Legacy Legacy
by Joe Mis
Staff Writer
Eonian has done it again. They’ve managed to unearth another interesting but relatively unknown band from the hair metal days of the late 1980s. This time it is Legacy, a Columbus, Ohio based Christian metal quintet with a lot of talent and enthusiasm.
Legacy’s sound on this self-titled release is easily comparable to fellow Christian rockers Stryper and a number of more mainstream acts such as Winger and Dokken. Musically tight, they lay down some great high-energy guitar lines with punchy bass and pounding drums, and basically display all of the required “hair metal” characteristics. Vocalist Doug Meacham excels at hitting the high range, with an occasional screech thrown in just for fun. He is ably supported by the dynamite guitar work of Fred Blanchard and Matt Rice, both outstanding rhythm players (although some of their solos are a bit formulaic). John Rice and John Jenkins make a good team at the bottom end and help to tie all of the music together nicely. Their lyrics are a bit preachy, so if the idea of Christian metal turns you off it is probably best to skip this release.
The audio production is very good – these were obviously not quick and dirty demo recordings. The sound is balanced and clear throughout, and all aspects of Legacy’s music come though nicely. As is Eonian’s tradition, the CD itself is nicely supported by copious liner notes and slick artwork (although for some unexplained reason they decided to print the notes in white lettering on a mixed yellow/orange/red background making them a struggle to read).
“Salvation Is Law” opens the CD with some solid melodic guitars and lots of energy that carries through the balance of the CD. This one track highlights both the strengths and weaknesses of the band. The music is big and bold with great rhythm guitars, good vocals, solid bass and energetic drumming. At times however, Meacham’s vocals are difficult to understand without straining, and the guitar solo seems to be a “lets see how many guitar gimmicks we can stick in here” kind of thing. These flaws are easily forgivable as this was a young band just starting to get their act together. “It’s Real” is a full on rocker, again with great crunchy rhythm guitars and the best vocals on the disc, while “Cross The Line” features an incredibly aggressive rhythm line. Since this hair metal, “Forever In Your Arms” is the required power ballad/love song, while “Don’t Run Away” is an aggressive number based on the biblical “Prodigal Son” story and “Red, White And Blue” is a pro-USA arena rock anthem.
“Change Of A Broken Heart” is a nicely written Stryper-ish song about finding strength through faith with great harmony vocals at the start. Nice harmony guitar work opens the upbeat “Comin’ Along,” while “Soldiers Unite” plays on the somewhat hackneyed “Christian soldier” metaphor with pounding martial drums and a very George Lynch guitar line. “One Way Or The Other” continues to up the intensity, almost reaching power metal levels – about as heavy as these guys can get. “Live It” features some mellow pop metal riffs and nice vocals, while “What A World” is a sad social commentary. The energetic and heavy “Model Citizen” insists that one man can make a difference, while “Vision Of Perfection” wraps the disc with the best guitar solos on the album.
Legacy is a pleasant release, and any fan of the hair metal genre will enjoy it. The album will also appeal to guitar fans thanks to the complex and interesting rhythm lines and hooks of Legacy’s music. However, if you are offended or uncomfortable with overly religious lyrics, then look away lest ye be turned into a pillar of salt. While not as blatant or in-your-face as Stryper, there is no doubt whatsoever that this is a fully Christian metal band. If you look beyond the lyrics you will realize that Legacy is a solid band that could easily have earned commercial success and mainstream appeal back in the day.
Genre: Christian Metal
Band:
Doug Meacham (vocals)
John Jenkins (drums)
John Rice (bass)
Fred Blanchard, Matt Rice (guitars)
Track Listing:
1. Salvation Is Law
2. It’s Real
3. Cross The Line
4. Forever In Your Arms
5. Don’t Run Away
6. Red, White, And Blue
7. Change Of A Broken Heart
8. Comin’ Along
9. Soldiers Unite
10. One Way Or The Other
11. Live It
12. What A World
13. Model Citizen
14. Vision Of Perfection
Label: Eonian Records
Website: http://www.eonianrecords.com/b-legacy/legacy.html , http://www.myspace.com/legacycolumbus
Hardrock Haven rating: 7.5/10