by Joe Mis
– Senior Columnist —
The busiest man in metal music strikes again. Phil Vincent’s full band, Legion, returns with a very solid release – their sixth CD – entitled Tempest. Phil seems to have a truly bottomless pit of inspiration, as despite prodigious output as a solo artist and member of Legion, Tragik, and D’Ercole his music never seems stale or repetitious.
Legion is arguably Phil Vincent’s strongest venue, as he has built a truly solid band around his songwriting. In its current incarnation Phil handles lead vocals, Vince O’Regan (Bob Catley) shines on guitar, Gavin Cooper (Paul Di’Anno) delivers bass, veteran Andy Pierce provides drums, and Irvin Parrat handles the keys. The guys in the band know each other well and perform as a true unit. Musically they deliver edgy yet melodic metal in the Dokken/Winger vein, although with many modern touches and flourishes. Tempest is the richest and most varied Legion release to date – one the band can be proud of.
Unfortunately the album opens with a long chunk of TV and radio soundbites, and while the material is relevant to the theme of “Just Can’t Stop” it just runs on for way too long before the real music kicks in. Once the track gets going, it features Phil’s strong vocals over really sharp guitar riffs from Vince O’Regan. O’Regan delivers a smooth, bluesy groove and some guitar hero breaks on the mid-tempo rocker “Open Fire”. “Steal The Night Away” is a very Dokken-esque track with tons of grit and growl, and a great drum line courtesy of Andy Pierce. “More Than Meets The Eye” has a bit of a Winger feel to it thanks to Irv Parrat’s well-positioned keyboards, while the crisp, clean guitar work in “Altered State” is simply stellar. “Walking In Your Footsteps” is a very progressive sounding track with heavy keys and multi-layered vocals – something a bit different from the band.
“Do Or Die” definitely has a George Lynch / Dokken vibe to it, and this high-energy track delivers the metal on all fronts. O’Regan proves himself to be a guitar monster here. “Piece Of My Heart” is a commercial rocker with a bouncy bass line and a definite hair-metal feel. “Sacrifice” has an epic feel to it harkens back to the late 70s or early 80s – Phil keeps his vocals in a tight range, but the guitars have a Jimmy Page tone throughout – at least until the lead break. Drums and bass carry “Crash & Burn” into up-tempo metal territory while the closer, “(We Are) Legion,” settles into a smooth blues-rock groove – a great rock anthem.
Whether delivering hard and heavy or ballad, Legion never loses the melody – a Phil Vincent trademark. He tends to write music with gritty, heavier verses, but wraps them with upbeat and melodic, and in many cases sing-along choruses. With song styles ranging from arena rockers to ballads to blues rock to pure metal, Legion’s Tempest is more of the same from Phil Vincent and friends – but that’s a good thing!
Recommended for all fans of melodic metal!
Genre: Melodic Metal, Hard Rock
Band:
Phil Vincent (vocals)
Vince O’Regan (guitar)
Gavin Cooper (bass)
Andy Pierce (drums)
Irvin Parrat (keyboards)
Track Listing:
1. Just Can’t Stop
2. Open Fire
3. Stealing The Night Away
4. More Than Meets The Eye
5. Altered State
6. Walking In Your Footsteps
7. Do Or Die
8. Piece Of My Heart
9. My Sacrifice
10. Crash & Burn
11. (We Are) Legion
Label: Z Records
Website: http://philvincentbands.com/
Hardrock Haven rating: 8.5/10
