Manilla Road: Open the Gates (1985)

Manilla Road has never received the attention they have deserved.  They remain one of the greatest bands that few have ever heard of.  They are easily one of the most underrated metal bands of all time.  They absolutely deserve to be held up next to groups like Iron Maiden among the legends of the genre.  They also own one of the most consistently great discographies in all of metal.  Simply put, they have never released a bad album.

Open the Gates was the band's fourth album, released two years after the mind-blowing Crystal Logic.  Describing the sound on this album is extremely difficult because Manilla Road is never content to go with just one sound.  The only true descriptive word that encompasses this entire album is epic.  It just feels huge.  And the best example is "The Ninth Wave" which is a slow-burning piece about preparing for warfare with thunderous drums and laidback, yet urgent vocals.  But the band immediately follows up with a fast-paced barn-burner like "Heavy Metal to the World".

I would be remiss if I did a review of a Manilla Road album without mentioning the amazing vocals of Mark Shelton.  Shelton is a terrific singer, whose gravelly voice fits the band's sound like a glove.  He has an impressive range as well, which he shows off in some of the more captivating moments on this release, such as his wailing chorus on "The Fires of Mars" and the insanely infectious "Road of Kings".  Unfortunately, Shelton died last year, and the band with him.

I am not really sure why Manilla Road never became better known.  Perhaps it was geography.  Wichita, Kansas has never been known as a metal hotbed.  And Manilla Road certainly broke the mold for metal bands of the time period.  The American metal scene was dominated by thrash metal and going towards the glam scene.  So groups like Manilla Road and Cirith Ungol, and even Trouble to a certain degree, who were slower-paced, were kind of glossed over.

This album should be legendary.  In certain metal circles, I believe it is, but there are far too few that know about it.  This is 1980's American metal at its absolute best.  It should not be missed.  Check out Manilla Road.  Now.