When talking about epic metal hordes of the 80s you can't skip barbarians from Manilla Road. Crew led for almost fourty years by metal legend, Mark "The Shark" Shelton is now celebrating the 30th anniversary of their breakthrough album, Open The Gates. Another reason to do this interview is the release of 17th album from Manilla Road, "The Blessed Curse". We thought that both of the events are important enough to ask some questions to Mark Shelton, who appeared to be a really interesting interlocutor. Ladies and gentelmen, let me announc the master of the ceremony, Mark "The Shark" Shelton:

KJ: At first I would really thank you that agreed for the interview, it's an honor.. So let's start from the beginning. You started Manilla Road in 1977 so before the whole boom for heavy metal happened. What was the metal stage like back then?

Shark: There was no metal stage when I started playing music. Metal was not really a musical genre yet at that time. My first heavy concert I went to was Black Sabbath around the Paranoid days. Totally blew me away they did. Watching them and hearing them that first time sort of led me in the direction that I wished to go in with my own music career. It was bands like Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Jimi Hendrix and Rush gave me the inspiration to become involved in the heavier side of the music industry.

KJ: So you weren't too inspired by metal bands, more like other bands took inspiration from you guys. For the sake of facts: how did the whole thing started as well for your guitar playing and for Manilla Road?

Shark: I was first educated on piano and then I picked up several other instruments along the way but my preference back then was to be a drummer. I started messing with guitar a little during the mid 70's but did not get serious about the guitar as my main instrument until I was out of school and the Marine Corps. After I was discharged from the Marines I started playing guitar seriously and also started the band Manilla Road with Ben Munkirs on Drums and Scott Park on Bass. For awhile Scotts little brother Robert played rhythm guitar for us but by the time we did our first studio recording Robert had left the band. That would have been in 1979. Scott and I knew each other from School and it was just by accident that we ran into each other after I returned home from the Marines.

KJ: One think that keeps bothering me for years - what does the name Manilla Road mean?

Shark: It is really a fantasy name. We put our own definition to it you might say. To us it means the road of light.

KJ: Allright so you started Manilla Road, and three albums later you came up with my personal favourite - Crystal Logic. What you during the composition of the album and how was it received?

Shark: Crystal Logic was just part of the evolution of the band and our style. We were mostly a psychedelic doom space metal band at first. We were always looking to fuse other styles of music into metal and Crystal Logic was maybe the first album that we really stepped more into the fast and heavy approach to our music. It's sort of difficult to really explain all that was going on in my mind about the evolution of the bands musical style. It was more of a natural evolution for me than a plotted one. I was becoming more and more fascinated with heavier music but at the same time I was determined to keep it melodic also. I think it is that fusion of melody and heavy that really started to be more defining at the time I wrote Crystal Logic. It was for sure a really important album and step for Manilla Road in the bands career.

LWS: Without a doubt you are the pioneers of barbarian epic metal, even though many people consider Manowar as fathers of this genre, the thing is that you were the first who started to incorporate such topics into your music, what do you think about it?

Shark: I think that we may have coined the phrase Epic Metal as a definition of our style of music but in truth it was bands like Rush, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Uriah Heep and many many other bands that really started putting the epic approach into heavy rockin' music. I know for me it was these types of bands and early Judas Priest and Iron Maiden that really helped define my approach to Epic Metal. And I agree Manowar were right there along with us as other bands were also. So I don't think I can take full credit for the invention of the genre as a style but I don't remember anyone using the phrase Epic Metal before we did. It really does not matter to me. I just love doing what we do.

 

KJ: So you have your own distinctive look on metal but I have to ask - considering the whole thrash/death metal thing going on at the time. How you guys were received on the gigs in the 80s?

Shark: Our live shows have always been received well on our home front here in Wichita Kansas. But at first when we were touring through the smaller cities in Kansas and Oklahoma the audience did not always know how to react with us. We were very different and heavier than most bands around our area so the reactions were mixed sometimes. But after Crystal Logic came out we became very well known in Kansas and from that point on we played to mostly sold out clubs and venues. We did not really tour throughout the states much until 1987 after we put out our Mystification album. Thrash and Death metal were not really big in our own area of the states. Kansas is mostly into country music so it was always a bit of a up hill climb to gain acceptance in our home area. But once we were seen live the people kept coming back for more. And I'm sure it was really interesting to our local fans to watch the band evolve over the years. They got to see that style evolution happen in real time and live by attending all our shows that we did over many years. Eventually we got big enough in our own area that promoters started using us to open for bigger acts on bigger stages like Krokus, Point Blank, Stryper and Ted Nugent. Of course by that time all the metal heads in our area knew and respected Manilla Road

 

 

KJ: Staying in the topic of gigs and tours - you play gigs for more than 30 years. Do you recall some crazy stories from the tour that you'd like to share?

