Manilla Road - Crystal Logic

Guest review by Richard Street-Jammer.


Four albums into their career, only three of which had been released, and Manilla Road's sound was finally established. They'd etched away still more of the prog rock influences of their debut, but they kept the prog rock ambitions and sense of scale. Then and now, they had few peers in style, and fewer still in quality.

Crystal Logic opens with a minute and a half track of narration, and then the band rips into their best song, "Necropolis." It's a compact song, up tempo and to the point, with just a few riffs, a huge chorus, and a mid song tempo shift and guitar solo.

"Feeling Free Again" is another demonstration of the band's ability to write a killer three minute-ish tune. It's a playful celebration of being in love. Hop in your car, put the windows down, crank the stereo, and serenade your lover with the song while driving too fast. Trust me, it'll make sense.

Photos by Distortionplus.

The title track starts off as fast as "Feeling Free..." and "Necropolis," but it soon settles into Manilla Road's trademark groove. Elsewhere, it's business as usual for Manilla Road, but the business is stronger than ever. Manilla Road gets tagged as "epic metal," and no wonder: their core sound is expansive, but they're here to tell you a story, to make a point. Meandering serves them no purpose.

"The Ram," "The Riddle Master," and "The Veils of Negative Existence" live up to the epic metal tag. The riffs are a study in almost: almost hard rock, but too slow. Almost doom, but cut with too much speed. Almost progressive, but too direct and too forceful, and always excellent. "Dreams of Eschaton" lives up to its name, offering a foreboding series of riffs while Mark Shelton narrates the apocalypse.

Underneath the riffing, the rhythm section is adroit and nimble. Shelton's guitar solos belie his age at the time of recording. Send him forward in time, park him in front of a laptop cam, and he'd be a YouTube hotshot playing lead for a tech death outfit.

Photo by Distortionplus.

The Shadow Kingdom reissue features an extra track, "Flaming Metal System," that was originally released on a compilation album in the '80s. Other than some deranged vocals from Shelton, it fits right in with the album proper.

Thirty years and twelve albums later, Manilla Road still haven't topped Crystal Logic. They've only come close, perhaps because Crystal Logic is just that good. Perhaps it is something else? Perhaps it is age. Rare are the things that get better with age; number Crystal Logic among them.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

Corsair - Corsair

Artwork by Marie Landragin from Corsair.

Corsair's self-titled and self-released debut is available on the Shadow Kingdom Records Bandcamp, in preparation for a re-release early next year. This is a mix of Thin Lizzy style heavy metal and progressive rock; and a perfect fit for Shadown Kingdom Records with the labels love of Heavy Rock and early Heavy Metal from the 70's.

And yeah, Corsair does have a 70's vibe, but it is by no means a retro album. The songwriting is complex, yet grounded; the songs are filled to the brims with catchy melodies and riffs. Singing is clean and soulful (and shared by three members of the band, each with their own distinct style). My favorite part is the heartfelt rendition of these lyrics from Falconer

From inside and within these walls
through the window its all right, its alright
But outside and on the streets
It's all a mess, it's all a mess

The twin guitar work of Corsair is a real highlight. Smooth harmonizing, and lots of little fills and interesting melodic leads throughout the album. As this review from Metal Review states You’d have to be pretty black and cold inside if you can listen to this without your hands placed in front of you on an imaginary guitar. Also check out The Obelisk's pretty detailed interview with bassist Jordan Brunk.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

Note: I'm linking to the Shadow Kingdom Records Bandcamp because that's where I learned about Corsair. The album is also available, two dollars cheaper, on the bands own Bandcamp.

Pagan Altar - The Time Lord

Guest review by Eric Yanyo from Valley of Steel.


Shadow Kingdom Records has re-released The Time Lord, a long-out-of-print EP by NWOBHM stalwarts Pagan Altar. This is a collection of old demo recordings — some dating back to the band’s beginnings in the late 70s. Considering the fact that the five songs here were not intended to be officially released, the sound quality is pretty decent -- in this remastered version, I'd say The Time Lord could stand alongside records of many of the band's contemporaries without suffering from the comparison.

These songs definitely represent the band's niche in metal history, spanning from the hard rock "proto-metal" years through the inception of doom metal and beyond. Shades of early British metal influences such as Deep Purple are very prevalent here, especially on the first couple songs, but Pagan Altar also incorporate some sounds traditionally associated with American southern hard rock -- in particular, the title track seems to recall some of the long-form guitar jams of Molly Hatchet or the Allman Brothers Band.

With "Judgement of the Dead" and subsequent tracks, the band really seem to have found their voice in the early doom metal style -- full of Sabbath-esque riffing, along the lines of the kind of stuff Pentagram were doing at the time.

The Time Lord offers a fascinating snapshot into the history of a band that has been wrongfully overlooked for far too long, as well as encapsulating the evolution of the NWOBHM into doom metal. Fans of these styles will definitely want to pick up a copy, and be sure to keep an eye on Shadow Kingdom too, as I've heard whispers that there might be reissues or repressings of other Pagan Altar material on the horizon as well!

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

Sinister Realm - The Crystal Eye

Sinister Realm's The Crystal Eye from 2011 is available on the newly opened Shadow Kingdom Records Bandcamp. This is traditional Heavy Metal with a doom influence and a few progressive touches. This is also amazingly well crafted and fresh sounding metal; as Cosmo Lee from Invisible Oranges put it

An old feeling returns, one I haven’t felt in a while. Strong riffs, strong solos, strong vocals, strong backs: strong metal

The production is a perfect. It is clear, modern but not sterile, and captures that vintage Heavy Metal sound. This enthusiastic rundown of some of the tracks by Steel Druhm from Angry Metal Guy gives a great feel for the album:

“Wings of Vengeance” Memorable, rocking , NWOBHM-influenced riffs, pounding drums and the outstanding, extra manly vocal delivery of Alex Kristof ... two more fist pumping, barbarian fighting classics (“Swords Held High” and “Signal the Earth”) and a foray into tough, unflinching doom metal (“Shroud of Misery”) ... their big, epic number ”The Tower is Burning.” Its like a poor man’s Stargazer mixed with Heaven and Hell. Its a huge song with a lot of varied moods and amazingly powerful, pure metal moments.

Here's a review of The Crystal Eye from Doommantia, and a interview with Sinister Realm from Invisible Oranges.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]