Album Review: Manilla Road - Spiral Castle / The Courts of Chaos
Reviewed by Paul Hutchings
August 2018 saw the end of the (Manilla) Road. The band, formed in 1977 in Wichita, Kansas, finally hit the brakes when founder member Mark ‘The Shark’ Shelton died of a heart attack the day after playing at the Headbangers Open Air gig in Germany. The band, who had released the solid ‘To Kill A King’ album the year before, had changed guise many times over the four plus decades, with Shelton the constant figure in every line up.
High Roller Records curious decision to reissue some of Manilla Road’s back catalogue will hopefully provide vinyl delights for the hardcore and entice the curious to explore and discover one of the true undervalued heavyweights of the classic heavy metal genre.
‘Spiral Castle’ is an underrated album. 52 minutes of ferocious metal, with Shelton’s huge riffs, the blistering power, and the indulgent showcasing. It’s a throwback to a time when classic metal wouldn’t have been given a look in … and yet Manilla Road didn’t give a fig. Surrounded by the Nu Metal explosion, ‘Spiral Castle’ would have been low down on the end of year lists. And despite that, the musicianship is first class. One listen to the ten-minute muscular workout of ‘Merchants of Death’, featuring Shelton’s exquisite guitar work and you should be hooked.
The history of the album links much of the writing to the mid-90s, way before vocalist Bryan Patrick has joined the band. It wasn’t until 2002, following more jiggling of the line-up and the Cthulhu drenched concept ‘Atlantis Rising’, that ‘Spiral Castle’ emerged with Scott Peters and Mark Anderson completing the line-up. It may not be on a par with the seminal ‘Crystal Logic’ or ‘Out of the Abyss’, but ‘Spiral Castle’ has some wonderful songs. From the drama of the intro ‘Gateway to the Sphere’ via the measured ‘Seven Trumpets’ and the smouldering Eastern flavoured ‘Born Upon the Soul’, there’s ample to enjoy within the 52 minutes of music.
‘The Courts of Chaos’ was originally released in 1990 and featured Shelton alongside drummer Randy Foxe and bassist Scott Park. The band’s last release for Black Dragon, with whom they had an acrimonious relationship, it was also the last before the band split in 1991.
‘Road to Chaos’ opens the release, and it doesn’t bode well. An electro pulse and synth dominate for the first couple of minutes but thankfully the metal thrusts forward with some searing guitar work before the band launch into ‘Dig Me No Grave’, a curled fist of defiance. The keyboards are noticeable throughout, and unfortunately their presence at times distracts from the fiery metal which the band had become known for in the previous decade. ‘The Courts of Chaos’ one of Manilla Road’s weaker efforts. ‘D.O.A’ ranges between epic and ghastly, the keyboards an addition that either add atmosphere or spoil the song. It’s a cover, the only one the band have ever recorded.
I think it’s the deviation from their more straightforward metal approach that causes the consternation on ‘The Courts of Chaos’. ‘Into the Courts of Chaos’ is a hybrid beast, blending elements of Manowar with Magnum in a rather uncomfortable amalgamation.
It’s when the band get back to their more tried and trusted battering ram approach, such as on ‘(Vlad) The Impaler’ that things improve.
1990 was a challenging time for a band such as Manilla Road. Shelton commented in an interview about the time. “Our releases were not selling as well as they had years before and it seemed like metal in general was having a hard time surviving the times that followed the conversion to CD technology.” On top of that, Manilla Road wasn’t a happy place. Shelton again. “The Courts of Chaos was a tough album to get done because the atmosphere within the band was tense, to say the least”.
But there are flashes of what made the band great within this album. The complex compositions and Shelton’s fantastical narratives remain as enthralling today as they did then. It may be a strange duo to reissue, but there is ample within both albums to enjoy, and these are both records that can hold their heads high. Hail!
