many of them also pushed the events of 2012 back in their head in order to forget them... Frequency Unknown was a better album than the previous two Queensrÿche albums and Tate gathered a team of great musicians surrounding him during the recordings, including guitarists Brad Gillis, KK Downing, Dave Meniketti, bassist Rudy Sarzo and drummers Paul Bostaph and Simon Wright, among others.

Nowadays, you can't see Frequency Unknown in the official discography of Queensrÿche and it is considered as a "side release" or a Geoff Tate solo project, while it is nearly forgotten and the albums that followed by Queensrÿche are considered much better.

Highlights: "Cold", "In the Hands of God"

TANK - War Machine (2010)

War Machine is a great album. I was writing for Rockway zine when I got the promo of that album and couldn't believe that this is actually a Tank album. It was a completely different band but still great. The dirty NWOBHM sound of the previous albums was absent but now you had something different reminding later Saxon, even Tony Martin-era Black Sabbath, including also the great vocals of Doogie White. I remember presenting the album to a few friends that didn't like the older Tank material but loved War Machine. The "original" Tank disbanded in 1989 and there was a reunion in late '90s, followed by the studio album Still at War in 2002. War Machine was the first Tank album not including singer/bassist Algy Ward, where he also return with his "Tank version" in 2013, as a one-man band, performing all instruments in the album Breath of the Pit following the style of older Tank.

Acceptance: Upon its release the press considered War Machine as a Tank album; no question about it. And that band was considered as "Tank" for a few more years until the studio return of Algy Ward using also the Tank name but with a very poor acceptance from media and fans. Fans were confused and you have two "Tank" versions releasing albums.

Nowadays, a few people separate Algy Ward's Tank and Tucker/Evans's Tank from the old "original" Tank, while both parties claim the continuation of the classic NWOBHM act. A few fans accept only one version over the other but Tucker/Evans's Tank have a more reliable presence with more albums since War Machine and live shows, even if none of Mick Tucker and Cliff Evans was "there" in 1982 when Tank released the first studio recordings. Tucker/Evans's Tank include singers ZP Theart (Dragonforce, Skid Row) and David Readman (Pink Cream 69, Adagio) in the latest studio albums, so vocally, the connection to the past keeps the distance.

Highlights: "Judgement Day", "Phoenix Rising"



So what?

So, what's more important or valid? When a label releases an album using a specific band name of a main member despite the will of that member-composer, or when a member of a band is using the brand name despite the will of other members he was working with?

According to "history" and the cases above, most of the times, the choice of the labels is what is taken for granted in the future. If a NAME is printed on the cover, it stays there forever. Sometimes it is wrong, sometimes it is correct, sometimes it is connected to the past with a band member or a continuation of the music, sometimes there isn't any connection, or just a small link.

Music industry has always had its own rules and decisions. Decisions that many times were above the will of the artists. But the music industry is also changing and the "names" are irrelevant nowadays: READ MORE

One more Heavy Metal week - Chapter I: Manilla Road

Shark, Manilla Road, Hammers and Wine...

Now, let’s see what happened the last days. There was so much intense, passion and HEAVY METAL, that I want to keep it alive, not only as a memory (it won’t be forgotten anyway), but also for everyone to see that some musicians remain legends among men. 

On October 14, 2012 there was Up The Hammers Festival Special Edition II in Athens with Manilla Road as headliners and Dark Nightmare, Etrusgrave, War Dance, Midnight Priest completing the billing of the best festival in Greece. Two day before we were expecting the arrival of Mark “The Shark” Shelton and he would be in Ragnarok club for “meet n’ greet” with fans and friends of the band. The good friend and organizer of Up The Hammers, Manolis Karazeris along with the people of the club, organized everything perfect and we knew that there will be an unforgettable weekend. Funny, but there was also a special Manilla Road/Up The Hammers wine limited to 20 bottles! Of course, I took one, but I will open it for a very special occasion. So, people all over Greece and certain friends around Europe start gathering in Athens. Back in the club, after 12 o’ clock Mark made his appearance in the club. It is always good to see this guy and for sure he is feeling like home when he is in Greece. He signed some records, took photos, had his drinks and chat with friends and fans. 

There was a very funny moment, when we were headbanging during “Astronomica” near at a window in the club and suddenly we felt someone all over us… It was Mark climbing to the window! The night continued like that, but next day I had to go to the work… The next day passed easily for me, still though I had some time with friends that I hadn’t seen for some time. Of course we ate also. That’s one of our hobbies!

