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He Is Legend - Delayed
| Sputnikmusic |
| After a long awaited pause, HE IS LEGEND is back with their off the cuff, no –holds barred style of Heavy Rock in a somewhat watered-down underground scene. The highly anticipated new full-length titled It Hates You hits store shelves and the Internet July 21st, 2009. One of the few bands loved by both the public and the industry, HE IS LEGEND promises to breath life into what many are calling, a progressively stagnant, deteriorating independent music scene. The most recent instatement of the band’s discography finds HE IS LEGEND exploring complex issues that related directly to the band’s past and their future. If you want nasal-driven vocals, whining of a lost high school relationship, please look elsewhere. Take a deep breath of fresh air, enjoy the return of the band you love to hate, but just remember, It Hates You....full text |
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| Absolutepunk |
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When one is bitten by a venomous snake, one must suck out the poison. Placing your mouth over the wound, you taste the serum, and save the victim. It’s a vile yet admirable act, much like He Is Legends sophomore effort, Suck Out The Poison. The Wilmington, North Carolina, quintet offers their brand of dirty southern rock this time around, a slight change from 2004’s debut, I Am Hollywood. This time around, guitars rage back and forth with the off-kilter drumbeats, and leadman Schuylar Croom dominates every song with his passionate vocals. They balance between melodic croons and unforgiving screams. While fans of Hollywood may be turned off to the different sound on first listen, it’ll only be a matter of time until they realize that He Is Legend has given us their best work yet. The album explodes with “Dixie Wolf (The Seduction Of…),” which begins with forceful guitars and leads into Croom’s singing over dueling riffs. The chorus of the song is reminiscent of a classic rock song, until Croom barks out “Rest in pieces!” “Attack Of The Dungeon Witch” begins with staccato drum beats from Steve Bache, and then the guitars go into a whirl, courtesy of Mckenzie Bell (who is no longer in the band) and Adam Tanbouz. Again, Croom has chosen more of a scruffy singing style rather than screaming. “Suck Out The Poison” features a chorus that soars, while “Mushroom River” begins quietly with looming riffs which then bombard your eardrums while Croom sings with flair, commanding your attention. In the final fifty seconds, the song builds up into a bruising breakdown, where guitars crush and screech and Croom pulverizes everything with his ruthless growl. “Opening” is a nice piano interlude that intimately leads you into “China White II,” a dark rocker that goes through many different tempos. Again, the vocals totter between melody and angst, and the final half is especially hard hitting. Croom creepily echoes “I am the noises that you hear when you’re in bed/and I’ll be the last thing you’ll see before you’ll dead” before the music begins to beat you senseless. “Serpent Sickness” is a sick metal track, while “Electronic Throat” takes a page from Every Time I Die’s “The New Black,” a scorching song heavy on southern riffs. “Stampede” roars throughout your membrane, a song that does not hold anything back, and Croom’s vocals once again rip through your body. “The Widow Of Magnolia” begins with a 50 or so second intro that crunches and has a chorus highlighted by gang vocals....full text |
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| Punknews |
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You know when you catch a trailer for a comedy film that makes the film look really funny and think to yourself that you just have to see that film, but then when you watch it, you realise that all the funny moments were in the trailer and the rest of the film just pads them out to ninety minutes? My first experience with He Is Legend was the release of the e-card for this album with the tracks "The Seduction" and "I am Hollywood," which are both so good that I was really looking forward to this release and was almost sure that it would be one of the best of the year. Imagine my surprise then, when I finally got hold of it and heard not the fast paced melodic hardcore album I expected, but a much more dumbed down mix of melodic rock with the odd hardcore moment. It starts so well and ends so well, mostly because the two aforementioned tracks are the first and last of the album, and whilst the bits in between aren't bad, the listener is left wishing He Is Legend had done a bit more with it. Those who enjoyed their first EP will also be disappointed at the softer direction that He Is Legend have taken. He Is Legend do mix their styles rather well despite some claims that they are confused as to which genre they want to be in. They shift between medium paced rock - not "emo" - to powerfully driven metalcore based music with admirable ease, which is helped by the extraordinary dynamic range of vocalist Schuylar Croom and some good song writing. And while there are certainly some excellent and memorable moments in this album, it is nonetheless lacking something given their potential. The album art is great, the production appropriate, and the lyrics are intelligent, and often witty. Despite being on Solid State Records, at no point do they Bible-thump and yet, it could have been so much better. I just wish there were more songs like the first and last tracks. If you are going to buy this on the strength of the tracks linked below then be prepared for the comedy movie trailer syndrome. If you think that the score seems harsh given that I am actually quite fond of this record, then I hope HIL think so too and release the hardcore album we've been waiting for....full text |
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