Open the Gates

Last updated

Open the Gates
ManillaRoad OpenTheGates.jpg
Studio album by
Manilla Road
Released1985
Recorded1984
StudioMiller Studio, North Newton, Kansas
Genre
Length52:45
Label Black Dragon
Producer Manilla Road, Max Merhoff, Rick Fisher
Manilla Road chronology
Crystal Logic
(1983)		Open the Gates
(1985)		 The Deluge
(1986)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [2]
Kerrang! Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Rock Hard 7.0/10 [4]

Open the Gates is the fourth album by the American heavy metal band Manilla Road. It was released in 1985 on the Black Dragon record label, rather than the band's own label, Roadster Records, which they had used on their previous releases.

Contents

In 2019, Metal Hammer ranked it as the 6th best power metal album of all time. [1]

Music and lyrics

The album's music has been described as "a full house of forceful, lurid metal anthems and mystical doomy epics laden with weird bardic atmospheres" by Metal Hammer . [5] Open the Gates is considered to be the band's heaviest album. Most of the album's material is consistent with the new wave of British heavy metal style, influenced by Iron Maiden and Saxon. However, the album also employs brief bouts of "all-out thrash," according to AllMusic. [6]

The vocals are described as "nasal" by Loudwire . The album's lyrical themes include dragons, witchcraft and kings, drawing influence from the Matter of Britain. The album's themes also draw from science fiction and Norse mythology. [7] [6]

Critical reception

Eduardio Rivadavia of AllMusic gave the album four and a half stars out of five, and recommended it as a jumping-off point for new fans of the band: "It's easy to understand why Open the Gates has enjoyed such enduring popularity as one of Manilla Road's best loved albums." [6]

Track listing

All songs written by Mark Shelton.

  1. "Metalstorm" – 5:17
  2. "Open the Gates" – 2:20
  3. "Astronomica" – 4:59
  4. "Weavers of the Web" – 4:17
  5. "The Ninth Wave" – 9:30
  6. "Heavy Metal to the World" – 3:19
  7. "The Fires of Mars" – 6:13
  8. "Road of Kings" – 5:46
  9. "Hour of the Dragon" – 4:44
  10. "Witches Brew" – 6:20

Note

Personnel

Band
Production

References

  1. 1 2 Chantler, Chris (November 14, 2019). "The 25 greatest power metal albums". Metal Hammer . Future plc . Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  2. ↑ Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Manilla Road Open the Gates review". Allmusic . Retrieved August 31, 2011.
  3. ↑ Wall, Mick (November 1, 1985). "Manilla Road 'Open the Gates'". Kerrang! . Vol. 106. Morgan Grampian. p. 27.
  4. ↑ Stratmann, Holger (1985). "Review Album: Manilla Road — Open The Gates". Rock Hard (in German). No. 12.
  5. ↑ Chantlerpublished, Chris (November 14, 2019). "The 25 greatest power metal albums". Louder. Retrieved January 3, 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 Open the Gates - Manilla Road | Album | AllMusic , retrieved January 3, 2026
  7. ↑ Rivadavia, Eduardo RivadaviaEduardo (January 9, 2018). "10 Castle Metal Albums You Need to Hear". Loudwire. Retrieved January 3, 2026.
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