And then Sunday comes. I woke up early (I think…) along with my girlfriend, and went in the center of Athens to pick up our buddies from Patra. Of course we ate also. I told you, that’s one of our hobbies. And we only eat meat. I went earlier to the club of the festival (Kyttaro Live Club) because I had some work to do with the label. There I had the chance to see War Dance during soundcheck. I really love this band and for me they are the “next big thing”. 

So, everything was set up, we’ve already start drinking and having fun. 

Midnight Priest was the first band to hit the stage and people started to enter the venue. The band was very passionate and they enjoyed playing there. Then I grab a beer and went to the front to watch War Dance. They are perfect. They combine elements from Manowar, Warlord and Sarissa, filtered through a personal sound and the result is pure lyrical epic metal magic. They have released only a promo CD but they are in recording sessions for the material that will be their first album. I can’t wait for that. After that there was some kind of problem in the club with electricity or something and Etrusgrave moved on stage and wait for the problem to be solved. It took a little time, but after that, the Italian band was a huge surprise. I didn’t expect them to play before Dark Nightmare, but if you would see the respond that Dark Nightmare had from the people there, you would be surprised. Great shows from both bands.

But there was a storm waiting to break… Arise all ye faithful to the sword... Manilla Road was on stage, for a special 3 hours set starting with my favorite MR album “Open The Gates” performed in its entirety. Magik, Dragonships, the Spear of Tiw, Fires, the Norns, Kings and the Dragon passed before our eyes and took us by storm. We were speechless from such a magical performance. Mark’s guitar was sending vibes from Hell and Bryan was singing with passion the hymns of mythical poetry. For my surprise, since it was the first time to see Neudi behind the drum kit, he really moved the band to a higher level. After “Open The Gates” the Road passed through “Necropolis”, “Haunted Palace” (Randy would be proud of Neudi), “Isle Of The Dead” (with a monumental moment of Agis throwing Jim off the stage!), “Masque Of The Red Death”, “Death By The Hammer”, “Hammer Of The Witches”, “Divine Victim”, “Dig Me No Grave”, “Metal”, “Crystal Logic”… and many more! During “Mystification”… well, I went a little crazy, but I think this will be my last stage diving - getting old I think. Still have bruises – for a moment I thought I broke some bones... but I enjoyed it! I really can’t say more for this performance. All you have to do is take a look on this video:

After two days, on October 16, there was a special event. A secret acoustic gig among few friends of Manilla Road (around 40 people) in a wine bar under candles’ light. Mark and Bryan with the help of Gianluca Silvi spoke straight to our hearts that night. There was a great moment where the original guitarists of Battleroar (Kostas and Manolis) with violin player Alex and Mark on vocals performed “The Wanderer”. A night to remember… with great friends and lot of wine!

I was very busy that week… and I was expecting a special guest. A good friend, a great person and a unique singer, but this is Chapter II…

Up The Hammers Special Edition Chapter II

The countdown has begun...
for Up The Hammers Special Edition Chapter II at October 14, 2012, at Kyttaro Live Club (Ipeirou 48, Athens)

For this event, the might Manilla Road will perform a special 3 hours set, including the album "Open The Gates" in its entirety. 


Running order:
Doors open 18:00
Midnight Priest 18:15 – 18:50
War Dance 19:05 – 19:40
Etrusgrave 19:55 – 20:30
Dark Nightmare 20:45– 21:25
Manilla Road 21:45 - end

Ticket Price: 30 euro
Presale: Ticket House, No Remorse, Sirens Records

Up The Hammers organizer's announcement:

"Up The Hammers Festival, starting from October 14, will forbid the use of iPhones, Smartphones and any kind of cameras. We are not against technology but someone must make a move to stop the madness. You can enjoy the gig without posting on Facebook a video the second after you get out the venue. We need your support in that and respect our decision."

For those who are interested, visit HERE to preorder the festival t-shirt for a discounted Facebook presale for 12 euro instead of 15 euro at the festival. Make a post with the size required and your real name and get it at the festival. No need to pay in advance, just get what you ordered, but "attend" only if you really will be there to get your t-shirt.

MANILLA ROAD... an Art revealed to no one...

Manilla Road is one of the greatest bands ever. Their new album “Playground of the Damned” is out and I took the chance to talk with Mark “The Shark” Shelton about the album and other interesting things.

Three years after the “Voyager” you came up with a new album entitled “Playground of the Damned”. What is the story behind every song?

