"Still Screaming" - R E V I E W S
Updated July 29th 2003
Legend
Still Screaming
Twenty years ago there was a movement that will never find its equal: NWOBHM. You really could speak about a flood of new groups and until today acts such as Iron Maiden, Def Leppard or Saxon mean a lot to many people.
As always many felt chosen but few reached the top. A promising band from that time was Legend. Coming from Jersey, one of the Channel Islands and with two LP’s and a EP on their account. Records that were loaded with great guitarviolence (by Pete Haworth) and beautiful compositions. A great future was within reach but circumstances decided different. Bassist Eggy Auberts and singer Mike Lezala left in 1984 just before the big breakthrough. Legend fell apart in 1984 and it took ‘till last year to put life back into this legend. Monster Records managed to get the three records on two CD’s (with extra bonustracks!) and get the interest of lots of hardrockers.
The fact that the original records are nowhere to be found makes this re-release double interesting. What nobody believed anymore, seemed possible after all a resurrection from the band. Not a cheap reunion with a few gigs but with a brand new record.. And what kind of record. Mike and Pete may be the only original members but they succeeded in recording a killer record. They still know how to do it like in the early days and they make us long for the eighties again.
Highlights enough, but among the best are certainly the opening song "I’m Not Angry", "Eden Massacre" and "Hiroshima 2003" a remake from the version that’s on the debut album. Fans from the movement mentioned before just have to buy this CD and those who like metal with speedfinger guitarwork won’t make a bad deal either. - Rock Tribune Magazine (Belgium)
LEGEND - "Still Screaming" - 2003 (Monster)
Phil and Dennis at Monster Records have come up with another killer here - new music from one of the best bands to ever come out of the NWOBHM scene in the early 80s. Both LEGEND's self-titled debut ('81) and "Death in the Nursery" ('82)are masterpieces from start to finish (see "20 Years in Review I"), and so is this. Funny if you consider how many great bands from that era have pushed out TONS of mediocre schlock over the last 20 years (SAXON, LEPPARD). "Still Screaming" takes up exactly where the band left off without missing a beat. Haworth and Lezala have never sounded better, and this time we're talking top-notch production, kinda like QUEENSRYCHE "Empire" if you know what I mean. The acoustic guitarwork and bluesy electric crush weaves in and out of perfectly crafted melodies and vocal lines in virtually every track. I just get lost in stuff like "Maybe This Time" as an example. Gorgeous Strat-style blues lead starts it off...moving through a captivating set of verses and vocal hooks, into a blazing metal solo...then back to the strat blues again..etc. etc.. over 7 minutes! That's just one song, folks. At any rate, it's an honor to have a chance to review an album this great. Available at Monster Records excellent website. These guys are masters! - PeaceDogMan
Legend - "Still Screaming" [Monster MCD029] - Some of the "survivors" of the original NWOBHM are proving to themselves and to the world that when the right spirit is there, age becomes a factor of secondary importance. From the Channel Islands, Legend are living a second youth after storming the underground back in the Eighties with some seminal releases like the "Death in the Nursery" album, still ranking very high in an imaginary NWOBHM all-time best. About 20 years have passed but this exciting new CD shows the Pete Haworth/Mike Lezala (guitarist and lead singer) songwriting ability unhindered by the time, and it still amazes me, like with the Soldier EP, to realize how close the sound of the "old warriors" is faithful to the original, and it's a true delight to see that the band hasn't been tempted by any of the newer, lame heavy metal trends that only give a bad name to what once was the proudest wing of rock music.
