Manilla Road
Spiral Castle

The album in question is decidedly more convincing than its predecessor; that Atlantis Rising that made epic metal enthusiasts across the globe shout for a miracle, but also made more intransigent fans raise an eyebrow, despite the conceptual level still being very high (a fantasy-mythological concept that mixed Norse mythology, the Cthulhu cycle, and the myth of Atlantis in a rather logical manner); but something was amiss from the songwriting perspective: a makeshift line-up (sound technician Hellroadie was forced to improvise as a drummer), which made the rhythmic parts too sparse, making one miss the executive technicality of the records belonging to the band’s golden period (1985 - 1990).

With Spiral Castle, it's a completely different story: the production is decidedly better: the sounds remain raw, resonant, and even if the guitars don't screech like in the previous work, the vocal parts (which in Atlantis Rising were too sacrificed by the explosive sound wall built by the riffs) finally come back to the forefront, making the songs more evocative. Behind the drums, we have Scott Peters, (in his only studio performance with the band) who manages to bring back the powerful and thunderous drumming, almost like in the old days.

The atmosphere is very close to the works of the '80s (particularly to Open the Gates and Mystification), but the compositions are more sophisticated and imbued with prog and psychedelic nuances. Even Shelton seems to have returned to his old self. We realize this right from the first verses of the title track, where his technical and recited singing makes everything more magical. Some growl incursions (or at least a very similar tone) in the intro of Merchants of Death, a powerful heavy-doom track (a sound that anyway smears the entire album), with a psychedelic interlude with an almost "Pink Floydian" aftertaste. Excellent also is the dreamy Seventh Trumpets and the oriental-tinged Born Upol the Soul (splendid instrumentals).

A short but intense album. Thirty-five minutes of pure epic metal, which returns to being technical and cerebral (especially in the guitar parts: listen to believe). However, noteworthy is a somewhat subdued performance by Bryan Patrick on vocals (who from this point on will support Shelton both in the studio and live). But in this case, the Shelton - Patrick duets do not always work due to the still raw voice of the new singer. A flaw that nonetheless will be destined to fade, listen after listen.

Federico "Dragonstar" Passarella.