...SIŁA I PIĘKNO MUZYKI TKWIĄ W JEJ RÓŻNORODNOŚCI..


..::OPIS::..

Płyta 'The Deluge' wniosła sporo progresywnych elementów do epickiego stylu Manilli. Utwory stały się bardziej wielowątkowe, wielowarstwowe i bardziej rozbudowane, choć nie brakuje również krótkich i szybkich killerów, jak fantastyczne "Dementia" czy "Divine Victim". Wielu ludzi uważa tę właśnie płytę za najlepszą w dorobku Manilla Road, podobnie zresztą jak sam Mark. Wśród wszystkich utworów, na szczególną uwagę zasługuje wg mnie utwór tytułowy. To najdłuższy, najbardziej epicki i najbardziej rozbudowany kawałek. Łączy w sobie spokój i nastrojowość z ciężarem i potęgą. Genialny, monumentalny, balladowy początek, jeszcze bardziej genialne rozwinięcie, gdy zaczyna się "część właściwa". Mark w tym utworze pokazuje słuchaczowi cały swój kunszt wokalny mimo problemów z gardłem. Paleta barw jego głosu jest tak szeroka, że aż zdumiewająca. Bez żadnych problemów przechodzi od delikatnego, słodkiego zawodzenia, do mocnego śpiewu, w którym wspaniale "podnosi" swój głos. Jak dla mnie, utwór tytułowy jest zdecydowanie najwspanialszy z całej płyty. Prawdziwie epicki hymn z łagodnym początkiem, mocnym rozwinięciem i znów spokojnym zakończeniem, w którym słyszymy także szum morskich fal.

Wcale mnie to nie dziwi, bo o ile pierwsza część płyty to zwyczajnie zbiór utworów, to druga jej część jest opowieścią o potopie, zresztą taka tematyka zawsze strasznie Marka interesowała. Jak sam mówi, pociąga go wszystko to, co ukryte, niedostępne dla ludzi czy to pod wodą, czy pod powierzchnią ziemi. Wiąże się to między innymi z fascynacji najstarszą historią świata, gdy życie na Ziemi się tworzyło i ewoluowało przez wieki.

Paweł 'Atreju' Kowalewski


I’m just gonna preface this by saying that The Deluge is my absolute favourite Manilla Road album, and Manilla Road is my favourite band of all time, so it makes sense that this would be my favourite album of all time. The Deluge is something really special. It sounds like nothing this band ever recorded before or since. You can find at least some influence from older albums in each subsequent album; but this one is very much a lightning in a bottle type of album. And I think I know why. This whole thing, I can guarantee you, was both written and recorded on psychedelics. Even if Mark himself didn’t confirm that, which he did, I would 100% believe it and put money on it too. There’s just no way something this pure and magikal could have been written with a clear mind.

The album begins with a light howl, telling of what’s to come, before smashing your skull in with the beginning of Dementia. This opening track is something special. It’s concise, as is the album, but in its 3 minute runtime, totally demolishes your brain. It’s chaotic, especially in the drumming. Randy Foxe’s drumlines are always a bit ludicrous, but when you put that man on acid and give him a ripping track like this to work with, he’s gonna lay down some of the most insane drum tracks you’ve ever heard. They’re so preposterous that not even future drummer Neudi could play the song live, the only times they did were when Randy himself guested! This whole album is a masterclass of battery, every drummer who ever lived, is living or will ever live should listen to this song at least and even just attempt to play some of the shit that’s on it. The song also foreshadows later themes and stories on the album.

“Can’t seem to find the key….”

Shadow in the Black is the most elegant nonsense you’ll ever hear. I love reading the lyrics to this song on the insert, because the most random shit is capitalised for seemingly no reason.

