Manilla Road - Official Website


Invasion

United States Country of Origin: United States

Invasion
Send eMail
Type: Full-Length
Release Date: 1980
Label: Roadster Records
Genre: Heavy, Power
1. Entrails Full Of Vermin
2. Skin Removal
1. The Dream Goes On
2. Cat And Mouse
3. Far Side Of The Sun
4. Street Jammer
5. Centurian War Games
6. The Empire

Review by Elijah on February 5, 2020.

For a debut promo, this is pretty solid and promising. The production is clean, you can distinguish between all the instruments, and everything is just overall a good effort. My favorite thing about this are the drums, the snare is absolutely perfect and has a clanky clean sound, the drums remind me of Mutilated's debut album, "Devirginated Genital Pulp", the drums sound almost exactly identical I'd say. This is pretty much Mutilated's debut album if it was a slam/bdm record.

'Entrails Full of Vermin' is no doubt one of the best slam brutal death metal songs to ever be written, and this demo version of it is so damn good. As I've said previously, the entire aspect of this album being generally good is the fact that it’s so clean and has top-notch production. A demo is the sample of a song(s) before it comes out, 'Entrails Full of Vermin' is one of the best tracks that slam/bdm has ever given us, and its pre-result as a demo is flawless. You can actually hear the entire song clearly; every slam, snare hit, etc. I'm just in love with the song's demo version, it's great.

'Skin Removal' is just alright, it isn't bad but it isn’t as clean or flawless as 'Entrails Full Of Vermin'. The guitars sound more jerk-y and loose and slightly grindy and the snare sounds looser and less solid. Not as great as the other song, but it's passable. Good song and better on the debut LP, but the demo version is just decent.

The vocals are great too, they're better on the band's debut album but they're awesome here as well. Vladmir is a great and underrated brutal death vocalist in my opinion. He gets a fair share of hate from his lack of vocal structure and change, which I understand; but that's exactly what I like about him. I like my slamming brutal death metal to be nasty and guttural, which is the reason why I admire Vladmir's work.

So once again, not bad; not bad at all. Great production, the fact that this is a demo and it sounds that great makes it even better, and the drums sound great as can be (mainly and specifically on 'Entrails Full of Vermin'). Not bad at all for a band's promo. Great job on this.

Rating: 8.9 out of 10

  Views

Review by Elijah on February 5, 2020.

For a debut promo, this is pretty solid and promising. The production is clean, you can distinguish between all the instruments, and everything is just overall a good effort. My favorite thing about this are the drums, the snare is absolutely perfect and has a clanky clean sound, the drums remind me of Mutilated's debut album, "Devirginated Genital Pulp", the drums sound almost exactly identical I'd say. This is pretty much Mutilated's debut album if it was a slam/bdm record.

'Entrails Full of Vermin' is no doubt one of the best slam brutal death metal songs to ever be written, and this demo version of it is so damn good. As I've said previously, the entire aspect of this album being generally good is the fact that it’s so clean and has top-notch production. A demo is the sample of a song(s) before it comes out, 'Entrails Full of Vermin' is one of the best tracks that slam/bdm has ever given us, and its pre-result as a demo is flawless. You can actually hear the entire song clearly; every slam, snare hit, etc. I'm just in love with the song's demo version, it's great.

'Skin Removal' is just alright, it isn't bad but it isn’t as clean or flawless as 'Entrails Full Of Vermin'. The guitars sound more jerk-y and loose and slightly grindy and the snare sounds looser and less solid. Not as great as the other song, but it's passable. Good song and better on the debut LP, but the demo version is just decent.

The vocals are great too, they're better on the band's debut album but they're awesome here as well. Vladmir is a great and underrated brutal death vocalist in my opinion. He gets a fair share of hate from his lack of vocal structure and change, which I understand; but that's exactly what I like about him. I like my slamming brutal death metal to be nasty and guttural, which is the reason why I admire Vladmir's work.

So once again, not bad; not bad at all. Great production, the fact that this is a demo and it sounds that great makes it even better, and the drums sound great as can be (mainly and specifically on 'Entrails Full of Vermin'). Not bad at all for a band's promo. Great job on this.

Rating: 8.9 out of 10

  Views

Review by JD on December 30, 2014.

Shadow Kingdom Records 2012 re-release. Originally released in 1980 on own label Roadster Records.

When veteran metalheads release some of their old albums again, magic comes forth. You can see where they have come from, and how they had began crafting the power and passion from the start, and forging what we have today. Manilla Road is of those cornerstone bands, that never became hugely big, yet it is their influences that has ended up being the titanic force that now fuels thousands of bands all over the globe.

Formed back in 1977, Manilla Road probably had not have one clue that they were going to be one of the few prototype acts that would end up inventing what we know and love as Heavy Metal. Melodically sound, intensely in spots heavy and just a whole lot ‘o’ fun, many of the founders of metal past and present have taken their cue and many of the ideas right from Manilla Road.

The release Invasion is more Hard Rock than it is metal, yet the album ends up showing quite nicely that metal was being born. With amazing melodies, engaging and unforgettable hooks packaged up with a whole whack of talent, this was a band that should have been so big across our tiny planet but ended up going not as far. Each song is a crafted masterpiece that shows the process of metal being born for our world.

It does sound like a late 70's, early 80's album, but its bold talent and musical power shows itself to transcend time effortlessly. It is a album that will surprise many, despite being first released more than thirty years ago, because it clearly stacks up with many hard Rock/Metal albums of today... and teaches us all just how it should be done. It was sad that they Manilla Road were not a big thing over here in North America or even in Europe, but that was one of music’s greatest tragedies... they were one of metals finest cornerstones.

Rating: 8.8 out of 10

  Views