Year : 2024
Style : Heavy Metal
Country : United States , Germany
Audio : 320 kbps + front
Size : 125 mb
Bio:
Heavy Metal band from United States / Germany formed in 2019.Sentry was formed from the brotherhood and camaraderie of that tribute show in 2019. This band would not exist without Mark, so of course in a way you can classify it as a tribute to him. Lyrically you’ll pick up on many tributes you could say are ‘for or to’ Mark. We think he would like this LP but we are absolutely not trying to write music ’for Mark’ or ‘for Manilla fans’. We are doing it because we think we can create something new within the structure of this band that interests metal fans, and that includes Manilla fans! I think each member has contributed to the new LP in ways that we haven’t contributed to other recordings. We are mindful of respecting where we came from and how we got here but it happened naturally and organically. We never formed the band to ‘make a tribute’ to Mark. We were lucky enough to do that at Keep It True 2019.
Album:
Comprised of the surviving three members of Manilla Road at the time of creator and longtime frontman Mark Shelton's passing, Sentry attempts to carry Shelton's flame forward in the most respectful way possible, channeling Mark's unforgettable and inimitable energy as best they can. This quartet is most notable for being fronted by Bryan "Hellroadie" Patrick, who had been a part of Manilla Road in some way since he was a teenager in the mid-1980s, and playing the role of frontman and vocalist since at least 2000 for the band's live shows and taking the reins on many of the studio tracks as far back as 2002's Spiral Castle. This provides a sense of continuity for fans of Manilla Road's later albums, as Patrick's voice is a familiar one for them. Drummer Andreas "Neudi" Neuderth was also a relative veteran of the band, having joined them live in 2011 and played on the band's last three full-lengths. I had the honor of seeing both Hellroadie and Neudi perform when I saw the band perform in Baltimore in 2014, the sole live show I saw from Manilla Road, and it was well worth it. I was able to speak to both Shark and Hellroadie before the show, and that memory will be an important one for me for the rest of my life, as that was one of the most unforgettable nights I have ever experienced.While bassist Phil Ross had only been with Manilla Road for a couple of years, and only appeared on the band's final album, To Kill A King, he still carries on the band's legacy faithfully and as an integral part of this lineup. Rounding out Sentry's lineup is guitarist Kalli Coldsmith, a veteran of the classic metal scene who has joined Neuderth in multiple projects such as Jameson Raid and Masters of Disguise. While I'm not intimately familiar with his work prior to this, he does a fantastic job here and, while obviously not a shoe-filler for Shelton in any way (nor, as I wish to make clear, was there any attempt from him or others here to be), he is more than successful in crafting a sound here that is at once reminiscent of Manilla Road in some ways and still totally original in others, creating a brand-new sound for Sentry to build on going forward.Okay, so what does it sound like, exactly, beyond being vaguely similar to Manilla Road? Specifically, I think this album hearkens most closely to the plodding heaviness yet catchy sensibility of a record like 2005's Gates of Fire, while adding in a bit more of a traditional 80s metal sound, particularly in the soloing, which is perhaps the most noticeable departure from Shelton's signature wizardry, as well as possessing a definite doom influence in much of the riffing. This doom influence is different from what Manilla Road fans might be used to from Crystal Logic or Spiral Castle, which drew particularly from Black Sabbath, sometimes including the jammier side of Sabbath's 70s output, whereas here were given a more arcane yet crushing brand of doom along the lines of Candlemass (which the band really wears on its sleeve, as evidenced by the Candlemass cover which is featured as a bonus track).While most of the album resides on the slower, more somber side of things, an appropriate tone considering it's meant in part to pay homage to Shelton's passing and influence, as evidenced by the album cover, which shows a raven - signifying Shelton's lifelong love for Edgar Allan Poe - atop a skull, there is one notable exception in the middle of the album. The fifth track, "Awakening," features an insane thrash riff that wouldn't sound out of place on Manilla Road's late 80s output, perhaps on The Courts of Chaos, making me think particularly of the track "From Beyond." To be honest, this is probably my favorite track here, as its relentless, savage energy is infectious and leaves me banging my head for its entire duration.Otherwise, there's not a whole lot of stylistic