Shark: There are a ton of stories from the road that is for sure. We have had so many really funny and weird events happen to us that we think we are the actual live version of Spinal Tap ha ha. We were playing a club show in Wichita one time when our tour van got hit by a drunk driver outside of the club and the van was hit so hard that it came crashing through the wall of the club right by the stage we were playing on. Neudi got lost in Madrid Spain one night telling the cab driver the name of the hotel we stayed in the night before in Portugal. Obviously the cab driver could not find the hotel because we were in Spain and not Portugal. Dumb drummers ha ha. So Neudi ran out of money driving all over Madrid with this cab driver and when the cabbie figured out that Neudi did not have any more money to spend on cab fare he booted Neudi out. Well our drummer set out on foot and oh, by the way, he was drunk also ha ha. Anyway after walking all over Madrid he finally found the hotel but this was like 4 or 5 hours later than when he started out. It was like 6am in the morning and we had a show to do that night. He got back to the hotel and went to his room to go to sleep but we had to keep him up so we could go do sound checks at the venue. He was trashed all that day because of this. That is just one of a thousand stories that we have from touring.

LWS: This year is 30th anniversary of Open The Gates. Do you plan anything special for this event? Were you thinking about doing a special tour in which you would play the album in its entirely? That would be really unique.

Shark: We actually have already done a few shows in Greece and Germany where we did all of the Open The Gates album in its entirety. It was fun and unique both. As for planning a special tour for this anniversary of OTG I don't think so. We just released our newest album The Blessed Curse and our focal point right now is to promote this release. We have traditionally always done a lot of songs from the Open The Gates album in our shows and I'm sure that will not change.

LWS: Open The Gates was recorded in Miller Studio in Newton, Kansas. Can you tell me something more about recording session of this album?

Shark: Miller studio and Manilla Road sort of grew up in the industry together. We were one of the mainstay bands that kept that studio alive. By the time we recorded Open The Gates the studio had advanced a lot and the equipment was getting more up to par all the time. Jon Miller the owner had redesigned the whole studio and refinished it with newly redone rooms and new equipment. So it was a really cool recording session for us because of the new and improved atmosphere of the whole thing. The only low point to the whole recording of the album was that towards the last of the sessions I got really sick and wasted my voice recording the vocal parts when I should have just waited until I was better. Walked out of that session with no voice and was later diagnosed with chronic laryngitis which I have been fighting with ever since. But other than that it was a great time doing that album. We were all on cloud nine at the time. Randy had just joined the band and we were excited about the new energy and drive that he was bringing to the sound of the band. Also while we were in the studio working on the album we received the offer from Black Dragon Records that led to our signing with them and this was a huge step forward for the band in our opinion. So it was a very exciting time and I think a lot of that excitement was transferred into the music during those sessions at Miller Cave.

 

 

LWS: Cover art of Open The Gates was made by an amazing artist Eric Lernoy, how did you manage to cooperate with him? Whose idea was it: yours or his?

Shark: Eric's art on Open The Gates was entirely inspired by the music and lyrics alone. I did not meet with Eric until the release of The Deluge. He listened to the album and read the lyrics and that is where he got the inspiration to do the art that he did. I did not have to give him any ideas at all. It was all him being inspired by the muse.

KJ: You changed the drummer during the time of Open The Gates. How did it happen and how it changed the sound of the album?

Shark: Rick Fisher decided that he really did not wish to pursue the heavier and faster music that Scott and I were really wanting to experiment with. So Rick informed us that we should find another drummer to fill his shoes. We held auditions and Randy Foxe was the obvious choice for us after we had done the auditions. It was a huge change in many ways. Fast and furious bombastic drumming is what was added to the equation for the next round of albums that was to come out of the band. It gave Manilla Road a whole new aspect and side of the music to throw into the fusion mix of what we were dealing with. It opened up musical horizons that the band had not been able to investigate until we had a drummer like Randy on board with us.

KJ: But eventually the band broke up - why?

Shark: Scott had some issues with substance abuse and alcoholism that did not set well with Randy and their relationship as personal friends eroded away. It got to a point while we were recording The Courts of Chaos album that neither one would work in the studio if the other was going to be present. Well that really makes it hard to be a band when two of the members can't stand to be around each other anymore. So I had to make the call to break the band up. This was in 1991 I think. After a couple of years Randy and I got back together and started the band back up as Manilla Road with Harvey Patrick playing bass with us. That lasted up until about 1998 or 1999.