“Here inside The Maze.. Trinity of Flame …
… Until The Dead rise from The Sea…”

The song itself though? It almost feels like two separate pieces. It’s on the longer side, over 5 minutes, but the sorrowful intro piece into the thrashy frenetic blast of sound are almost too different to be on the same track. The whiplash one gets listening to this song for the first time is like no other. This, alongside Road of Kings was the song that really got me into the band, I had never heard anything like it and all I wanted was more.

The next two songs, Divine Victim and Hammer of the Witches, thematically make no sense on this album, but I love them both anyway. They’re the only two songs that were ever really played live, and Hammer was only played because of the iconic quadrilogy: “Masque of the Red Death by the Hammer of the Witches’ Brew!!!!!”. Divine Victim is all about Joan of Arc, and is pretty upbeat and high energy by this album’s standards. It's also the least technically intensive, which is a testament to the pure power of The Deluge as a whole. Hammer of the Witches is a mid-paced beater with the ultimate earworm riff. Seriously, can you think of a better example of a short, simple, catchy riff? Maybe ‘D.Y.T.W.A.C.’ or ‘Medusa’, but neither of them have such a powerful bass backing them up. Scott Park absolutely kills it on this album, and he’s placed perfectly in the mix to give every note a little extra punch.

Morbid Tabernacle may be just an interlude to some, but to me it ties together the last two songs perfectly. It’s an organ, traditionally an instrument associated with the Church and Christianity, playing a tritone and just coming after a song about elden Christian evil. How perfect could it be? It’s even more punishing when I play it from my vinyl copy of the album, since it absolutely blares through the speakers louder than anything else and makes its presence known in your mind. You don’t forget about this mere interlude easily.

Isle of the Dead is a short but intense track to round off side A, and a pretty fun one lyrically. Blasphemous sailors are forever cursed to wind up at the Island Gate to Hell.. where living dead still walk the land… I love this stuff. It pairs excellently with Taken by Storm, which is why I wish this was on Side B so they could transition cleanly on the record… but it’s no big deal. Taken by Storm has some powerful basslines that give us the entry point into the crown jewel of this album, the title track The Deluge.

Would I say The Deluge is my favourite Manilla Road song? I don’t think I could even pick a favourite. Tree of Life, The Books of Skelos, Veils of Negative Existence, The Empire, Mark of the Beast, Venusian Sea, To Kill a King, Reign of Dreams, they’re all quite close. This really is a masterwork, though. Every second, from the beautiful yet somber intro in The Eye of the Sea to the majestic soloing and crushing riffs in The Drowned Lands to the melancholic chimes of the Engulfed Cathedral, the whole experience is a mystical epic of Atlantean mystery, and I love every second of it. This is an essential song in truly understanding what makes this band tick.

Friction in Mass rounds the album out with another quite long track, full of Manillan acid jargon.

“Oh, can’t you tell… The Magik is inside The Well…”

There it is again. The Well. You can’t go one album without mentioning the Well. What is it? Who knows. It must be holy. I’m very proud of the fact that I know the lyrics to this song off by heart, it’s a very weird and confusing song but I love it to bits. It’s also quite thrashy, arguably the most on the album, and it would feel right at home on Out of the Abyss or Mystification. The best part, though, is the spoken word segment in the middle. I’ve found myself listening to this album on long walks at night, and when this part comes on I just lose it in my head. Seriously, this evokes some serious emotion in me. This whole album does.

The Deluge is such a unique album, even by Manilla Road’s standards, where every album sounds extremely distinct. This sets the standard for all metal that goes on to release after it. It’s elegant, poignant, with a sprinkle of divinity and mystery, it’s all the fancy adjectives I love to throw around. If this album doesn’t get you invested in this band, then you probably shouldn’t even bother with them. This is Manilla Road at their absolute peak (of LSD use) and it should be heralded as nothing less than perfection.

MasterOfTheNight


The Manilla Road is long and triumphant. It spans forty years and eighteen studio albums. It’s a glorious one, with few blemishes and high point after high point. I’ve spent a lot of time listening to and reflecting on Manilla Road’s expansive discography since Mark “The Shark” Shelton passed away. Manilla Road’s catalogue is virtually unmatched, with very few bands getting anywhere close to their level of quality, consistency, and volume. Even with a discography as mighty as it is massive, one album stands out to me amongst the rest – The Deluge.

