IN REVIEW: He Is Legend

IN REVIEW: He Is Legend - "few"

It's hard work flying under the radar; for over a decade, He Is Legend have carved themselves a consistently interesting musical path, garnering accolades from the heavy music community while releasing adventurous, thrilling albums. Their previous, 2014's Heavy Fruit, felt like a culmination of all their desires and resulted in a high water mark for the band that would prove to be a tough act to follow. Still, with little promotional consideration thanks to their deal with tiny imprint Tragic Hero, they failed to see the proportionate financial return on their artistic investments.

So, in the wake of the conclusion of their record deal, He Is Legend decided to go to the source, launching a successful crowdfunding campaign for few; not only was it heartening to feel direct support from the fan level, He Is Legend also found themselves a distribution offer from Spinefarm (parent label Universal), so it certainly seems as though they're better equipped for a breakthrough than ever before.

Thankfully, the tunes on He Is Legend's fifth album are up to snuff. As on Heavy Fruit, few finds this talented group of rockers pulling their sound in several directions while maintaining an air of consistent heaviness and accessibility; lead off track Air Raid perfectly illustrates the balance that's struck between airy, layered rock and visceral, pummeling metal. Elsewhere, there are several reminders that, as hard as they may go (and this album does house some of the band's heaviest tunes), their gifts for melody and songwriting are what sets them apart; the haunting and slashing Beaufort, the crushing Alice In Chains tinged ballad Silent Gold, the flavourful and rapidly evolving Gold Dust, the dizzying and all-encompassing Eastern Locust and the manic blues freak-out Fritz the Dog see the band dig deep into their bag of tricks, incorporating a host of influences while twisting and molding the music to fit whatever the song calls for.

As wild and far-ranging as few is, the band has admittedly been wilder and ranged further; in this respect, the album as a whole comes off as more of a distillation than an evolution. That said, few winds up being a more cohesive record than what came before; for a band that has spent the duration of their career up to this point steadily moving forward, taking a moment to pause in their comfort zone (albeit a comfort zone that would be pretty damn uncomfortable for most bands) can be construed as a step back. This album is not that, rather a reiteration of their immense talent and a further reminder that He Is Legend are one of the most overlooked gems in heavy music.

April 28, 2017 • Spinefarm
Highlights Air Raid • Beaufort • Eastern Locust

Year in Rock 2025

Alright, I've got some explaining to do. By now anyone who's visited this blog is well aware of how infrequently I've used this space in recent years; aside from the occasional fertile year of content, I really haven't posted all that often over the last five years or so. There are many reasons for this, which have already been outlined in previous apology posts; but, essentially, it boils down to my own laziness and the cold reality that blogs are, like Refused (again), fucking dead. So, I wouldn't hold my breath for a triumphant return to reviews, or even semi-regular posts, but: a) I feel like Year in Rock posts have always belonged here and, even though I've experimented with different methods of presentation recently and been satisfied, the "blink and you missed it" unveiling via Facebook stories this year was perhaps ultimately a disservice to the records I lauded. After all, cramming the list into short videos isn't too far off from ju...

Year in Rock 2013 Nominee: Arctic Monkeys

ARCTIC MONKEYS Do I Wanna Know? From: AM Released: September 10 That Year in Rock 2012's Single of the Year R U Mine? ended up on this album is pleasing, and it fits the motif well enough. But R U Mine? isn't what makes Arctic Monkeys' fifth album an Album of the Year contender. Sweaty, sultry and pulsing with sexual energy, AM is the kind of record that's just as effective whether you're chilling out after a long day, staring into a mirror prepping yourself for a late night clubbing session or setting the mood for some escapades in the boudoir.

Year in Rock 2023: Album of the Year #10-1

Now we're getting somewhere; the top ten, where there are no duds or mids, only bangers. Also, no more teasing it out; let's wrap this up! What I've learned this year from my ten faves this year is that it is indeed still possible for a dude approaching his fifties to more or less stay up to date on the new school. Of course, there are some listed here that got a boost from playing tribute to the old school, but there is an undercurrent happening in rock that points to the future. But, I'm getting ahead of myself; here come the champs. 10 MILITARIE GUN Life Under the Gun June 23, 2023 • Loma Vista Highlights Very High Will Logic Never Fucked Up Once Rising from the ranks of the still-potent L.A. hardcore scene, the debut record from Militarie Gun (following a trio of EPs) bears a dash of polish that's expected with backing from a larger label; the tension and energy remain, though, resulting in one of the catchiest hardcore albums I can think of in recent years. 9 ...

SOUND BITES

Search This Blog