The tasty stew out of Ashton Clark
In the realm of great yet underrated heavy metal musicians, one finds an analogy to the enigmatic H.P. Lovecraft. Much like the famed author, these musicians dwell in the shadows during the release of their albums, only to ascend to success posthumously or after the dissolution of their bands. However, this comparison excludes the underground Atomic Rooster, which, obscure in the late '60s, plummeted even further into obscurity as all its members found their eternal rest—a paradoxical descent into ultimate underground status. Jesting aside, Mark Shelton of Manilla Road stands out as the epitome of Lovecraftian influence among them. His fusion of psychedelic, progressive rock, and proto-metal from the late '60s to the late '70s, intertwined with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) and the burgeoning extreme metal acts of the early '80s, forged a distinctive heavy metal sound rooted in the heart of Wichita, Kansas. While other bands may delve into the abyss of Ct
