MANILLA ROAD · Invasion | BLACK LP

Black 180g vinyl in standard cover, insert, poster, restored original cover art.

Background information about 'Invasion'

The first steps of a band are always something sacred — the first gig, the first record. And Invasion? It's not just any debut. This is ground zero for what would later be christened Epic Metal, and listening to it now, nearly five decades later, it still crackles with that raw, untamed electricity of a young band discovering exactly who they are.

Manilla Road formed in Wichita, Kansas in 1977, and as Mark "The Shark" Shelton himself recalls, they were practically the only hard rock band in the area writing and performing all original material. From 1977 to 1979, the songs that would become Invasion were forged in the crucible of the local club scene, far away from any coastal trend machine. Originally released in 1980 on the band's own Roadster Records, this album captures a moment when American heavy metal was still finding its feet — The Rods, Riot, and Anvil were among the very few active on the continent. But Shelton's influences came from across the Atlantic: UFO, early Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, The Scorpions, Hawkwind, Rush, and above all, the almighty Black Sabbath. "That band alone influenced me more than any other I think," Shelton has said, and you can feel that Sabbathian weight in the doom-laden riffage, even as Manilla Road carve out their own mythological path.

What makes Invasion so enduring is its complete lack of self-consciousness. Tracks like "The Dream Goes On" and "Far Side of the Sun" stretch out with a progressive, spacey ambition that owes as much to Hawkwind as it does to metal. "Centurian War Games" hints at the historical-epic direction the band would later fully embrace. The restored original cover art on this 2026 High Roller Records reissue brings back the visual mystique that was always part of the package — and Patrick W. Engel's mastering for vinyl at Temple of Disharmony ensures this thing sounds massive.

For fans of:
Cirith Ungol, Omen, Brocas Helm, Heavy Load, Legend, Warlord

Other Versions

BLUE DLP · Sold out RE-RELEASE CD · Sold out PICTURE LP · 22,99 €

Track listing

A1. The Dream Goes On
A2. Cat and Mouse
A3. Far Side of the Sun
A4. Street Jammer
A5. Centurian War Games
B1. The Empire

Manufacturer: High Roller Records, Bertolt-Brecht-Str. 1a, 08412 Werdau, Germany, Contact: www.hrrecords.de