Review SENTRY ‘Sentry’

Sentry wouldn’t exist without Manilla Road, and a quick look at the line-up shows why. Bryan Patrick (vocals), Phil Ross (bass) and Andreas “Neudi” Neuderth (drums) were all part of Manilla Road’s final line-up. However, after the unexpected death of Manilla Road mastermind Mark Shelton, the iconic band broke up, which didn’t come as a complete surprise.

It took a while for the guys to decide to carry on, and the fact that they didn’t call themselves Manilla Road shows respect for the band that Shelton shaped like no other.

With Kalli Coldsmith completing the line-up, the guys have a new name, Sentry, although musically there are certainly parallels to Manilla Road. However, Sentry manage to walk the tightrope between paying homage to Manilla Road and maintaining their independence. The result is an album that can rightly be considered one of the highlights of epic metal.

The self-titled debut album is being released these days and some of you may already know two of the tracks. ‘Heavensent’ and ‘Black Candles’ are two songs on this longplayer that were first released as a promo EP in 2023. Both tracks are classic masterpieces of epic metal. Ingenious vocal lines, powerful guitars and a tremendous intensity are the hallmarks of both tracks. Especially ‘Black Candles’, which slowly rolls into your ear canals, is impressive and shows the affinity to doom metal.

Most of the songs on ‘Sentry’ are longer than 5 minutes, which is typical for the genre. However, the opener comes out of the speakers unexpectedly fast. Dark Matter’ is short and crisp by epic metal standards. With clever tempo changes, the song is a perfect opener that makes you hungry for more.

It continues with ‘The Haunting’ and its rather atmospheric beginning. However, the song quickly gains momentum and turns out to be a true epic metal anthem. What already stands out at this point is the sound of the record. In a way, the songs sound oldschool, but this is not an indication of their quality. In fact, Sentry manage to create an organic sound that leaves nothing to be desired and fits the music perfectly.

Out of a jam resulting, the song shows the inspirational approach of the band and creates a counterpart to the furious and raging ‘Awakening’. The latter is a straightforward thrash metal anthem, mirroring the width of sounds on this album.

Sentry and their debut album is great example for the fascination of epic metal. Versatile and heavy, all equipped with a certain level of drama, that’s what these nine tracks represent. Excellent work and a true homage to Mark Shelton.