"Still Screaming" is an excellent release that puts Legend back on the map, delivering the same brand of classy heavy metal we loved them for in 1982; the unique blend of haunting, thundering guitar riffs and etheral melodic breaks, a long-time trademark of the band, is still there since the opening track "I Am Not Angry", an instant classic up to par with the best of the older material. There's a "progressive" feel that surrounds the album, especially in tracks like the frightening "Pompeii", the lengthy title-track or "Maybe This Time", where the extreme versatility of Pete Haworth's guitar manages to evocate more complex and fascinating atmospheres. And even when Legend go "frontal", like in "Eden Massacre", "Generations Underground" or "Living in Your Nightmare", the sensation of being in front of a sound that defies most conventions is always there. To this respect, hats off to Mike Lezala, a singer capable of unusual vocal lines whose contribution to the overall sound is fundamental. The album closes with the 2003 version of "Hiroshima", probably Legend's most popular song, to strengthen the link with a glorious past. A very welcome comeback, and once again, an occasion to testify how the soul of the truest NWOBHM refuses to die. - Metal Gods
LEGEND - "Still Screaming" CD '03 (Monster, US) - Ok I know I already reviewed this a little ways down, but I just got my official, finished copy and I've gotta say. THIS F&@KING DESTROYS!!! Not only is this the best LEGEND album of all, it looks great, sounds great and if you can find a better album than this in any form of music, then brother or sister, don't only buy it but invest in the band & the label. Music doesn't get any better than this. Best band from the NWOBHM has just put out their best record, some 20+ years down the line. Haworth & Lezala rule!!! (So do Dennis & Phil for putting this out!)
Chaos Realm
LEGEND - "Still Screaming" Monster Records MCD029
I guess when the talk started making it's way around a few years ago about a new LEGEND album I was hopeful, but really wondered if such a blessed event would ever unfold. See, the NWOBHM means different things to different people. To the greater majority, it's probably IRON MAIDEN, DEF LEPPARD, SAXON & to a lesser extent, ANGEL WITCH, TYGERS, SAMSON, etc. Now, don't get me wrong. I love all those bands. The only thing is, there was a little ol' band called LEGEND from Jersey in the Channel Islands that totally crushed my mind with their 2 albums & EP, from 1981 to '83. Not posessing that same post-punk-meets-Priest sound of the Maidens & Co, these guys were different. They were heavier, rawer, darker & a good bit more daring songwriters. Take a bit of old Sabbath, a bit of old Rush, mix in super-unique folk-y vocals & then crush the whole mix with some of the most ass-kicking, wild & nasty Uli Roth-Gary Moore styled lead axe & you had a bonafide monster.
Of course, it was a style that took some deeper thought & due to that & the fact that they never got a major deal, LEGEND never made the commercial impact of those other bands. But, I loved 'em like crazy, eventually got in touch with guitarist Pete Haworth & hoped, prayed that one day?..... THE DAY IS HERE!!!!
Pete Haworth & vocalist extraordinaire Mike Lezala have resurrected the LEGEND name and now back it up with the 4th LEGEND release & one that not only lives up to that monicker but SCREAMS it in technicolour!
Of course, gone here is the nearly garage-recording style that came with the self-titled 1981 debut, but in it's place comes a sound that is so full, clear & heavy that it seems to be reaching through the speakers & grabbing you by the damn throat. Haworth piles guitar riffs on top of guitar riffs as songs like "Eden Massacre," "Still Screaming" & "Pompeii" patrol & plunder darkly & with extreme malice! As they did over 20 years ago, Mike Lezala's vocals speak in a duality, their mid-range control also blaze with a passionate warning about all sorts of perceptive topics. As icing on the cake, Pete lays down solo after solo of death-defying guitar that shows what old-school metal guitar is supposed to sound like, while innovating every step of the way. Other bands may follow, other bands may try to be heavy in the way people who have gone before them have done. LEGEND, on the other hand, as they did in the early '80's are still showing a new way while fusing it with laser power to the dark, old way we all love. I often fear re-unions, bands coming out of the wood-work, as it can seem like a shell of the past. In LEGEND's case, it is nothing like that at all. This is one hell of a dangerous beast that has been re-awakened, and all I can say is, anybody in it's way had better watch out, as even the newly done version of '81's "Hiroshima" here shimmers like a freshly stropped sword in the sun.
