Legendry: The Wizard and the Tower Keep
Label: High Roller Records
Release Date: Nov. 1, 2019
Quite prolific by the standards of the modern music industry, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s Legendry have already released three albums since forming in 2015, including their most recent, the exceptionally epic and badass The Wizard and the Tower Keep.
A power trio, Legendry is comprised of guitarist/vocalist and primary songwriter Vidarr (who also plays mellotron and mandolin), augmented by drummer, Kicker, and more recently bassist Evil St. Clair, who’s skill at composing bass parts added a seriously refined bottom end sound to the songs on The Wizard and the Tower Keep.
Legendry is an intriguing and attractive amalgam of sounds, one that is actually boldly unique in the age of modern metal classifications. Upon multiple listens to all seven lyrically prosaic and musically diverse songs, one can’t help but sometimes wonder if this album was, in part, recorded in 1971 or 1981. And that’s because Vidarr has crafted material that utilizes sounds and instrumentation that were welcome in both eras, yet convincingly don’t sound dated.
The keyboards are used to mimic a flute sound, giving a number of the tracks, especially the magnificently epic title track, a Jethro Tull feel. In fact, Vidarr cites Tull as an influence, with the Ian Anderson-like flute melodies, the rustic/Celtic feel of tracks like The Bard’s Tale, Behind the Summoner’s Seal and parts of the final cut, Earthwarrior, easily fitting on some of Tull’s early 1970s records.
At the same time, Legendry also make listeners wonder if they were in fact born in the steel town of Birmingham, England as opposed to America’s steel town of Pittsburgh PA, not just for the Tull and Uriah Heep vibes they give off, but also by how much the sonic landscape and production of The Wizard and the Tower Keep are imbued with the spirit of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal.
The Lost Road, for example contains a rollicking beat and a gritty tone reminiscent of Killers-era Iron Maiden, with Vidarr’s voice even harkening a bit back to then Maiden singer Paul Di’Anno’s rasp. There is really more of the sorts of lyrical, tonal and musical elements of NWOBHM acts like Saxon, Diamond Head and the gladiatorial storytelling and heavy bass lines of Manowar, than there are of the early U.S. thrash movement, exemplified by Metallica and Megadeth.
Honestly, it was a delight to hear so many varied sounds and influences come to bear on what is an adventurous mystically-themed concept album. At points, you could close your eyes and even hear some Lemmy-era Hawkwind, especially on the album’s second track, Vindicator.
I think this album would be perfect for fans of all the band’s mentioned above, as well as folks who are fans of all the bands subsequently influenced in later generations by them. Legendry is able to bring old sounds, hell even a cool Hammond organ and fuzzed-up wah wah guitar sound, into the third decade of the 20th century without being derivative, for which they should be given great credit.
If you like a lot of interesting imagery and story telling to go along with some epic, cinematic musical passages, and a rolling good roller coaster of a musical ride, you can’t go wrong giving The Wizard and the Tower Keep a few good listens.
For more information, visit https://legendry.bandcamp.com, or https://www.facebook.com/legendryband.
- Review by Jim Barber
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