Shark: The first song is “Jackhammer” and it is basically a song about our mascot Smiling Jack (the skull guy we use in art all the time). Song #2 is “Into the Maelström” which is based off of a Poe story called “A Descent Into the Maelström”. I have always liked putting Poe stories to music. Started doing that back in 1987 with the “Mystification” album and a new Poe related song pops up every once in awhile on MR albums after that. Just keeping the tradition going. Song #3 is the title cut “Playground of the Damned” and it is sort of an apocalyptic warning song notating that earth is the playground of the damned. Song #4 is called “Grindhouse” and is a tribute to the old Grindhouse theaters that I grew up with in the old days. Love those old b-movies. Song #5 is “Abattoir de la Mort” which is a song about Midgard Sound Labs and all of us that have worked and bled in the studio over the last several years. Song #6 is “The Fire of Asshurbanipal” which is based off an Indiana Jones type horror story by Robert E. Howard. Another author that MR have borrowed ideas from over the career of the band. Song #7 is “Brethren of the Hammer” which is a Metal Anthem and song #8 is sort of a Metal power ballad called “Art of War” which is just a reminder to all of us that we should not forget how to stand our ground when needed. I did not want to do a concept album this time because both of our last releases were conceptual albums and I thought it was time to take a short break from the really long winded concept thing.

Vinyl edition is released from High Roller records and cd is coming from Shadow Kingdom rec. How was the producing process of the album and how did you get in touch with these labels?

Shark: I have been dealing with both of these labels for awhile now and have had really good luck with our business dealings. High Roller has the highest quality releases on LP anywhere and so working with them is a no-brainer and Shadow Kingdom has been in our network for a long time and we are friends with the owner which helps also. Each of the labels is sort of putting together their own version of the release and I think that is cool because you don't have just a copy of the other if you buy both.

Are there any plans for live shows to promote the album?

Shark: We are doing one show in 2011 (I guess we think we are Pink Floyd now or something) at the Hammer of Doom Festival during October in Germany. So if you want to see Manilla Road live in 2011 you better go to that show. We hope to do a lot more touring in 2012.

Your mother was a Professor of Music at a University and you are playing music since you were a child. What was your music background before you form Manilla Road?

Shark: Classical, Jazz, Folk, Country and Rock music. Jimi Hendrix, Deep Purple, UFO and Black Sabbath ruled for me back then.

What does the name Manilla Road stands for and poetically where the Road leads?

Shark: It was simply The Road of Light to us at first and it still primarily means that to me.

“Mark of the Beast” and “After Midnight – Live” are two albums with unreleased material from the early years of the band, which finally released officially. I know that you are not very enthusiastic with this stuff, but are there any other songs from the late 70s-early 80s? Also, is there any unreleased material from the 80s?

Shark: I never thought that the material or the performance back then was that good but then I guess that is normal for me to feel that way and I have, over time, developed a bit of an appreciation for the old stuff realizing that if not for those endeavors I would not have progressed into other styles and performances later on in my career. There are still many reel to reel tapes in the studio from the old days that we are going to hopefully be able to listen to one of these days and see if there is any more stuff that would be interesting to put out there. There is one demo tape release we did on cassette that I am hoping to find the masters of eventually. It was a 3 song demo with the very first version of “Far Side of the Sun”, the studio version of “Herman Hill” which finally appeared on “After Midnight Live” and an early MR epic style song entitled “Manilla Road”. Yes there was a song called “Manilla Road” at the first of all of this… These were the first songs ever recorded in a studio setting by the band. Other than that demo, I don't think there is anything else out there that I would want to release. I would never want to release something old just to try and make money. The only reason we put out “After Midnight Live” is because none of the songs on it were ever released before so even though the recording was really old the material had never been heard by most of our fans. If it had not had a decent sound quality to it I would have never let be released.

“If I was an ordinary man, I would live a life of luxury, but I don’t believe in simple truths, I believe in sincerity”… Who is the chromaphobian man?

Shark: I guess it was me at the time. A man of metal music in a time that it was not fashionable to be a metal head. At least not where I lived at that time. Manilla Road was the first of its kind in Kansas. That is an epic metal band. We helped carve out the metal industry in Wichita along with a few other bands but it seems we were the only one that really stood up to the test of time.

How you really dreamt of the end of the world? Do you think that man will be responsible for the Dreams of Eschaton? What Crystal Logic stands for?

