The Deluge

by Manilla Road

Overview

The final installment in Manilla Road's sequential trilogy of indispensable albums, 1986's The Deluge was, in many respects, the perfect combination of its two predecessors: merging the inspired but eccentric and, some might say, old-fashioned compositional style of 1983's Crystal Logic, with the more predictable, but also more modern, thrash-infused aesthetic and heightened musicianship of 1985's Open the Gates. Really, it boils down to personal opinion, though, because all three albums constitute the backbone of the Kansas-based indie metal stalwarts' long and varied career. Opener "Dementia" is one of the most forceful and immediate numbers in Manilla Road's oeuvre; reacquainting fans (who, let's face it, needed little reacquainting) with leader Mark Shelton's distinctive vocal signature, evocative lyrics, and flabbergasting six-string abilities -- and reminding them of recently added drummer Randy "Thrasher" Foxe's critical new role in Manilla Road's mid-'80s sound. Hyperactive to the point of sounding too busy on ensuing standouts like "Shadows in the Black," "Friction in Mass," and "Rest in Pieces," his flailing omnipresence was nevertheless greatly responsible for making their music more palatable for the children of thrash (although it would also foment rising animosity with quiet man bassist Scott Park, and eventually destroy the group). Foxe also shows off his synthesizer skills on the very '80s, very dated, interlude, "Morbid Tabernacle," but that's not to say that he ever actually threatens to steal the spotlight from Shelton. The end results are slightly mixed on his uncharacteristically direct, dual attacks on religion, "Divine Victim" and "Hammer of the Witches," but his songwriting inspiration achieves unquestionable all-time peaks on fantasy metal classics like "Isle of the Dead," the furious "Taken by Storm," and the three-part, eight-minute masterpiece of a title track, which sees him paying his first (but hardly last) visit to the lost city of Atlantis. Fittingly, when he returned there 15 years later for 2001's Atlantis Rising, it was with the goal of resurrecting Manilla Road's career from a ten year sleep, and briefly return it to the state of unrivaled glory not heard since The Deluge and its aforementioned forerunners. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia

Product Details

Release Date:	07/26/2024
Label:	High Roller
UPC:	4251267716791
Rank:	177456

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Manilla Road   Primary Artist
Mike Metz   Primary Artist
Mark Shelton   Vocals,Guitar (10 String),Guitar (12 String)
Randy "Thrasher" Foxe   Drums
Scott "Scooter" Park   Bass

Technical Credits

Larry Funk   Engineer
Manilla Road   Arranger,Producer
Mike Metz   Composer,Lyricist
Mark Shelton   Composer,Lyricist,Group Member
Tom Bartels   Tape Transfer
Steve Falke   Digital Remastering
Rick Fisher   Producer
Eric Larnoy   Artwork
Max Merhoff   Engineer,Producer
Randy "Thrasher" Foxe   Group Member
Scott "Scooter" Park   Group Member
Sherry Avett   Producer
Jay Merhoff   Engineer
Andreas "Neudi" Neuderth   Mixing,Mastering,Restoration