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│ METAL CLASSICS ARCHIVE │
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│ P R E S E N T S │
│ │
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│ + Manilla Road - Playground of the Damned + │
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│ │
│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Information ║ │
│╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Release Date.dic-27-2011 Encoder......L3.97 -V2 --vbr-new ║ │
│║ Genre........Metal Graber.......EAC ║ │
│║ Year.........2011 Khz/Bitrate..44,1/ Br ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Ripper.......The_Patriarch Songs........08 ║ │
│║ Covers.......Yes Url... www.manillaroad.net ║ │
│║ ║ │
│╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │
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│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Notes ║ │
│╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Artist : Manilla Road Rating : You Decide! ║ │
│║ Album : Playground of the Damned Label : Shadow Kingdom ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│╠════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Description : ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Manilla Road, thy name is cult! These aged ║ │
│║ metallers from Kansas have been keeping it ║ │
│║ ötrueö since before the 80?s. Over their long ║ │
│║ existence they released no less than fourteen ║ │
│║ albums of old school, vintage metal to the ║ │
│║ acclaim of a small but loyal niche following. ║ │
│║ Led by guitarist/singer Mark ôThe Sharkö ║ │
│║ Shelton, theyÆve plumbed the depths of 70?s and ║ │
│║ early 80?s metal, some albums sounding like old ║ │
│║ Cirith Ungol, some moving closer to Manowar, ║ │
│║ Doomsword and Slough Feg. TheyÆve always lived ║ │
│║ in that realm between classic metal and doom and ║ │
│║ their discography has its great moments (and a ║ │
│║ few missteps as well). In some circles these ║ │
│║ guys have attained legendary status and while ║ │
│║ they clearly deserve it for dedication, I never ║ │
│║ thought their material was all that consistent. ║ │
│║ However, I always find myself rooting for them ║ │
│║ to succeed. I did so again with their fifteenth ║ │
│║ album Playground of the Damned, but IÆm not too ║ │
│║ thrilled with the end product. Like some prior ║ │
│║ albums, there are great moments but some cringy ║ │
│║ ones as well. Definitely an acquired taste and ║ │
│║ not for everyone, this is one of those bands you ║ │
│║ really have to hear for yourself. However, I ║ │
│║ will endeavor to do my humble best to describe ║ │
│║ what lies within as only the Lord High Protector ║ │
│║ Steel Druhm can. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ First things first. While Manilla Roadæs ║ │
│║ material was never too consistent quality wise, ║ │
│║ theyÆve ALWAYS been consistent with their shitty ║ │
│║ production jobs. Following suit, Playground ║ │
│║ sports a sound and mix that appears unfinished. ║ │
│║ To be charitable, IÆll just call it amateurish ║ │
│║ and leave it at that. The guitar tone is washed ║ │
│║ out, weak and powerless. The drums are tinny and ║ │
│║ set back in the mix. This emasculates the power ║ │
│║ and impact of the songs, which does the album ║ │
│║ quite a disservice. I mention this upfront ║ │
│║ because its a real problem and impairs the full ║ │
│║ enjoyment of the album. Is it St. Anger bad? ║ │
│║ Well no, nothing is that bad. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ As for the songs themselves, opener ôJackhammerö ║ │
│║ is a mid-paced, Slough Feg-style number with ║ │
│║ some crunchy riffing and interesting noodling ║ │
│║ but the extremely laid back chorus and vocal ║ │
│║ style seems out of place. Its not bad (Shelton ║ │
│║ actually sounds good), its just a little ║ │
│║ confusing dynamically speaking. öInto the ║ │
│║ Maelstromö and the title track continue in the ║ │
│║ same slow to mid-paced style with Shelton ║ │
│║ sharing vocal duties with Bryan Patrick (who has ║ │
│║ a distinct Layne Staley sound). Both tracks work ║ │
│║ well enough and feature some compelling guitar. ║ │
│║ The biggest ouch moment comes with ôGrindhouseö ║ │
│║ which just doesnÆt work for me at all. With lame ║ │
│║ lyrics and a poor chorus, its an irritant and ║ │
│║ very poorly conceived. Things return to goodness ║ │
│║ with öAbattoir De la Mort,ö which features a ║ │
│║ heavier approach and surprisingly, death metal ║ │
│║ vocals. The rest of the album is mostly slower ║ │
│║ material with only occasional forays into speed. ║ │
│║ At times they channel Blaze Bayley material ║ │
│║ (ôFire of Ashurbanipalö) and veer into old ║ │
│║ Manowar territory (ôBrethren of the Hammerö), ║ │
│║ the latter being a tad cheesy for my tastes. The ║ │
│║ key reference though is Slough Feg. The albumÆs ║ │
│║ best song is the last one, ôArt of War,ö which ║ │
│║ has a lot of cool touches and a slowly building ║ │
│║ intensity. Sadly, none of this material is ║ │
│║ classic, essential Manilla Road and between the ║ │
│║ production and the song quality, its a let down. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ The element that always made Manila Road stand ║ │
│║ out were SheltonÆs vocals. While he shares time ║ │
│║ here with Patrick, his trademark nasally whine ║ │
│║ sounds as good as ever. However, he has one of ║ │
│║ those voices you absolutely love or completely ║ │
│║ loath. He has a pretty limited vocal palette and ║ │
│║ while I always enjoyed his style, many will find ║ │
│║ it offputting or outright annoying. The same ║ │
│║ canÆt be said for his guitar-work. The man ║ │
│║ shreds up a storm all over Playground and his ║ │
│║ playing is of the ôso metal it hurtsö variety. ║ │
│║ The guitar saves several tracks from going off ║ │
│║ the rails and keeps things engaging, even during ║ │
│║ the low points. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ This isnÆt as good as I hoped and aside from two ║ │
│║ or three cuts, I wonÆt be playing it much going ║ │
│║ forward. If you never heard these guys, I ║ │
│║ wouldnÆt recommend starting here (all their mid ║ │
│║ to late 80?s releases are superior as are some ║ │
│║ of their recent releases). I respect the hell ║ │
│║ out Mr. Shelton and crew and I hope they never ║ │
│║ stop churning out the Kansas metal. I have to ║ │
│║ pass on this one though, no hard feelings. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │
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│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Tracklist ║ │
│╚═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════ │
│ │
│ 01 - Jackhammer [05:27] │
│ 02 - Into the into the Maelstrom [04:47] │
│ 03 - Playground of the Damned [04:27] │
│ 04 - Grindhouse [07:51] │
│ 05 - Abattoir De La Mort [07:15] │
│ 06 - Fire of Asshurbanipal [04:41] │
│ 07 - Brethren of the Hammer [05:03] │
│ 08 - Art of War [07:16] │
│ │
│ Total Length : [46:47 minn │
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│ ╔═════════════════════╗ │
│ ║ Greetings To: ║ │
│ ╚═════════════════════╝ │
│ │
│ Too all people who contributes to make this │
│ archive of good music in a exceptional conditions │
│ │
│ │
│ │
│■ ■│
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