LEGEND KILLS!!!!! - Ray Dorsey Chaos Realm
"Still Screaming's remarkably strong material largely achieves the daunting task of staying true to the metallic old-school while making way for contemporary sonic standards and discreetly observing new millennium trends. Opening track "I'm Not Angry" and a number of follow-up songs like "Born in Chaos" and "Maybe This Time" utilize overly synthetic drum sounds and flirt with circular guitar figures reminiscent of modern nü-metal, but their overall stylistic imprint is clearly informed by NWOBHM hallmarks through and through. And no amount of time seems capable of dulling guitarist Peter Haworth's stellar riff-work and distinctive, fluid soloing, which spark album standouts such as "Take a Man," the infectious quasi-single "Generations Underground," and the career highlight "Eden Massacre." - Ed Rivadavia - All Music Guide
Legend "Still Screaming" 9/10
MONSTER RECORDS, IMPORT
Gamla goa LEGEND från Jersey är tillbaka! Pete Haworth motionerade med dottern Jodie's SINAPTIK häromåret och sedan kom "Anthology". Det gav uppenbarligen mersmak och bandet insåg säkert att de har mer att ge.
Inledande "I´m Not Angry" går i typiskt LEGEND-tempo. En lite lätt rörig ljudbild där alla instrument verkar flyta ihop. BLACK SABBATH-influenserna från förr finns kvar men har fått en komplexare inramning och musikerna har blivit bättre. Inte minst Pete´s gitarr har lyckats med konststycket att förbättra sig. I "Eden Massacre" hörs det väldigt bra i de välbalanserade gitarrbroderierna. Mike Lezala´s röst har fortfarande de lite folkmusiksaktiga undertonerna och bidrar tillsammans med Pete´s gitarr till en stor del av bandets karaktär. Texterna är lika djupa som någonsin, nästan i Phil Lynott-klass, vilket titellåten är ett utmärkt exempel på. LEGEND övertygar även så här ca 22 år efter debuten. Fast detta låter inte som den lite opolerade debuten utan mer som melodiska "Stormers of Heaven" men med mer tyngd. Ett mycket moget och rekommendabelt album som t.o.m. avslutas med en meningsfull nyinspelning av klassikern "Hiroshima". - Sweden Rock Magazine
Legend "Still Screaming" 9/10
MONSTER RECORDS, IMPORT
Good ole LEGEND from Jersey are back! Pete Haworth had a bit of practise with his daughter Jodie's band SINAPTIK last year and then "Anthology" surfaced. That apparently made the band hungry for more and they probably realised that there's more mileage in them still.
Starter "I'm Not Angry" runs in typical LEGEND pace. A slightly messy sound in which all instruments seem to play as one. The BLACK SABBATH influences of old are still there but as part of a more complex frame and played by even better musicians. Pete´s guitar playing has even managed to improve itself. A fine example of that is "Eden Massacre" where the well-balanced guitarionics are easily detected. MikeLezala´s voice is still more than a tad folk music-sounding and together with Pete´s guitar it contributes very much to the character of the band.
