A strange throwback to a slew of independent metal
bands whose demos circulated the thriving tape trading
underground circa 1987, Legacy's Stand and Conquer is authentic enough in its affection for an era you sometimes wonder, listening to it, if this isn't in
fact some long-lost record by some long-forgotten
group that finally bubbled up from beneath the
underground. The production is forgivably thin in
plays, consistent with that bygone era, the vocals are
of the classic early Queensryche and Fates Warning
variety and the songs, if not always memorable, are at
the very least supported by ace riffs and enough
enthusiasm to light a fairly large Midwestern city.
Guitarist Darin Moore's prowess on his instrument is
commendable and while he, bassist Patrick Palmer,
drummer Andy Hall and vocalist Randy Allen form a
thoroughly cohesive unit, Stand and Conquer falls short of classic status. Although the album is largely
focused and solid, there are moments (the
almost-up-to-minute "You Can't Hide" and the
enthusiastically rendered and authentically '80s but
ultimately uneventful ballad "Without You") that just
don't seem up to par with songs such as "Free To Fly"
and the closing instrumental "Battlecry/The
Reckoning."
But those flaws were an integral part of the era that
Stand and Conquer so frequently recalls and for that, one has to admire this record, though there are
certainly other, better reasons, which one hopes
there'll be more of on the band's next outing. Make a
cassette copy (use the cheapest tape you can find for
maximum effect) of this one for the car and enjoy.
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