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Legend

Fearless

Written by: SC on 21/01/2013 23:27:06

Despite the quite ugly and annoying Thatcher-effect inspired album-cover, with the upside-down mouth and eyes, the Icelandic pop-synth-rock duo Legend has released a pretty solid album called “Fearless”. Industrial is not quite an adequate label to this release even though it reaches in that direction.

Despite the feeling of industrial the soundscape is a mixture of Nine Inch Nails’ “The Downward Spiral”'s bitter and introspective way of combining low tempo electronica with distortion guitars in the background, Depeche Mode’s more grandiose and voluminous dark synth, and the Danish guy Rangleklods’ more danceable pop approach to this kind of electronica. This potion of different ingredients tastes really delicious, and you are constantly introduced to new flavours of the music every time you listen to this record.

All the vocals are delivered by Krummi Björgvinsson (also known from “Mínus”) and they fits perfectly in this blend. He switches between a quite high-pitch singing that especially on the ballad “Violence” is reminiscent of R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe, and a lower- and darker-pitched chanting approach that is expressed genuinely on the up-tempo track “Benjamite Bloodline” which bears resemblance to the latest Editors record “In This Light And On This Evening”. This alternation really lifts “Fearless” to a whole other level and makes the album a pretty exciting listen.

Halldor Björnsson is the genius behind the keys. The opening track “Amazon War” is an instrumental track that builds up really slowly to a massive wall of amazing electronic sounds. These electronics combined with piano and guitars create a continuously evolving soundscape. It is so impressive how these two guys have made this record. Almost every track sounds new compared to the rest of the album and one will do it most justice if listening to it when one can focus on it, because this way you will get the most out of all the layers and dynamics of the structures of the tracks.

“Fearless” is a magnificent puzzle of different sound-approaches which creates a very nice bridge between the dark (and occasionally a bit horrific) expression and the lighter, more danceable tracks. Although all of the tracks have a lot of potential and quality the soundscape is almost too clean and controlled though. Despite this paradox the record is really worth considering because of the exciting and mysterious soundscape and the impressive vocals.

Download: Benjamite Bloodline, City, Devil In Me
For The Fans Of: Depeche Mode, Rangleklods, Editors
Listen: facebook.com

Release Date 14.12.2012
Artoffact Records