The lyrics are as deep-probing as ever, almost in Phil Lynott´s division, the title track is a fine example of that. LEGEND is still very convincing even today, 22 years after their debut. Though this is nothing like the rather unpolished first album, more like the melodic "Stormers of Heaven" but heavier. A very mature and recommendable album, it even finishes off with a re-recording of the classic "Hiroshima" that is extremely far from being a filler. - Sweden Rock Magazine
Wieder so eine Band, die den Markt mit neuen Scheiben überschwemmt. Gerade mal einundzwanzig Jahre nach ihrer letzten EP kommt, zwischendurch gab es eine "Best of" und eine "Anthology" mit allen alten Stücken, schon das neue Album "Still screaming" auf den Markt. Okay, Scherz beiseite. Mit Legend habe ich zumindest nicht mehr gerechnet. VOr zwei Jahren noch stand eine derartige Neuauflage nicht zur Debatte, wie mir Bandkopf Pete Haworth damals mitteilte, glücklicherweise konnte hier das rührige Label Monster Records eine gute Überzeugungsarbeit leisten. Und nun haben wir "Still screaming" vor uns liegen, sie dreht ihre Runden in unserem Player und sie weiß zu gefallen. Legend gehörten seit jeher nicht zu den Bands, die sich am Wettlauf um den Titel der härtesten oder schnellsten Band beteiligten, dementsprechend entspannt und inspiriert gingen sie an ihre Sache heran und tun dies noch heute. Ihr größtes Trademark ist die mittelhohe Stimme von Mike Lezala, dem einzigen neben Pete Haworth beteiligten Mitglied der neuen Legend, welcher von Anfang an dabei war. Sie ist durchdrungen von tiefsitzender Melancholie, ohne nun aber depressiv zu wirken. Sanftmütig und sehr emotional setzt sie Melodiebögen frei, die anders sind, sehr beschwörend, eindringlich, sich gut einprägen lassen, aber sich andererseits nicht aufdrängen. Den instrumentalen Hintergrund liefert allein Pete Haworth, der hier alle Gitarren, den Bass und das Schlagzeug (ein E Drumkit, aber per Hand gespielt, kein Computer, auch wenn es etwas steril klingt)eingespielt hat. Heraus gekommen sind zehn neue Stücke und eine Neueinspielung des alten Knallers "Hiroshima" (muß auf der "Death in the nursery" gewesen sein, ich hab die Scheiben längere Zeit nicht mehr gehört...Asche auf mein Haupt), zumeist von kraftvollen Riffs getrieben, auf einem Fundament aus soliden, straighten Rhythmen fußend.
Innerhalb der Gitarrenarbeit lassen sich wieder und wieder kleine Details entdecken. Von daher wird die Scheibe auch nach mehrmaligem Anhören nicht langweilig, es sei denn, man hegt schon von vorneherein eine Antipathie gegen sie, da sie eben sehr relaxt, auf den ersten Höreindruck sehr unspektakulär wirkt. Doch Zaubermeister Haworth hat hier ganze Arbeit geleistet. Massive Akkordwalzen überrollen Dich, sehr gelöst erscheinende Soli schießen Blitzen gleich durch Dein Gemüt. Kleine Leads und Gitarrenläufe verstärken diese Klangwand von innen her. Dann und wann bricht sie jedoch in sich zusammen, schafft Platz für besinnliche, sehr atmosphärische Passagen, die von unendlicher Schönheit sind. Hierbei kommt dann auch die tiefe Melancholie besonders gut zum Tragen. Wie gesagt, es ist eher ein verträumter Ausdruck, denn ein von negativen Emotionen kündender.
