Staff Infections – August 2018

It’s that time of the month again, friends. No, not that time of the month—it’s time for Staff Infections, wherein the Last Rites staff members share what they’ve been listening to over the last lunar cycle. If you thought the Manilla Road train was going to stop rolling through here, you don’t know Last Rites all that well. Our mourning over the untimely passing of Mark “The Shark” Shelton, Manilla Road’s some-time vocalist, guitarist and leader, continues. Consequently, Manilla Road’s entire discography dominated the staff’s playlists this month.

I only had the honor of seeing Manilla Road once, at a Maryland Deathfest several years ago, but it was so god-damned much fun, I’ll never forget it. Thanks to the ardent fandom of my Last Rites compatriots, I also had the pleasure of meeting Shark that same weekend. He just walked up to our group and started chatting. I assume he recognized some of the boys from the Ohio tornado debacle, which is detailed in Captain’s wonderful memorial piece. It doesn’t hurt that Zach Duvall, at six-foot-seven, tends to stand out in a crowd. I told Shark that if he had about forty five minutes, I could tell him how much I loved “The Riddle Master.” He politely took a rain-check, and we watched The Melvins instead. I guess I’ll never get to cash in that rain-check, but I did write a Riffology on “The Riddle Master,” so if there is an afterlife, and that afterlife has the internet, maybe Shark will read it. Anyway, representing this month’s first place finish for the entire Manilla Road discography, is my favorite Manilla Road song, “The Riddle Master.”

You left us too soon, Shark, but you left us with a whole passel of magnificent, epic heavy metal. You earned your rest. Up the Hammers.

Second place this month, as has become common, is a multi-way tie. Some highlights of said tie include recent Nordic black/doom releases from Faustcoven (In the Shadow of Doom) and Mörkö (Ulvova Tyhjyys). El Capitan has you covered on both.

 

 

Be sure to share your playlist in the comments, and be sure to listen to some Manilla Road. Have a great month!

• Zach Duvall
  Manilla Road – Everything
  Amorphis – The Queen of Time
  Voivod – Target Earth
  Ripping Corpse – Dreaming with the Dead
  Aorlhac – L’esprit des vents
  Burial Invocation – Abiogenesis
  Pig Destroyer – Terrifyer
• Dan Obstkrieg
  Manilla Road – Everything
  Binah – Phobiate
  Furze – The Presence
  The Field – Discography
  Morgion – Discography
  Gas – Nah und Fern
  Faustcoven – In the Shadow of Doom
• Captain
  Manilla Road – Everything
  Skepticism – Discography
  Domovoyd – Domovoyd
  Mörkö – Ulvova tyhjyys
  Abhorrence – Megalohydrothalassophobic
  Morgion – Discography
  Blue Öyster Cult – Fire Of Unknown Origin
• Andrew Edmunds
  Manilla Road – Everything
  Michael Schenker Group – Michael Schenker Group
  Stryper – To Hell With The Devil
  Warlock – Triumph And Agony
  Skyclad – Wayward Sons Of Mother Earth
  Testament – The New Order
• Ryan Tysinger
  Manilla Road – Everything
  Destruction – Eternal Devastation
  Mordor – Csejthe
  Kawir – Isotheos
  Aorlhac – L’esprit des vents
  Undergang – Indhentet af Doden
  Torture Rack – Malefic Humiliation
• Manny-O-War
  Manilla Road – Everything
  Faustcoven – In the Shadow of Doom
  Vreid – Kraft
  Portishead – Portishead
  Witch King – Voice of the Ossuary
  Circle – Terminal
  Extremity – Coffin Birth
• Konrad Kantor
  Manilla Road – Everything
  Mörkö – Ulvova tyhjyys
  Burial Invocation – Abiogenesis
  LIK – The Second Wind
  Clandestine Blaze – New Golgotha Rising
  Eyedea & Abilities – First Born
  Das EFX – Dead Serious
• Dave Pirtle
  Manilla Road – Everything
  Chris Caffery – The Jester’s Court
  A Dying Planet – Facing the Incurable
  Judas Priest – Firepower
  Psychostick – Do
  Pact – Enigmata
• Jeremy Morse
  Manilla Road – Everything
  Crawl – Rituals
  Phrenelith – Desolate Endscape
  Amorphis – Tales from the Thousand Lakes
  Morbid Angel – Altars of Madness
  Visigoth – The Conqueror’s Oath