Sentry: Sentry

Sentry are a band formed from the ashes of Manilla Road.

When Mark Shelton passed away in 2018 Manilla Road dissolved, except a one-off tribute performance at the Keep It True festival in 2019. Five years later, ex-Manilla Road members Bryan Patrick (vocals), Phil Ross (bass) and Andreas “Neudi� Neuderth (drums), the same ex members that played at the tribute performance, decided to form a new band, Sentry. They are joined by Kalli Coldsmith on guitar.

A two-track promo EP was released in 2023 before the band signed a deal with High Roller Records. Their subsequent release consists of six brand-new compositions plus the two songs from the promo EP.

I enjoy this album, but it's not perfect. The production is fantastic, the playing is solid, but certain tracks and elements of certain tracks leave me a little flat.

As an example, take the opener "Dark Matter". Great riffing...check. Nice drumming...check. Punchy production...check. Lackluster vocal lines that follow the guitar lines too closely and don’t really add to the song...check. "Heavensent" suffers from similar vocal quirks; Vocals that mimic the bass line in both melody and rhythm during the verse sections just rub me the wrong way. It seems lazy or rushed. I get that Bryan Patrick’s vocals are a bit a-typical �" that’s his style, almost like a true metal version of Warrell Dane, but unlike Warrell I don’t feel the passion in his vocal lines in every track.

The other aspect that grates on me is the guitar solos. The majority of them don’t really elevate the songs at all. They seem to suffer from late-era-Kirk-Hammet-syndrome, which is the over use of wah-wah pedal, and the type of noodly pentatonic stuff that has no real impact and has ‘nothing to say’.

With that said there are some tracks where it all comes together and admittedly kicks ass. "Valkyries", "Awakening", and "Funeral" are the highlights of the album for me. "Funeral" in particular has some really great, well thought out and delivered vocals. The cover of Candlemass song "Incarnation of Evil" is also a nice touch and is well done too.

All in all, this is a solid album and I wouldn’t hesitate to see Sentry live. Die-hard Manilla Road fans may well see past some of the deficiencies, but I’m left slightly underwhelmed. It’s a solid album, that is frustratingly close to being something far greater.

Track Listing:
01 Dark Matter
02 The Haunting
03 Heavensent
04 Valyries (Raise the Hammers)
05 Awakening
06 Black Candles
07 Raven's Night
08 Funeral
09 Incarnation of Evil

Added: February 24th 2024
Reviewer: Chris Reid
Score:
Related Link: More Information
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Language: english

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