Als würde man auf einem Felsen sitzend auf das Meer hinausblicken und vor diesem gewaltigen Bild erst seiner eigenen Kleinlichkeit gewahr. Doch diese Momente sind natürlich mit geschickter Sparsamkeit ausgewählt worden, Legend waren, sind und bleiben eine Band, die sich auf dem Grat zwischen Metal, Hard - und hartem Progressivrock bewegt. Ihre Musik ist beinahe erdrückend emotional, wirkt hypnotisch, bezaubert Dich, wenn Du es denn zulässt, tiefer in ihre Klangsphären einzudringen. Legend gehören nach wie vor zu den wirklich eigenständigen und originellen Truppen auf diesem Planeten und lassen mit einem einzigen neuen Album den Großteil des derzeitigen Veröffentlichungsstromes überflüssig werden. Sie atmen den freien Geist der 70er noch immer, sie lassen ihre Inspirationen fließen und münzen sie in nachdenklich machende, dennoch anregende Klangbilder um. Wo viele neue Progbands völlig mechanisch und mathematisch frickeln, entfesseln sie einen lebendigen Soundfluß, der ganz natürlich seinen Weg nimmt. Niemals übertreiben sie es mit komplizierten Läufen, im Grunde sind sie sogar recht straight, dennoch nie zu simpel gestrickt. Somit sollten alle Liebhaber eigenständigen, vom Mainstream meilenweit entfernt liegenden Heavyrocks ihre Möglichkeiten nutzen und sich dieses Kleinod bestellen oder im Laden kaufen, damit sich der Songtitel "Maybe this time" tatsächlich auf ein erfolgreiches Comeback beziehen kann. Insgesamt sind die Texte der Gruppe sehr interessant, sehr vieldeutig, von tieferem Sinn. Sie spielen kritisch mit den aktuellen zeitgeschichtlichen Themen, sie geben einen Einblick in die Seelenwelt Mike Lezalas und Peter Haworths. Ein besonderes Schmankerl ist für mich übrigens das etwas flottere "Generations underground", treibend in der Strophe, heavy groovend in der Bridge, dann sehr mitreißend und melodisch im Refrain. "We were lost and found...generations underground". Im Solopart dann eher getragen, allerdings weiterhin von unheimlicher Intensität. Geile Scheibe! - Metal District
Reviewed in HEADACHE magazine July/Aug. 2003
By: Toine van Poorten
Rating: 8 points (out of 10)
LEGEND - Still Screaming - Monster Records
LEGEND has always been a band for the people who look further than the end
of their nose. LEGEND operated unintentional more or less in the underground
of the NWOBHM scene. Fans however, idolised this band, because they
presented their music in their own, self conceited style, which is larded
with the inimitable guitarwork of Pete Haworth. People who liked this band
in the eighties can buy this "Still Screaming" without any fear. The sharp
solos still determine the big picture, what is also dominated by the heavy,
dark sound of the band, and the narrative stories that form an own view on
the world. LEGEND has polished the old NWOBHM sound a bit and transformed it
into the sound of a new millenium. It sounds as clear as a bell, and it
shows us that LEGEND didn't just release a new album because the NWOBHM
sound is popular again. No "Still Screaming" adds an extra dimension to this
British music style that once was so successful. An interview with LEGEND is
scheduled for the next issue of your favorite magazine.
LEGEND
Still Screaming
Etichetta: Monster Records
Anno: 2003
Durata: 64 min
Genere: heavy metal
Ecco finalmente una delle reunion che hanno senso e qualcosa da dire al di fuori delle logiche puramente commerciali. La bellezza di venti anni sono passati dallo scioglimento del gruppo originale, ed ecco che il chitarrista Peter Haworth, grazie all'appoggio della texana Monster Records (vedi sezione Mailorder) si riunisce al cantante Mike Lezala nelle remote isole della Manica per tornare a fare musica assieme, come se il tempo si fosse congelato per due decenni.
L'album e' ben prodotto e aggredisce da subito l'ascoltatore con una dose di dark sound elettrico ed arcaico che ci riporta dritti nelle atmosfere dei vecchi lavori. L'antica ispirazione dei primi Black Sabbath e' fortissima, sia nelle sonorita' sia nei testi che parlano di antimilitarismo, dell'oppressione degli schemi creati dai potenti, di ambientalismo... Si ascoltino ad esempio "Eden Massacre", o la title track "Still Screaming" per capire cosa intendo. Il livello medio dell'album e' alto, ovviamente per chi ama questo tipo di sound che si rifa' ai filoni piu' cupi della vecchia NWOBHM (quella dei Witchfinder General e dei Witchfynde piu' che quella dei Saxon o degli Iron per capirci), e fa un po' strano risentire questo tipo di composizioni incise di fresco in pieno terzo millennio. Pare di tornare indietro con la macchina del tempo!