Shark: Who knows how the end will come. There are so many ways that the world could meet its end that the law of averages will catch up to the earth before too long. It's really not a matter of if the world as we know it will end. It's more a question of when. All I really want to say about that is if we are to survive as a race of beings in the universe we should start figuring out how to expand our pioneering efforts into space. If we never explore the possibility of getting off this rock and being able to live in space then our race will eventually be doomed. As for what Crystal Logic is: It is the type of wisdom that understands and creates the magik of the mind and spirit. It is the understanding of the flow of life and existence itself. It is the highest form of knowledge that can be achieved by man. Plus crystals make great memory chips.

What are the Veils of Negative Existence?

Shark: It is the thin curtain that separates us from the other outer and inner worlds of existence. Like a barrier between dimensions.

What’s your occupation at the moment and since in Greece we have a major problem with the economical crisis, how are things in the United States?

Shark: I am the Operations Manager for a corporation in Wichita, Kansas. The economy is rather down here in the states but it is not terrible. I think your financial problems in Greece are much bigger than ours are at the moment.

Who do you think are the "Weavers of the Web"?

Shark: Well I was not talking about the internet, haha. We are all weavers of the web. Anyone who contributes to the web of magik in the universe is a weaver of the web. The ancient gods, the old ones, the heroes throughout history, the bards and poets and musicians that have understood that art is magik and that it talks to all of us in our minds and our hearts. Anyone who realizes that our minds are capable of magik and the more of us that work toward a common goal the more likely it is to become reality. Anything is possible if you summon enough magik to make it real.

What is the story with the chronic laryngitis and how did you ripped your vocal cords? How did you came up with the screams in “Out of the Abyss” album or “Dig Me No Grave”? By the way, your vocal work in the “Courts of Chaos” is my favorite from Manilla Road…

Shark: When we were recording “Open The Gates” I was very sick during the days that we were supposed to be recording the vocals. I should have just canceled the studio time and done at a later date but the studio was booked solid for like another month or two and we sort of had a deadline with our label to get the album done. So I pushed through the vocals while being deathly ill and it turned out that I really strained my vocal chords during that session. I struggled with laryngitis problems for years after that and visited several specialists about it. I was put on steroids several times which helped to keep the vocals going throughout the next several albums until I was doing a string of shows with “Circus Maximus” and one night I was letting out one of my Rob Halford screams and all of a sudden I felt a sharp pain in my throat and had to nurse my voice through the rest of the show that night. I went back to one of the vocal specialists and they found that I had ripped one of my vocal cords. It took forever to heal and when it did heal I was left with scar tissue on my vocal cord that has made it impossible for me to use my falsetto voice ever since. They told me they could operate to remove the scar tissue but they could not guarantee that my voice would sound the same ever again. So I decided to live with the situation and just push on and do the best that I can to sing without injuring myself again. That is why we brought Bryan Patrick into the ranks as a singer for the band. He sounds enough like me to do the job and he can still hit those falsetto notes that I can't.

 

How was a Manilla Road live show in the 80s?

Shark: Chaos and music. Our live shows were always a bit crazy back then. We would blow up and set fire to anything on stage and we still dressed up in spandex and leather with chains on the boots and metal armbands and spikes and hair and the whole nine yards. Well I still wear leather and I still have a full head of long hair but the rest of it has changed a bit. Randy had a big cage that the drums were in that was interesting because he would climb all over the thing in between songs. It was wild and crazy most of the time. We had to stop blowing stuff up because we started blowing ourselves up too. Now we rely more on the music and the performance than the special effects but I still love a great light show with cool fog.

Do you believe that if you could manage to tour in Europe back then or had a proper distribution of your albums, Manilla Road could be bigger or you meant to be for few but devoted fans?

Shark: I think we might have been a bit bigger if we had a little better luck back in the day but then again, who knows. We could have scored a big deal with a big label and signed our lives away to them and it not worked out and then it would have been the end of Manilla Road a long time ago. The music will always have a different sound and mix to it when we are doing it all ourselves instead of leaving it up to someone else to decide what Manilla Road should sound like. I am not unhappy with where I am at with Manilla Road today. Even if I died today I would feel I have done my part to enhance the metal music of our day. Success is only what one makes of it. I may not have gotten filthy rich playing metal but I have had the best time of my life doing it and I feel that I have been extremely successful because I have so many friends and supporters that love what Manilla Road has done. So I have done what I set out to do with my life. The first day that someone told me that my music helped them to get through some very rough times in their life was when I became successful.

