
By: Manilla Road
Original Date: December 1983
Format used: Digital
Rating: 4.5/5
Crystal Logic is perhaps the most widely respected album produced by the early Manilla Road simply in terms of how many covers exist for the songs, and how many latter day traditional heavy metal clones their formula. And the term formula is only used here in its loosest possible meaning. There really still isn’t a cookie cutter format like some weaker bands, nor is there a tendency to keep the sound uniform in terms of intensity. For this release Shelton and company still didn’t fear changing up the tone or atmosphere of individual songs to help with their overall effect or message. “Necropolis” and “the Ram” have radically different levels of heaviness for example. Also despite this album’s reputation of being fairly upbeat and epic, “Veils of Negative Existence” starts with some downright sinister laughter with a slow, drudging almost Doom Metal sounding number about the metaphysics of inner sorrows.
We need to discuss more about this Doom Metal connection while we’re on the topic of “Veils of Negative Existence”. It is no secret that early Doom Metal bands and later ones with a traditional metal bend like the Gates of Slumber have flirted with Manilla Road’s catalogue. But surprisingly, the covers they choose are usually never for the most overt Doom Metal inspired tracks. And I think the fact that such a small band can gain the respect of musicians firmly rooted in other genres is testament to the creativity and the musical chops of Manilla Road in this era.
And while the music itself does sound fairly happy compared to the darker Metal of this time (this was around the start of the First Wave of Black Metal after all), the lyrics themselves – when not too overtly intellectual and cerebral – have a tendency to cover dark, cynical, and at times macabre imagery. But that is the main weakness of this album – though it largely depends on how obvious a listener wants their lyrics. Take the title track “Crystal Logic”: it is so symbolic that there is room for interpretation (or maybe its just a case of symbolic word salad gone to its extreme). However, it is fairly clear that the lyrics are a statement to distance the band from religion of all forms and a pledge of allegiance to “logic” (remember how we mentioned this was about when the First Wave of Black Metal would descend upon the musical landscape?). The lyrics are sometimes a little overly symbolic yes, but again as mentioned in one of my other reviews – you usually shouldn’t come to Metal songs expecting the lyrical equivalent of Shakespeare. Fundamentally however, the lyrics are the most clear room for growth on this album.
Aside from the lyrical navel-gazing, this is undeniably the point where Manilla Road found their musical footing. And on this ground they planted their leaden sabatons and stood their ground unyielding – at least for a few years. When people picture the classic Manilla Road sound – this is what they imagine. There will be more albums using this sound before Manilla Road takes their forays into Thrash, but this album is the essence of their early charm, mixed with the polish of their later sensibilities. And it deserves its respect as a classic album unsullied by the mainstream.