KJ: We did not release or record any albums during that long stretch of time. I did the band Circus Maximus for a couple of years from 1991 to about 1993

Shark: Now Circus Maximus came out as a Manilla Road album because the label wished it that way but it was really not the band Manilla Road and it was never meant to be.

KJ: But in the end you brought the band back.

Shark: Actually I would have to say that the fans brought Manilla Road back. There became a resurgence of interest in the band and we started getting reissue contracts from labels. Because of fan requests we were invited to the Bang Your Head Festival in Germany in 2000 and the reissue of Crystal Logic was selling really well. When we were in Germany I started shopping a new album project that Bryan and I had been working on called The Shark Project. Every label we shopped it to wanted it but they all demanded that the band be called Manilla Road instead of The Shark Project. So I would have to say that it was the overwhelming fan response to the band that eventually brought Manilla Road back from the dead.

KJ: And did it last until today? Is the new generation who have all this metal around receiving you well?

Shark: It seems so. Our new album The Blessed Curse seems to have been received with open arms by everyone. Now I must admit I think this album is the best thing that we have done since The Deluge which happens to be my favorite MR album of the past. The Blessed Curse is a really special project for me because it is not just entertainment but a lot of my personal philosophy as well. It's good to see that we are still relevant now days. Manilla Road is more popular now than ever before and it seems we have finally released an album that everyone agrees is really good. It's a good feeling to finally be a bit rewarded for all the hard work and time spent in belief of the band and what it stands for.

LWS: Some time ago your classic CDs were re-released, and most of them got a bonus live tracks from the Roadkill album, does that mean that this live album won't be re-released on its' own?

Shark: Oh I think it might get reissued at some point in the future. Live albums typically don't get that much attention so the labels sort of shun away from them. But I can see that Roadkill might get reissued. I think that will happen in the next couple of years.

LWS: Steffen from High Roller has been releasing your albums on LP for couple of years. For now there are 14 albums re-released, so do you have some plans about remaining albums, can we expect another re-releases on LP like Mark Of The Best or Roadkill Live?

Shark: I expect in the near future you will see both of them reissued yes.

LWS: Your lyrics have this magical aura around them. You write about all sorts of themes such as fight of good and evil, some Arturian themes, myths from the north and so on. I assume that your library is pretty rich with that sort of books? Please tell me which one made the biggest impact on you? I'm curious where do you take inspirations for your lyrics? Can you name your favourite writers?

Shark: I do have a lot of books that is for sure. And I love to read. The one that really made a huge impact on me was The White Goddess by Robert Graves. This book really tries to trace the origins of many characters and myths of our ancient past. It showed me how the early customs and myths were infused into other cultures as time and conquering wars went on throughout history. It helped me understand the relationship between man and myth. As for my favorite authors. I love the old Greek and Roman poets like Homer and Virgil. I'm a big fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle who created the Sherlock Holmes mysteries. My true favorites of all time though have to be Poe and Howard. Poe invented the mystery story / detective story. He was a master at macabre and horrific tales. I love his first person rendition of an insane murderer in The Tell Tale Heart. Robert E. Howard is my very favorite to read though. I can read any of his stories over and over from Conan, King Kull, El Borak or Solomon Cane and never get tired of the story or the writing style. He was incredibly prolific and educated especially when it came to history and geography. I also love H.P. Lovecraft even though he is a bit long winded and sometimes a bit too atmospheric for me. But none the less he wrote some incredible stories and pretty much invented Cthulhu. There are many others like Edger Rice Burroughs and Sir Walter Scott that come to mind but I better stop here before I just start listing everything I have ever read ha ha.

LWS: Other than books are you inspired by other works of art like movies or real stories of the past?

Shark: Absolutely. I love a good movie and real stories are almost the best in some ways because it is real life and sometimes real life can be much bigger and stranger than fiction.

LWS: Considering books do you prefer fantasy or science, history etc. which do you pick more often? The world of fantasy is eternaly linked to magic, do you believe in it? What do you think about astrology, is fate of a man really written in stars?

Shark: I think I prefer history to most topics although my interests are widespread. I believe in the power of the mind and that is where I think what most call magic comes from. I don't believe in astrology or fate. I think we all make our own fate and our circumstances that we are born into is just how it happened to come out. I don't really believe in god or gods but I do think we should maintain a reverence to our ancestors beliefs because they did not have the scientific information that we have today. Hell I don't blame anyone for believing in god or gods or fate before the mid 70's. But after that if you don't believe that facts that our sciences have brought to the table then your just in denial because evolution is real and I think when we die we will go back to what we were before this life and that is pretty much nothing more than cosmic dust and energy. I don't believe in a Grand Design except for the design of mankind. Religion and astrology are constructs of the human mind that were relative to us when we did not have the tech to know better.

