Sunday, December 21, 2014

LEGION: ”Tempest”

Rating: RRR
Label: Z Records 2014
Review by Rich ”The Meister” Dillon

It's almost just like the 70's & 80's again, a time that was not unusual for bands to deliver two albums per year, with Legion set to issue Tempest, their sixth album in just four years time!  Legion is fronted by the seemingly boundless energy of Phil Vincent on vocals with Vince O'Regan (guitars), Gavin Cooper (bass), Andy Pierce (drums) and Irvin Parrat (keyboards) making up the rest of the band.  The cover art for Tempest is, like so many others it seems these days, less than awe-inspiring.  But there's no skimping on the music as it appears that not one of the eleven contained tracks rings in under the four minute mark.  Let's give it a spin and see just what we have here:

Tempest opens up with the 6:20 minute ”Just Can't Stop” which takes a very long time to get going past the rather lengthy collection of news sound bites that we could do without.  Once we do get under way musically the song is a showcase vehicle for the vocal talents of Phil Vincent, but is not overly ”wowing”.  The enticing melodies contained in ”Open Fire” meld well with O'Regan's guitar work in this mid-tempo rocker for a song that is much more my style.  The third track, ”Steal the Night Away” is loaded with chunky riffs ala George Lynch and Dokken, but just doesn't quite make it there somehow.  All in all Legion's Tempest contains some good melodic, almost power metal-ish hard rock, loaded with vocal harmonies and guitar virtuosity, but there's nothing above average here.  Perhaps if they stopped trying to flood the market with so many releases in such a short time and concentrated more on each album they would be of a higher caliber.  Just my two cents worth.

Phil Vincent Website

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