Celtic Legacy

You don't see a lot of Irish metal bands, but when you do, as with Primordial, Mael Mordha and the subject of this review, Celtic Legacy, they're always cool as fuck. Celtic Legacy are the most unabashedly old school and traditional of that lot, with a sound firmly rooted in old Iron Maiden. Think galloping riffs, stately tempos, high flying choruses and a penchant for the epic – that's Celtic Legacy. You do get a fair bit of misty-eyed folk instrumentation, too, which is cool and does a lot to set the band apart from their contemporaries in the European power metal scene that was rising up around the same time.

The brains behind the band is Dave Morrissey, who plays guitars and keyboards here. He obviously knows his shit, as these songs are all crisp and easy to listen to. They're breezy listens, with catchy hooks and a fair amount of energy. Songs like “Wandering Free” and a burst of energy like “Shine” are brimming with life. The band sounds best when they slow down for the moodier, more epic numbers with the most Celtic-sounding atmospheres. “Rainman” is a wistful half ballad with a beautiful main melody. “Glen Corr – Spirit of the Vagabond” is probably the best song on the album, with a driving epic theme and the most aggressive, powerful vocal performance. Singer Tommy Branagan is a bit of a weak point, as his voice is rather indistinct, but he never sounds bored and he seems to give it his all.

The album does get a bit long winded at the end – the eponymous 11-minute title song has a lot of good stuff in it, but it goes on for too long and doesn't really have a strong climax. “Waterfront” is a humble and somewhat affecting song, but again, I'm not sure it needed to be six minutes long. In general this is a very enjoyable album, and its only sin is that there is never a moment where it truly grabs you by the throat and pulls you along for a ride – rather, it is a more friendly and passive listen, pleasant while it's on, but rarely ever truly engaging you. But all the songs are fairly well written and it's certainly worth your time if you're into neat, inividual heavy metal with a folksy twist.

The band would really hit a stride, however, on their next album...