Legacy, while not quite living up to its lofty name, nevertheless deftly stirs the melodic bombast of Eighties pop metal, the churning darkness of Nineties alternative metal and the heavy drama of modern-day progressive metal into a tasty concoction.
Judging on appearances alone – the cheesy album cover, the pretty-boy photos of band members and the song titles ("Troubleshooter," "Mission of Mercy," "Can't Remember Love") – it would be easy to dismiss Legacy as a wannabe hair-band. But the Los Angeles-based quartet actually has a lot more going for it than a retro vibe. All of these guys are seasoned players who know their way around impressive hooks, kick-ass riffs and – plain and simple – decent songwriting. While this self-titled debut opens with three songs featuring one-word-titles, downtuned guitars and some major angst, the next song, "Autumn Rising," sends listeners back to those carefree windows-down days of the late-Eighties. This power ballad would have been huge 15 years ago.
The rest of Legacy falls into a similar pattern, although three instrumentals ("2.4.1," "Astral Sundown" and the Jason Becker/Marty Friedman-inspired "Thank You") during the album's second half slow down the record's pacing. Still, these guys manage to bridge the gap between three genres that don't seem as far removed from each other as they once did.
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