Da notare come si siano mantenute intatte sia le virtu' chitarristiche di Haworth, sia la particolarissima voce di Lezala (con il suo sound celtico), come se avessero preso due sole settimane di pausa anziche' due interi decenni.
Sulle canzoni non mi soffermo perche' sono quasi tutte di buon valore. Mancano i pezzi da novanta, nel senso che non ce ne sono da sfondamento o di quelle che vanno dritte nelle antologie, ma e' l'album nel suo insieme che si presenta compatto e di qualita', degno erede dei primi due LP e dell'EP che costituiscono il lascito dei vecchi Legend. Alla fine del CD si trova una lunga reincisione di una loro vecchia song, "Hiroshima", e forse e' l'unica cosa qui che mi ha un po' fatto storcere il naso perche' io non sono particolarmente amante delle reinterpretazioni, ma in fondo il remake e' piuttosto ben riuscito, quindi amen.
Consiglio quindi l'acquisto di questo disco senza riserve a tutti coloro che gia' posseggono i vecchi lavori, che tra l'altro dal 2002 sono di nuovo disponibili tutti assieme in un unica ristampa, il doppio "Anthology", pubblicata a prezzo molto onesto sempre dalla Monster Records.
Mork - Luglio 2003 Shapeless Webzine - Italy
Voto: 8
Aardschokkers from the first hour maybe can remember Legend, the
semi-legendary band, hailing from the Channel Island Jersey. More than
twenty (!) years ago the band made two albums (Legend and Death In The
Nursery) and a mini-album (Frontline), which got in the best NWOBHM years
great appriciation from the guys that made Aardschok in those days and were
rereleased last year as a double CD called Anthology.
But Legend was no typical NWOBHM band. They were too much against the grain,
too progressive. The love from Aardschok was not wrongly, cause Legend stood
for quality on all releases. A band with good songs, with talented musicians
like singer Mike Lezala and guitarist Pete Haworth who gave Legend a unique
and recognisable sound.
And Legend seems to still (or again) excist and surprises us in 2003 with a
third album. Lezala and Haworth are still in the band - the others are not
mentioned- and Still Screaming fits exactly in the Legend from the old days.
Lezala's voice is still recognisable from thousands, Haworth is still
freaking like twenty years ago and the song are just as self-conseited and
against the grain. I would not call the sound of Legend modern, probably out
of date, but for the few who cherish the memories from the old Legend (like
myself) Still Screaming is no bad deal for sure.
Andre Verhuysen Aardschok - Holland
The roots of Legend stretch all the way back to 1980. They were among the originators of the early eighties New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. They released their self titled debut in 1981 and quickly followed with Death in the Nursery and the Frontline e.p. While bands like Def Leppard and Iron Maiden became stars, others like Angel Witch, Holocaust, and Praying Mantis became cult favorites- Legend had a respectful reputation and a smaller cult status. The band teamed up with Monster Records to release the double c.d., Anthology, which also included a never released six song demo from 1984. This sparked a reunion between the band's leaders- guitarist Pete Haworth and vocalist Mike Lezala.
They started writing new songs and now release a new studio album, their first in twenty years. Still Screaming is a triumphant return. Both Haworth and Lezala actually sound better. Lezala always had a great voice but with a more modern production he sounds spectacular. Meanwhile Haworth comes out blazing from the start. "I'm Not Angry" has some killer solos. "G.H.B." has a slight doomy feel but "Eden Massacre" proves to be the album's best track with some great riffs being the highlight. Lezala actually sounds like Ozzy Osbourne on "Take a Man" and shows a previously unseen sinister side on "Born in Chaos". Much of Still Screaming sounds like it was written just after Death in the Nursery, it's almost as if the last two decades didn't even exist. If there are fans out there, you won't be disappointed.
Album Score: 7.5 out of 10
Reviewed by: Brett VanPut - Transcending the Mundane