''Spiral Castle'' is the twelfth album by American
heavy metal band
Manilla Road
Manilla Road was an American heavy metal band from Wichita, Kansas, founded by Mark "The Shark" Shelton (vocals and guitar) and Scott "Scooter" Park (bass guitar). Beginning in 1977, the early years of Manilla Road were spent playing mostly pro ...
, released in 2002 by Iron Glory Records.
Production and reception
Although ''Atlantis Rising'' had been released under the name Manilla Road, it had actually been intended as a Mark Shelton solo project, while ''Spiral Castle'' was actually the first album released by the newly reformed Manilla Road.
It was praised by Eduardo Rivadavia of
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
for continuing with the "majestic metal" of their album two years prior, ''
Atlantis Rising
''Atlantis Rising'' is a concept album released by heavy metal band Manilla Road in 2001. Its content revolves around the lost continent of Atlantis re-emerging and the resulting war between the Æsir and Great Old Ones over the continent.
T ...
''. Lyrics are laced with fantasy references, including
Norse mythology
Norse, Nordic, or Scandinavian mythology is the body of myths belonging to the North Germanic peoples, stemming from Old Norse religion and continuing after the Christianization of Scandinavia, and into the Nordic folklore of the modern period ...
references such as
Ragnarok and
Bifrost.
Metal.de
Metal.de is a German-language online magazine launched in 1996. The magazine focuses on the subgenres of heavy metal and hard rock, but also reports on similar styles. ''Metal.de'' foundation in 1996 makes it one of the longest-running heavy me ...
gave it a mixed review, calling it a solid disc, but not with the full energy as the band's earlier albums.
Track listing
# "Gateway to the Sphere" – 2:30
# "Spiral Castle" – 8:26
# "Shadow" – 4:24
# "Seven Trumpets" – 5:19
# "Merchants of Death" – 10:53
# "Born Upon the Soul" – 7:17
# "Sands of Time" – 7:40
Credits
* Mark Shelton – guitars, vocals
* Scott Peters – drums, percussion, vocals
* Bryan Patrick – vocals
* Mark Anderson – bass
* Momadon – violin on "Sands of Time"
References
Manilla Road albums
2002 albums
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