I know that you have many friends in Greece and we all want a Manilla Road concert again and very soon. Which are your most memorable moments from Greece?

Shark: Well, first of all there is still one woman in Greece that stole my heart. She just doesn't know it. The Acropolis is a big thing for me. I have been there twice now and both times it was like standing on hallowed ground. Like I could hear the whispering voices of the gods, the poets and politicians of ancient Greece. The other great memories of Greece are the fans and the shows. I love playing in Greece and I can't wait to get back to the land of the gods and crank it up again.

To all of our fans, friends and supporters. Thank you so much for your undying support of Manilla Road. If not for you this could not all be.

Up The Hammers & Down The Nails

Blessed Be

Shark

www.manillaroad.net

Manilla Road on Fountain Street Productions

The Drums of Chaos

Cory “Hardcore” Christner is the guy behind the drum kit, so how did you joined the band?

Cory: In the winter of 2003 Mark Shelton recorded some songs of my former band and afterward he asked me if I wanted to play drums for him. I turned the offer down a few times after hearing the works of Randy Foxe and the reputation that Manilla Road had… Eventually I gave in and said “ok, I’ll give it a shot” and I am sooo glad I did it! It has been an amazing 7 or 8 years and I am honored to be the drummer of Manilla Road.

Randy “Thrasher” Foxe was the legendary drummer of the Road back in the 80s

Along with Mark Zonder, you are my favourite drummer. Which was your music background and how did you learn to play drums?

Thrasher: I played snare drum, learning the rudiments, in primary school. I began to play the drum set in high school (secondary school). I would stay after school and practice for five or six hours a night. Most of this practice was drums but I also played piano, guitar and bass. Even back then I would sometimes put a piano or some percussion to my left and play drums with my right hand and another instrument with my left. Probably the biggest change to my style came when I began playing in pitch darkness. It improved my accuracy but, more importantly, it created a disconnect between thinking about what I think to play and what I feel. I still play a lot with my eyes closed to recreate this.

Which are your memories from Manilla Road in the 80s?

Thrasher: I loved seeing the reactions of the fans when they would see me playing something very difficult... like playing keys and drums together on songs like “The Prophecy”, the drum part to “Dementia”, the beginning of “Old Ones”, etc. That gave me a real sense of accomplishment.

 

The story so far…

Manilla Road hail from Wichita, Kansas (USA) and they are one of the greatest bands in metal music. The journey started in 1977 when Mark Shelton (vocals-guitar) decided to form a band with his high school friend Scott Park (bass guitar) after he left the Marine Corp. In the first incarnation of the band, there are also Ben Munkirs on drums and Robert Park (Scott’s brother) on guitar. Later Ben left the band and with Myles Sipe they recorded their first 3-song demo tape in 1979 and after a while Rick Fisher joins the Road. They started to perform their first live shows, writing lot of material and by the end of 1979 they entered the studio to record their debut album "Invasion". During the recordings, they fired Robert because of problems he caused in the band and they continued as a three-piece. It was difficult back then to find a record company to release their material, so in early 1980, “Invasion” was released in their own label Roadster Records. The band kept playing live, composing lots of new songs and they were one of the heaviest bands back then in the States. 

At the time, Shelton was in stuff like Black Sabbath, Rush, Pink Floyd, Hawkwind and Judas Priest among others, but they kept listening to new artists and getting inspired from them all along the time. Their music developed in the years to come and it was getting heavier and faster during the 80s and even if every album was different than the previous one, each and every single one had the unique personal style of Manilla Road. While touring all over the Midwest, the band recorded another album called “The Dreams of Eschaton” but it was never officially released until 2002, renamed as "Mark of the Beast". At the time, after these songs, they recorded another album and they considered the new songs better than the other ones, so in 1982 their second album, simply entitled "Metal", was released again from their own label and that year they opened for the Wichita concerts of Krokus and Ted Nugent.

Mark Shelton, which studied anthropology in the university, was deeply into the stories of Robert E. Howard, H.P. Lovecraft and the Cthulhu Mythos, Edgar Allan Poe, ancient philosophy and mythology and all of this is floating in his lyrics, another MR trademark but he also wanted something different for the music. In their next effort, "Crystal Logic", music is more heavy and epic and it’s getting closer to what Mark had on his mind. The album was released again from Roadster but it also led to the signing with Black Dragon Records and they got distribution in Europe and the United States. Rick Fisher wasn’t pleased with the heaviest approach Mark had in mind for the next album and he was replaced by Randy Foxe. Among many fans, “Crystal Logic” is the first masterpiece of Manilla Road and some of them consider it their best album. 

