Mystification is the sixth studio album by American heavy metal band Manilla Road, released in 1987.[4][5] It was re-released in 2000 on Sentinel Steel Records.

Mystification
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 1987
Recorded1986
Studio
Genre
Length43:02
LabelBlack Dragon[1]
ProducerManilla Road, Paul Zaleski, Larry Funk
Manilla Road chronology
The Deluge
(1986)
Mystification
(1987)
Out of the Abyss
(1988)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Chronicles of Chaos9/10[3]

The album was inspired by the work of Edgar Allan Poe.[6]

Critical reception

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AllMusic wrote that "bandleader Mark Shelton's stirring guitar work often comes to the rescue, spinning beautiful melodic yarns across the near epic 'Children of the Night' and the Haley's Comet-inspired 'Dragon Star', while additional album standouts such as 'Spirits of the Dead' and the title track finally display the clever combination of melodic savvy and compelling oft-spiritual lyrics to get them through."[2]

Track listing

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  1. "Haunted Palace" – 4:23
  2. "Spirits of the Dead" – 4:24
  3. "Valley of Unrest" – 3:41
  4. "Mystification" – 5:35
  5. "Masque of the Red Death" – 5:21
  6. "Up From the Crypt" – 3:02
  7. "Children of the Night" – 6:55
  8. "Dragon Star" – 5:56
  9. "Death by the Hammer" – 3:45
  • The 2000 re-release has a different track list, and includes the song "The Asylum" as the tenth track.

Credits

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Manilla Road
  • Mark Shelton – lead vocals, guitars
  • Scott Park – bass guitar
  • Randy Foxe – backing vocals, drums and percussion
Production
  • Paul Zaleski – producer
  • Larry Funk – co-producer, edit
  • Manilla Road – producer, arranger, edit, concept
  • L. Ryan Hendricks – concept, artwork

References

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  1. ^ Bukszpan, Daniel (September 15, 2003). "The Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal". Barnes & Noble Publishing – via Google Books.
  2. ^ a b "Mystification - Manilla Road | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  3. ^ "CoC : Manilla Road - Mystification : Review". www.chroniclesofchaos.com.
  4. ^ "Manilla Road Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  5. ^ Sharpe-Young, Garry (September 15, 2007). "Metal: The Definitive Guide : Heavy, NWOBH, Progressive, Thrash, Death, Black, Gothic, Doom, Nu". Jawbone Press – via Google Books.
  6. ^ Pollin, Burton K. (2003). "Music and Edgar Allan Poe: A Fourth Annotated Checklist". Poe Studies. 36 (1–2): 90.