Manilla Road
The Blessed Curse

Mark Shelton is one of those figures in the metal world that almost no one knows about but who have contributed significantly to the genre without ever receiving full credit for their merits. A solitary figure in the world of raw, "basement" metal, completely indifferent to success, catchy melodies, and music for the masses. No album by Manilla Road, and thus by Mark Shelton, has ever been conceived and produced to appeal beyond the narrow group of fans who have been following the American band for almost 40 years. Just listen to the sounds and recordings of their latest works to realize the conceptual remoteness of Manilla from the mannerisms of our times. Riding on the long wave of this almost visceral approach to music, the Wichita group has released a new album, the sixteenth of their career ("The Circus Maximus" remains wrongly attributed to Manilla Road).

With a studio career spanning thirty years and a history as long as the epics that inspire their music, asking anything else from Manilla Road is unthinkable. Their formula remains the same: classic-style epic metal, with influences ranging from American speed thrash to seventies psychedelia, especially with their more recent works ("Voyager" is an example). The new "The Blessed Curse" encompasses these spirits: a double CD that includes both the more gritty and old-style side of the combo, as well as the more reflective and acoustic side represented by the second CD.

The well-tested formula cannot do without the voices of Shelton and Bryan Patrick, who have been sharing the microphone work for years, though the uniformity of their nasal tones makes it seem like the same voice is always being heard. As expected, the album demonstrates both their class and the inevitable passage of time. On one hand, there are definitely noteworthy tracks; on the other, there is the lingering sensation of "déjà vu," an inevitable flaw when one has been on the scene for decades. Anonymous heavy episodes like "Kings Of Invention" and "Reign Of Dreams" are flanked by others like "Tomes Of Clay", with a clear Maiden influence and a strongly oriental rhythm. It's one of the most intriguing and successful pieces by Manilla Road in recent times. "Falling" clearly manifests the influence of '70s hard rock on Shelton, an element also traceable in the guitar solos. "The Muses Kiss" fits into this groove and is the track that closes the first disc, hypothetically easing the atmosphere in anticipation of the second acoustic chapter. Except for the two frankly negligible versions of the long (and old) "All Hallows Eve", disc 2 is the most interesting and, in some ways, almost more congenial to the recent years of Manilla Road. "Life Goes On" is the stylistic and emotional summation of this new acoustic world of Shelton, and it is no coincidence that the band leader himself has planned the release of an acoustic CD with his side project Obsidian Dreams.

"The Blessed Curse" is yet another episode of a cult band in the metallic underground. A reality almost self-destructive in remaining confined to a musical limbo that has made them beloved by a few devotees, despite the undisputed quality, especially of the early part of their career. An album that continues along the lines of their history, not shifting the balance, but besides reconfirming a band in form, it opens possible new horizons on the further blend between electric and acoustic parts. An exciting future for one of the longest-lived and most authentic entities in the history of heavy metal.

Three and a half stars.

Disc One
1. "The Blessed Curse" (4:48)
2. "Truth In The Ash" (3:17)
3. "Tomes Of Clay" (8:12)
4. "The Dead Still Speak" (3:33)
5. "Falling" (4:43)
6. "Kings Of Invention" (3:18)
7. "Reign Of Dreams" (4:36)
8. "Luxiferia's Light" (4:45)
9. "Sword Of Hate" (3:59)
10. "The Muses Kiss" (6:44)

Disc Two
1. "After The Muse" (5:28)
2. "Life Goes On" (8:27)
3. "All Hallows Eve (1981 Rehearsal)" (10:41)
4. "In Search Of The Lost Chord" (3:50)
5. "Reach" (7:05)
6. "All Hallows Eve 2014" (15:06)