variety here, though that's not to say that the album is so one-dimensional as to make it repetitive or unenjoyable, as the songwriting quality is definitely here, as is the passion, leaving no real filler, though I do feel some tracks have fairly sparse instrumentation and could be improved with a few more ideas. However, it's hardly a major flaw, particularly given it's the project's first full release, and in that context this is truly impressive, and I can say with confidence it's something that Shelton would be more than proud of if he could see the kind of inspiration his legacy produced (not that he didn't see plenty of it from other bands influenced by Manilla Road while he was still alive, but of course this is particularly special, given it comes directly from Hellroadie and co.).In fact, Hellroadie particularly is on fire here, in what I believe is his first full album handling lead vocals across every track. His continued power and range into his 50s is impressive, especially given that Shelton himself had handed off a lot of the more demanding vocal duties before he himself got to that age. Honestly, Hellroadie sounds as good as he ever has, with little if anything distinguishing the technical aspects of his performance from albums that are 20+ years old at this point, and of course his fire and energy are still here in spades, as I'm sure his desire to do Shelton proud drives his delivery here (as it does the other band members' as well, of course). There are also direct references to Shelton and Manilla Road in the lyrics, and while I won't get into all of them, the first track in particular is noteworthy. Lines like "The wizard cast - he cast his last spells / Only the chosen ones drink from the well" and "Magik from the book - Is all this left behind" are direct references to Shelton's final output from Manilla Road, and the rest of the band's attempt to draw on the inspiration he left them."Funeral" is also a notable track lyrically and thematically, as it's truly a proper sendoff for Shelton, saying that "The last day has come now for you my old friend," and the third verse could not be any clearer, as Hellroadie eulogizes Shelton indelibly with the lines "It's taken a lifetime to bring us all here / Igniting the torches releasing your fears / Your legacy's present, a hero's goodbye". In fact, the acoustic lead work between the second and third verses even sound quite a bit like Shelton's style, and the whole song reminds me of Manilla Road's "Epitaph to the King" in a strong way (fitting as I compared the style here earlier to Gates of Fire), as a heartfelt acoustic sendoff to someone truly great.Everything about this album has Shelton's fingerprints all over it, and this is one of the most respectfully earnest and genuine tributes to the man's four decades of eternally remembered entries into the epic metal annals that I could have envisioned. While it may not be the most polished or technically astounding albums of all time, that's not what it was trying to accomplish here, and it more than achieved what it set out to do in providing a torch to carry on Shelton's legacy and a shining beacon to burn upon his funeral pyre for all to see. This is high caliber epic heavy/doom metal that will satiate any Manilla Road fan's need for more, and hopefully will serve only as a stepping stone for albums to come from this project, as I can only imagine things becoming tighter and more ambitious as the band continues to find its footing. If you're a fan of anything I've mentioned in the above paragraphs, please check this out as it fills a void that Shelton left upon his passing six years ago now (RIP). Raise your swords, ride into Valhalla with me, and up the hammers as we hear the echoes of what Shelton's legacy has wrought.
Line Up:
Bryan Patrick - Vocals (2019-present) - See also: ex-Manilla Road, ex-Bunch of Bozos, ex-Infernal Noise
Kalli Coldsmith - Guitars (2019-present) - See also: Abandoned, Jameson Raid, Masters of Disguise, ex-Arathorn, ex-Revenant, ex-Silent Decay, Roxxcalibur, ex-Griffin (live), ex-Savage Grace (live), ex-Kalögena
Phil Ross - Bass (2019-present) - See also: Ironsword, Savage Oath, ex-Manilla Road, Cricket Wand
Neudi - Drums (2019-present) - See also: Ironsword, Jameson Raid, Trance, ex-Economist, ex-Manilla Road, ex-Ripping Entrails, ex-Viron, ex-Seduction, ex-Sudden Darkness, Roxxcalibur, ex-Masters of Disguise, ex-Griffin (live), ex-Savage Grace (live), ex-Tempest (live), ex-Excess, ex-Century, ex-G-Point, ex-Giants Causeway, ex-Kokoon, ex-Reptile
Tracklist:
01. Dark Matter 03:38
02. The Haunting 06:57
03. Heavensent 05:28
04. Valkyries (Raise the Hammers) 07:01
05. Awakening 04:46
06. Black Candles 05:46
07. Raven's Night 07:18
08. Funeral 04:43
09. Incarnation of Evil (Candlemass cover) 08:43 (Bonus Track)
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