LEGENDARIUM - For Eternal Glory (Review)

Written by: The Administrator 

Greetings, dear reader! Before you read any further into this review, I implore you to hit play on "A Thousand Swords," the opening track on Legendarium's mighty new album. There's a handy embed located below for your convenience. Let it ride while you read!

So. When one opens with a barn-burning riff of this caliber, the listener is inevitably left to wonder: was anything kept in reserve? Was the eternity of this album's guitar power unleashed in one glorious display of incendiary fury? What could possibly follow? In the case of For Eternal Glory, there's quite a few places left to venture. Nominally operating under the elusive "powerdeath" tag, Legendarium has built a unique aesthetic over the years that incorporates a variety of sights and sounds from a diverse palette of genres, ranging from melodic death, to power, to folk, to heavy metal. The primary influence of classic melodeath à la Ensiferum or At The Gates is readily apparent in the hefty riffcraft and the inclusion of gruff harsh vocals. There's a gallop at play, evoking the glory of NWOBHM without ever fully abandoning those death-ier influences.

However, while undoubtably a guitar album, For Eternal Glory never feels caged in nor exclusively defined by the dominance of Laurence Kerbov's superb riffcraft. The album's overall aesthetic often leans into the epic atmosphere, fantastical environs, and general positivity championed by many a power metal band. Expansive keys and even a tin whistle inclusion courtesy of Jared Archon grace the album with a certain levity. And all the while, the punky bounce and vocal sneer that dominated earlier efforts permeates, injecting the whole affair with a foot-stomping momentum.

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Every new Legendarium album demonstrates a marked improvement in the vocal arena. 2022's Death's Hand In Yours was a big step in terms of meshing the vocal delivery with the instrumentation. I'm pleased to report that For Eternal Glory represents perhaps the largest leap forward. Laurence's harsher tone is grizzled and grounded, and works very well to balance more high-flying guitar heroics. Meanwhile, the melodic cleans sound like they come directly from the sinus, lending the vocals a slightly muffled sound that is warm and comfortable. This unique quality makes a song like closer "Through the Endless Night" an unexpectedly calming listen despite the instrumentation, which isn't exactly dormant. The tracks with more anthemic choruses--take "My Life In Your Hands" or the triumphant yet melancholic "Tomorrow We Die" as prime examples--are stirring and emotive, and act as a nice foil to the album's more aggressively melodeath moments. On that note, the choruses on this album are a real highlight. I'm a sucker for a good hook, and can confirm that this thing is truly littered with earworms. I've been singing "Crypt Crusher" and the aforementioned "My Life In Your Hands" under my breath for the better part of a week. If that isn't the sign of a good damn song, I dunno what is.

From a production standpoint, this album really hits the nail on the head when it comes to evoking an old-school warmth. There's a lived-in vibe that I enjoy immensely. The guitars fill the space and are crisp when they need to be. The bass is powerful, and Stefano Vaccari's drums have a healthy presence without overpowering. The occasional keys and sound effects don't feel gimmicky, and never feel like they are floating on a different plane than the rest of the instrumentation. "Nightfall in the Deep Woods" is perhaps the best representation of the natural integration of these elements.
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I would have a hard time confidently stating which track or tracks are particular standouts, as they all feel integral to the album as a whole and are highly enjoyable on their own individual merits. Legendarium excels at keeping things moving along at a steady clip, and at a mere 37 minutes and change, this album is lean, mean, and exceptionally easy to throw on for a couple of spins. To that end, determining a favorite track hardly feels worthwhile. As established, "A Thousand Swords" is an obvious ripper, and I'm a huge sucker for the furious lunging movement and battle-ready fervor displayed on tracks like "Cloaked in Crimson, "Kill Kill Kill," or the impressively frenzied title track. The brief instrumental interlude provided by "Destiny Awaits" is excellent, and as a big fan of songs that serve to reaffirm an aesthetic backdrop, I would have been quite happy with another track of this ilk thrown into the mix. Meanwhile, the entire back half turns up the heat: in terms of overt hell yeah! moments, the entire 5-track stretch starting with "Cursed!" and ending with "Through the Endless Night" delivers some aggravated punky stomp and a high-octane aggression. To reiterate: there's not a bad track on this thing. Moreover, there's arguably not a single riff on this thing that hasn't caused me to nod sagely and mutter: "damn, that's a good riff."

Hell yeah bröther. Horns emoji. Sunglass emoji.

And then there's the X-factor, the secret ingredient that makes Legendarium such a compelling band. While the musicianship is undoubtably serious, For Eternal Glory never seems like it takes itself too seriously. It relishes in fun. Legendarium's good humor feels like an alchemical byproduct of the creative process. The sense of joy it yields is utterly infectious, as corny as that may sound.

I could go on, but hopefully you get the gist: Legendarium absolutely cooked with this one. While I still consider Death's Hand In Yours to be an absolute banger of an album, For Eternal Glory is further proof that every subsequent Legendarium release somehow manages to blow the prior out of the water. The bar is certainly set high. Highly recommended!

Legendarium - For Eternal Glory was released November 8th via Fiadh Productions. Find it here!

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