LWS: First vinyl press of Open The Gates contained maxi single with fenomenal 10 minute song The Night Wave. This song stikes with its magical mejesty, tell me more about it. It's really incredible song, I assume that you had some unusual emotions while writing it?

Shark: Well The Ninth Wave was a part of the Arthurian concept within the album. It was the magikal wave that Arthur was carried away on when his body was set to sea after his fatal battle with his bastard son Mordrid. It's just another one of those great parts of the Arthurian saga that have enticed most of us with its great feats of honor and bravery spun together with intrigue, drama and tragedy. It's a great storyline and I'm sure the legend will be retold many more times before mankind disappears. I gave it that long droning approach because it is sort of a funerary song you might say. Even though in some renditions of the story Arthur also appeared on the Ninth Wave but then there are several different versions of the King Arthur saga so you can take your pick of which rendition you prefer.

LWS: During the recording of Open The Gates in 1984 you had some very serious throat issues, but still you made amazing vocal tracks. How did you manage to do it, considering you did it all in one night? I assume that you had some big health issues after that? I hope you feel a lot better now, after all you're not the only frontman in the band for now.

Shark: Like I said before I have combated Chronic Laryngitis ever since the recording of that album. I was very sick with the flu and we had the time already booked and paid for in the studio and there was no window in the studios schedule for us to get back in for at least another month. We did not want to wait that long so I did all the vocal tracks on the one night that I had a fact simile of a good voice. I have to say that I usually sang a lot better on that material before that night. I got my voice back and then some as time and vocal treatments went on. I saw a vocal specialist for many years and still use a steroid spray to help keep my vocal cords strong. If I had to tour and sing for 2 hours every night 5 nights a week I would not last that long. But I do fine as long as I am sharing the duties with Hellroadie. I'm 57 now and some of those old songs are just a little out of my range now. Even Ian Gillan usually won't do Child In Time live anymore because he can't hit all those highs the same way he used too. You just have to know your limitations. I would rather not sing a song then make it sound like shit. But I do love to play live and as long as I can sing I will still sing at least part of the shows.

KJ: I get it man. Considering the live shows - you have really big fanbase in Poland. It seems like you never played here. Did nobody want to organise a gig for you here?

Shark: We know that we have a good fan base in Poland and have always wanted to play there. Hell Radio Warsaw was one of the first radio stations in Europe to play Manilla Road music so it is important for us to get to play there sometime. Unfortunately we have never been able to find a promoter from Poland that could actually line up a good show for us. I hope that will change soon.

KJ: I hope so too. You told me something about your new acoustic project. Can you tell something more about it or is it a secret for now?

Shark: No Secret. It is called Obsidian Dreams and I just finished mastering the project in Cornerstone Studio this last week. It's a collection of songs that have been written and recorded over the last 13 years. It did not really start out as a solo project but more like me just recording personal songs for my own benefit. I have had enough interest in this music over the years that I figured it was time to actually officially release the songs. It's not even all the songs that I have done in this fashion but more the best of the songs from what I had recorded. It's not metal at all. It's more like folk rock. There are no electric guitars on it at all and a variety of drummers and several songs don't even have percussion on them. It's sort of a dark personal album that shows some of my moods that I went through while dealing with a difficult divorce and learning how to move on with my life after. So don't buy it expecting a metal album. But do expect to hear a little different side of the Shark on this. Oh and it will be out on Zyx Music in the very near future this year.

KJ: Looking forward to it. Getting back to Manilla Road. Any plans for the future of the band? Is there anything that can stop the epic metal machine?

Shark: Well I hope there is nothing that can stop us ha ha. I'm not planning on retiring any time soon and as long as the fans still want more music from Manilla Road I will be more than glad to produce it. I think the only thing that could stop us is if I run out of ideas. As for the future we will be touring more again in the future and I am sure there will be another album on the horizon eventually also. Right now I am working on finishing the recording of the 2nd Hellwell album which I also hope to release this year.

KJ: That's really cool. I'm really glad that this interview happened and big thanks and loads of respect for you my friend. Final question: do you want to say something for our readers?

Shark: Thanks so much for doing the interview and yes I would like to say something in closing to the readers and our fans. It is because of you the metal fan and audience that we are able to continue putting out Manilla Road music and we wish to thank you all from the depth of our hearts. It is a dream come true for me to be able to play music for a living and to have such undying support from great people like yourselves. Thank you all so very much for the support and may all your lives be blessed with success. Up The Hammers & Down The Nails

Kamil Janik & Leszek Wojnicz-Sianożęcki