In 1985, "Open The Gates" was issued from Black Dragon and the whole album is filled with a mystique feeling, great leads and solos and epic metal supremacy. The mixture of Norse mythology, legends and the other literature readings of Shelton, created something like a private mythology and spiritual poetry in his lyrics and it was developed in the next album and on. "The Deluge" was also released from Black Dragon in 1986 and along with “Open The Gates” it also has the great art of Eric Larnoy on the cover. The band kept playing heavier and faster than the previous album and the complex aggressive style of Randy “Thrasher” Foxe helps the band to reach new levels and takes the listener by storm. The songwriting is once again supreme but the promotion and their record company started to have problems, especially after the next album in 1987.

The production of "Mystification" was a mess, the band wasn’t able again to tour in Europe and the first distribution problems appear but what about the music? With tales of gore and terror in the night, the album pays tribute to the poet who found the key, Edgar Allan Poe. The unique characteristic mystic sound of Manilla Road is still here, still outstanding, harsh and powerful. A U.S. tour followed the album and Manilla Road played with Liege Lord. They toured from Midwest to the East Coast and during these shows they recorded the "Roadkill" live album. 

In 1988 they signed to Leviathan Records and they release "Out of the Abyss". MR kept the pact, to make every album faster and heavier than the last and they almost play thrash metal in “Out of the Abyss”. Raw and complex with weird riffs, horror lyrics and the first high pitched screams from the Shark, but there are also epic anthems like “Helicon”. The problem is that Leviathan Records licensed it to Black Dragon for distribution in Europe but they couldn’t do a proper job with it and along with the follow-up album, they were almost impossible to found in Europe back then. Despite that, the band kept touring around the States, this time with Chastain. The next album, "The Courts of Chaos" was released in 1990 and it was the most experimental MR album to date. They kept exploring horror themes and the music is darker with keyboards creating a strange atmosphere evoking chaos from beyond.

After the Courts of Chaos, Shelton wanted to create a solo album, different from the sound of Manilla Road and he found Aaron Brown and Andrew Coss for the project. They started bringing their own ideas and then they realized that this wasn’t a Mark Shelton solo project anymore and they called it Circus Maximus. They signed to Black Dragon but the company decided to keep the Manilla Road name and called the album "The Circus Maximus" despite the disagreement of the band. The band played a few gigs around Kansas and then split up but this wasn’t a MR record… because MR kept playing live after that for months. Scott Park had drinking problems and he was replaced by Harvey Patrick but after a while he left the Road. The next years and until the end of the 90s, Mark and Randy kept working together a bit but they also got married and started raising families and even if the Shark never stopped playing or writing music, MR was somehow left on ice. 

In 2000, Iron Glory Records re-released “Crystal Logic” and they also asked for a new Manilla Road album and next year "Atlantis Rising" came out. Before that, in 2000, MR gave their first European show at Bang Your Head Festival in Germany and also their back catalogue was re-released from various record labels (Iron Glory, Sentinel Steel, Dragonheart, Underground Symphony) and a brand new fan base was built. Randy Foxe wasn’t able to follow the Road and so the line-up back then was: Mark “The Shark” Shelton (guitars – vocals), Bryan “Hellroadie” Patrick (vocals), Mark Anderson (bass) and Scott Peters (drums). “Atlantis Rising” was well received from many fans and the press and in 2002 another new album came out from Iron Glory called "Spiral Castle". Many of these songs were written from the late 90s and from this time, the band was able to do more shows in Europe and also played in more festivals everywhere. 

In 2005 the "Gates of Fire" opened, introducing Cory Christner on drums. He followed the Road in the 2004 European shows also but this was his first MR studio performance. The album is separated in three parts, lyrically based on Robert E. Howard’s “The Frost Giant’s Daughter”, Virgil’s Aeneid and the battle of Thermopylae and it is pure epic metal. In early 2008 "Voyager" was issued from My Graveyard Productions with a concept of a marauding band of Vikings standing against Christianity and sailing for a place to live without religion persecution. This is the first album from 2000 without Bryan Patrick, with Shelton taking care of all vocals. In the last album, "Playground of the Damned", released in mid-2011 from Shadow Kingdom Records, Bryan is back and the spirit still follows the Road of Light…

 From the first show of Manilla Road in Athens, GR (October 27th, 2002)