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Rating: For some it is the beginning of the end, for others it is just a "different" chapter in Manilla Road's metal career. As always in these cases, the truth lies somewhere in between.
Influenced by the thrash movement that was raging across the states in those years, Mark Shelton and his bandmates were inevitably infected by it, and "Out of the Abyss" represents the indissoluble union between the healthy and rough epic metal of their beginnings and the thrash/speed that was spreading in the metal scene. The union of these two musical currents resulted in the band's seventh studio album, largely inspired by the horror stories of authors like Lovecraft and Clive Barker, released after the only live album recorded by the group from Wichita, Roadkill.
Following the excellent critical success achieved with the four previous masterpieces (Crystal Logic, Open the Gates, The Deluge, and Mystification), the group led by Mark Shelton found themselves in the difficult situation of having to confirm the good work done in the past, while at the same time innovating without revolutionizing their musical proposal. The result is Out of the Abyss. An album in some ways "new" but certainly anchored to the band's way of making metal: sharp riffs, drums and bass in the foreground, epic compositions with pathos at industrial levels. But the real innovation (if it can be called that) lies not so much in the basic characteristics of Manilla Road, but in the sound itself of this work. Already with "Mystification," the first signs of sound heaviness had appeared, and its faithful continuation is present in "Out of the Abyss," an unhealthy and violent work, both in music and lyrics.
The testament of this "new" Manilla face is the schizophrenic metallic bullet "Whitechapel", which tells us about the massacres perpetrated by the famous Jack the Ripper. In the over seven minutes of the song, we have the stylistic display of the band's "modified" heavy metal. An intense rhythm, with Randy Foxe on drums dominating one of the highlights of the album. Almost as if to show us all their renewed power, the band fires two more pure metal songs at one hundred percent with the subsequent "Rites of Blood" and "Out of the Abyss", the latter with a malevolent chorus.
This very tendency towards thrash is the album's real weak point. If indeed it represents a kind of innovation compared to previous platters, Shelton has overdone it, making the songs all quite similar to each other, despite more personal episodes like the splendid "Return of the Old Ones" with psychedelic reminiscences typical of the album "Metal," released in 1982.
Out of the Abyss, released when Metallica gave birth to "And Justice for All," is the first stumble with which the perfect Manilla Road machine began to falter. Additionally, precisely because of his performance behind the microphone, problems with Shelton's voice began, forcing him to abandon the role of singer in the future.
A small blemish for a cult band, which is to be considered one of the few classic metal groups to keep the flag of heavy high.
1. "Whitechapel" (7:16)
2. "Rites Of Blood" (4:17)
3. "Out Of The Abyss" (3:25)
4. "Return Of The Old Ones" (6:21)
5. "Black Cauldron" (2:57)
6. "Midnight Meat Train" (3:01)
7. "War In Heaven" (4:57)
8. "Slaughterhouse" (3:40)
9. "Helicon" (6:39)
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By Hellring
What might seem like a weak point, namely the poor recording, in my opinion, is the platter’s extra weapon because it gives a "crazy" and "epic" aura, creating that halo of mystery that in an album of this genre is absolutely necessary.
"Valley Of Unrest" presents itself as fast, raw, and absolutely aggressive, "enriched" by the recording that makes it "primordial."
