Battle Cry Records
2005
1. Riddle Of Steel
2. Behind The Veil
3. When Giants Fall
4. The Fall Of Iliam
5. Imperious Rise
6. Rome
7. Stand Of The Spartans
8. Betrayal
9. Epitaph To The King
Arguably, it's been awhile since Manilla Road has really been relevant. Manilla Road never really garnered all that much mainstream success anyways, but once upon a time in the 80s they did cement themselves with some definite cult favorites. Even that degree of popuality has waned though and you're more likely to hear about how great they were then how great they are. Still, Manilla Road has always forged on, never compromised themselves, and are the poster children for traditional metal unwilling or afraid to advance themselves in any way. There certainly is a small, but fiercely loyal audience for this sort of stuff.
Listening to this one though, I have to be blunt and say I was pretty fucking bored. Like a lot of traditional coming out now days I got the impression of having heard this done better before, but there's more to it than that. These songs are trying way too hard to be true and epic to me. Many of the songs on this album clock in between 7 and nearly 15 minutes and seem like they're in no hurry to get absolutely nowhere. Repetition is the rule of this album and most of this seems like it's just being long for the sake of it. The album itself is 72 minutes in length and I think any sane producer of a larger label would've looked at this, laughed, and trimmed the fat. Somewhere in this is an ok if unspectacular album, but even that's lost in the boredom getting through all the filler. I like this band's early stuff, but this is a mere shadow of it. I'd have to say that this album is completely uninspired and dragged out to the point of being practically unlistenable. Some of the shorter tracks aren't bad and some of the guitar solos are actually pretty impressive, but I can't see myself revisting it as a whole very often if ever.
Highlights: Riddle Of Steel, When Giants Fall
Rating - 2.0/5
2. Behind The Veil
3. When Giants Fall
4. The Fall Of Iliam
5. Imperious Rise
6. Rome
7. Stand Of The Spartans
8. Betrayal
9. Epitaph To The King
Arguably, it's been awhile since Manilla Road has really been relevant. Manilla Road never really garnered all that much mainstream success anyways, but once upon a time in the 80s they did cement themselves with some definite cult favorites. Even that degree of popuality has waned though and you're more likely to hear about how great they were then how great they are. Still, Manilla Road has always forged on, never compromised themselves, and are the poster children for traditional metal unwilling or afraid to advance themselves in any way. There certainly is a small, but fiercely loyal audience for this sort of stuff.
Listening to this one though, I have to be blunt and say I was pretty fucking bored. Like a lot of traditional coming out now days I got the impression of having heard this done better before, but there's more to it than that. These songs are trying way too hard to be true and epic to me. Many of the songs on this album clock in between 7 and nearly 15 minutes and seem like they're in no hurry to get absolutely nowhere. Repetition is the rule of this album and most of this seems like it's just being long for the sake of it. The album itself is 72 minutes in length and I think any sane producer of a larger label would've looked at this, laughed, and trimmed the fat. Somewhere in this is an ok if unspectacular album, but even that's lost in the boredom getting through all the filler. I like this band's early stuff, but this is a mere shadow of it. I'd have to say that this album is completely uninspired and dragged out to the point of being practically unlistenable. Some of the shorter tracks aren't bad and some of the guitar solos are actually pretty impressive, but I can't see myself revisting it as a whole very often if ever.
Highlights: Riddle Of Steel, When Giants Fall
Rating - 2.0/5
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