LEGION – Rising

Rock Company 2019

LEGION –
Rising

Higher and higher, British heavyweights hit the mark to find the sky’s the limit.

One of a multitude of metal units with the same name, this ensemble have occupied colorful end of a usually monochrome spectrum for nigh on a decade now, yet their tenth album’s title indicates a new beginning – on a label hosting other releases from Phil Vincent-fronted teams. So there’s a reason behind the group’s indefatigability and defiance that fill opener “Nothin’ To Me” with both bravado and self-doubt for the harmonies-heavy refrain of “Who do you think you are?” to offset Vince O’Regan’s razor-like riffs and set the tone for entire record.

But if the same feelings inform “Maybe Now…” before its balladry gives way to a somewhat weightier outburst, and “Politician” asks more challenging questions, classic hard rock panache dissolves the darkness of “Full Moon Rising” in less compromising manner, while the contagious choruses of “Got A Line On You” toss regret out the window. So whereas “Only The Strong Survive” doesn’t have a lot of ingenuity to it, this piece’s stereo dialogue is laid out with much gusto, yet “Found Out The Hard Way” is shifting focus from vocals to guitar, only to let “Lost Soul” pour gloom upon the listener and bid farewell rather dramatically – calling for another flight. Alluring.

****1/5

April 10, 2019