The next studio album, The Courts of Chaos , was released in 1990

The next studio album, The Courts of Chaos , was released in 1990. The release of the album was unusual in that it was done by both Black Dragon Records, for the European market, and Leviathan Records, for the North American market. The North American release of The Courts of Chaos was also done under the name “Mark Shelton” instead of “Manilla Road” due to the blacklisting of bands signed under Black Dragon Records at the time by North American distributors. The album featured a more “classical” Manilla Road sound and was therefore better received by critics at the time. One point of contention was the use of programmed drum samples by drummer Randy Foxe during production. The Courts of Chaos would end up being the last Manilla Road release to feature both Randy Foxe and Scott Park.