Legend: Forged in Defiance

The newest album from Fellwarden sounds like the soundtrack to a fantasy movie with its epic narrative. "Legend..." often resembles Viking-era Bathory, but the music here is too folkish and intense compared to Quorthon's creation. Anyway, mostly this is the same mid-tempo epic groove, though interspersed with almost black metal sections, and during these highspeed passages, "Legend..." is classic atmospheric black metal with considered melodies.

However, the speed here serves more to demonstrate the movement in the majestic narrative: although each song contains a fast blastbeat section, with the exception of 'Serenity', these accelerations do not carry any semantic charge. The battle-like drumming that fills the album has a much greater impact on the general atmosphere. And, if you don't go into raptures about unending anthemic singing, then stay away from "Legend...". Though it merits saying that the rhythm guitar here is even vicious: if the lead is typical for atmospheric black metal, then the rhythm is somehow dismal and gloomy, but it suits the epic narrative.

The Watcher (Frank Allain), a band leader who invites session musicians for recording, sometimes borrows from other genres; for example, melancholic clean guitar picking in 'Desperation', which evokes post-black metal emotions, or guitar strumming at the beginning of 'Serenity', which is almost true apocalyptic folk. Nevertheless, "Legend..." follows the canons of the genre.

Metalegion # 15