Manilla Road utilize a mix of US power, traditional metal, doom metal, and at times even thrash metal over long and loose song structures to create massive sounscapes. The Deluge represents the culmination and perfection of Manilla Road’s signature epic heavy metal style. Everything that is quintessentially Manilla Road is present here and out in full force.

From the aggressive “Hammer of the Witches” to the epic “Friction in Mass”, Manilla Road show off their superb songwriting capabilities. Mark Shelton was extremely talented at guitar and it showed in his music. The Deluge demonstrates this talent remarkably well – the riffs are unforgettable and incredibly varied. Randy Foxe’s drums are full and organic, helping to compliment Mark’s signature guitar tone. His drumming is impeccable and as aggressive as it possibly gets in the traditional vein of metal. With Scooter right beside him, they form an unstoppable duo of drum and bass that drive the music like no other.

The production on The Deluge is so incredibly raw and 80s that it would have hurt almost any other band. However in this case, it only lends to the Road’s mystical and arcane style of epic heavy metal. A more polished production would have taken away from Manilla Road’s unique sound. Shelton’s distinct “sorcerer guiding you through a dangerous journey” vocals are more suited to this style of production.

The Deluge has the most effective layout of any Manilla Road record. The album starts with several shorter and more aggressive tracks which are followed by two massive epics. The Deluge then closes off with a blistering fast instrumental that shows off Mark’s innate ability to write guitar solos. There’s an incredible array of variety found among the songs and I’ve never found myself bored listening to this record. With a little under forty minutes of material, Mark and co. waste absolutely no time delivering this variety.

Mark Shelton’s immense dedication to heavy metal can never be overstated. He wrote and performed music relentlessly with Manilla Road for over four decades. With his death, metal lost one of its most valiant stalwarts and an invaluable member of the community. Mark’s unwavering dedication to music is what made Manilla Road as great as they are. To me, The Deluge is his crowning achievement – a monolithic slab of epic heavy metal that stands nearly unrivaled.

Rest in power Mark “The Shark” Shelton – you were as good as they come.

Marcohateshipsters



..::TRACK-LIST::..

1. Dementia 3:09
2. Shadow In The Black 5:25
3. Divine Victim 3:11
4. Hammer Of The Witches 2:44
5. Morbid Tabernacle (Performer - Mike Metz) 1:53
6. Isle Of The Dead 2:53
7. Taken By Storm 3:19
8. The Deluge (8:22)
- Eye Of The Sea
- The Drowned Lands
- Engulfed Cathedral
9. Friction In Mass 6:32
10. Rest In Pieces 1:49


Bonus Tracks:
11. The Deluge (4-Track Pre-Production, Mixed 2015) 8:29
Mixed By [4-Track-Reel Mixed], Mastered By [4-Track-Reel Mastered By] - Neudi
Recorded By [Originally Recorded By] - Jay Merhoff, Max

12. Shadow In The Black (4-Track Pre-Production) 5:49
Recorded By [Originally Recorded By] - Jay Merhoff, Max
Transferred By [Tape Transfer By] - Tom Bartels

13. Friction In Mass (Live 1987) 7:04
Restoration [Restored By] - Neudi

14. Divine Victim (Live 2011) 3:16
Mixed By, Mastered By - Neudi

15. Hammer Of The Witches (Live 2014) 2:45
Mixed By, Mastered By - Neudi

16. The Deluge (Pre-Production, Randy Foxe Only) 8:31



..::OBSADA::..

Mark Shelton - lead vocals, guitars
Scott Park - bass
Randy Foxe - drums and percussion, backing vocals, synthesizer



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-thqF5DYII


SEED 15:00-22:00.
POLECAM!!!