Tarkus the monster:
Giant mechanical armadillo tank of death, the subject of Emerson, Lake and Palmer's second album (by the name Tarkus) and its 20 minute title track.
Apparently Tarkus (the armadillo) was born in a volcanic eruption, as depicted in the album booklet paintings and by the name of the first part of the song Tarkus, "Eruption." Tarkus proceeds to fight and destroy, in order, a weird rock-looking thing (the lyrics do not shed light on this matter so I think the artist made it up), a mechanical pteranodon, and what looks like a metal trilobite with mantis's legs.
Tarkus then fights a manticore, a mythical monster mispainted as having the body and head of a lion but with a scorpion's tail.
This monster fights Tarkus and, from what we see in a close up, slits Tarkus's eye with its poisonous tail.
Tarkus then retreats, with its eye bleeding somewhat profusely for a machine, into the ocean.
The lyrics of some parts of the track written "about" Tarkus seem loosely related to a struggle with the Catholic Church as well.
Tarkus the album:
As stated above, Emerson, Lake and Palmer's second album, which was released in 1971.
Track Listing:
1. TARKUS Total Time 20:35
a) Eruption 2:43
b) Stones Of Years 3:44
c) Iconoclast 1:15
d) Mass 3:11
e) Manticore 1:52
f) Battlefield 3:51
g) Aquatarkus 3:59
2. JEREMY BENDER 1:46
3. BITCHES CRYSTAL 3:55
4. THE ONLY WAY (Hymn) 3:48
5. INFINITE SPACE (Conclusion) 3:18
6. A TIME AND A PLACE 2:57
7. ARE YOU READY EDDY? 2:10