I’m about to review the best [IMHO] album of the absolute Gods, the fathers of epic metal MANILLA ROAD. As you can imagine this is surely anything but an easy task.
The promise given by Mark “The Shark” Shelton and his gang in a song featured in “Metal” called “Cage Of Mirrors” is realized at their 3rd release. An album that should be considered as the definition of epic metal, an album full of classics. Songs like “Necropolis” (anyone that attended MANILLA ROAD‘s first show in Greece back in 2000’s when Mark was screaming “Lost in Acropolis”?), “Crystal Logic”, “The Riddle Master” and of course “Dreams Of Eschaton” warning humanity about committing nuclear suicide and the arrival of the Antichrist, are songs that may be produced only once in a century.
The only weak song of the album is “Feeling Free Again” which is completely out of the whole concept of the album and as Mark later confessed was included after pressure from people outside the band.
The French recording label Black Dragon has originally released the album and it was a bit hard to find some years ago, especially after it went bankrupt. Fortunately for us fans, Iron Glory Records re-released it in CD and picture disc format, including also a bonus track named “Flaming Metal system” that only appeared once before in a compilation.
So, what else should I say? BUY IT, STEAL IT, do whatever you have to do to own it, but missing it, it’s a crime committed against yourself.
