Sentry is the band put together by the surviving members of Manilla Road, vocalist Bryan Patrick, bassist Phil Ross, and drummer Andreas "Neudi" Neuderth, who recruited guitarist Kalli Coldsmith based on his work with Neudi in Masters of Disguise, Roxxcalibur, Jamison Raid, etc. If you look at the cover of their debut, self-titled album, it will become obvious the guys are carrying on in the spirit of Manilla Road, evoking as it does the covers of albums like Playground of the Damned and The Blessed Curse. Musically, Sentry's sound should be a balm to fans still lamenting the loss of Mark Shelton. Patrick's vocals, which are eerily like Shelton's when they aren't his own unique sound, Ross' thick bass, and Neudi's terrific rolls and fills will be familiar to fans of the last handful of Manilla Road albums and Coldsmith comports himself well. He's filling some mighty big shoes but doesn't try to emulate Shelton any more than the songs require. Sentry has pounding anthems ("Valkyries (Raise the Hammers)") and fast rockers ("Awakening") and every last song is overflowing with metallic goodness. Even the two tracks that appeared on their 2023 two-song demo ("Heaventsent," "Black Candles") sound better than on the demo. I'm not sure if they were remastered or just work better with the additional material supporting them, but they are much more enjoyable this time around. The album concludes with an amazing cover of Candlemass' "Incarnation of Evil" where Patrick channels Messiah Marcolin and the whole band nails the atmosphere and vibe. It seems like Sentry is intended to be the continuation of Manilla Road under a different name and the band members are embracing that history as they look to the future. If you enjoyed Manilla Road, the past 4-5 albums in particular, Sentry should make you very happy indeed.
