Celtic Legacy don't believe in doing things the easy way. Not for them the never ending cycle of tour-album-tour-album. No no, these guys insist on losing at least 2 members between albums & one of them has to be the vocalist. Then there has to be 5 years between albums. It's not easy, the band's motto seems to be 'No pain, No gain'.

Here we are in 2008, the band's main men Dave Morrissey & Dave Boylan have kept the Legacy's Metal flame alight through what I'm sure to them has been a tough few years since their last album 'Resurrection' which was given a rousing reception by Imarocker's in-house expert on all things TRUE METAL! Tazz (Read here) among many others in the European Metal community. Unfortunately the line-up that recorded 'Resurrection' only lasted a further 8 months leaving the two Dave's with no option but to work on new material & work towards surrounding themselves with a new & stable line up

Finally in January 2007 the new version of Celtic Legacy, Dave Morrissey- Guitars/Keyboards, Dave Boylan- Bass/Vocals, Ciaran Ennis- Vocals, Keith Hendley- Guitars/Vocals & Conor Gillen- Drums/Tin Whistle began a 5 month process of rehearsing old & new material for both a live set & as preparation for entering the studio again. This happened at the end of June 2007 as the band spent 21 days spread over 5 months recording & mixing the new album which would be entitled 'Guardian of Eternity'.

A whimsical Celtic instrumental passage eases the listener into the album before the Metal assault of 'Celtica' begins. This tune had to be written as a Live set opener. It's a pounding, driving track that immediately made me imagine the band hitting the stage in a fog of dry ice & flashing lights. This sets the scene for the rest of the album & will no doubt get those all important heads banging in the Clubs of Ireland & beyond.

This album is a feast of Classic Metal, in today's climate of extreme Metal becoming accepted to an extent by the mainstream this album is an island of Denim & Leather in a sea of Corpse paint. 'Afterworld' is a track that first shows showcases the vocal talents of new chanter Ciaran Ennis. His voice is a mix of Geoff Tate & Bruce Dickinson with the Queensryche man's theatrical phrasing shining through.

When someone comments that a Metal album has loads of "Melody" it can sometimes be seen as a backhanded compliment, as if the band are selling out or, whisper it under your breath, becoming more "Commercial". Well, I can say that this album has more melody than Resurrection without in anyway being backhanded. There are hooks all over this album that stick in the head & the solos seem more fluid & natural, something which is evident in the fade out solo on 'For Evermore'.

The production is crisp with every instrument clear in the mix, the harmony guitars are well used & not overdone and both guitarists' own style is evident throughout. Drummer Conor Gillen seems to have had a ball recording this album, 'Absent Friends' see him hold down a fast paced rhythm whilst interjecting lightning fills into the mix.

The quality of the song writing is high throughout. The band have produced 10 songs that all could fit into a live setting. Download only single 'Erinmor' (Available here) races along in Iron Maiden territory, 'Dance on yer grave' gets a thumbs up from me for spelling & 'Forgive me' is a mid paced Rocker.

Now, onto the final track on the album which also happens to be the title track 'Guardian of Eternity'. The eponymous 'Resurrection' from the last album was a 10 minute epic that was for me the highlight of the album. Could this last tune match up to these high standards? The answer has to be yes.

At over eleven minutes long it wins on length anyway. Kicking off with a lone guitar picking out a gentle refrain before Ciaran Ennis & a Tin Whistle join in the song slowly builds up over four minutes until the main body of the song kicks in with a big riff for another Celtic flavoured track that bounces along at a very merry pace before ending abruptly after 3 minutes of some of the best guitar work on the album.

All in all, another cracking album from a band that have had more than their fair share of bad luck. In today's climate where the Classic Metal sound that Celtic Legacy excel in is thriving on the Mainland Europe I have no doubt that there is a big audience out there who will lap this album up. Their Celtic Metal deserves the attention of us closer to home as well. The band are working on a series of gigs later in the year, let's hope that the beered up Metalheads out there reward the band after a difficult few years.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON CELTIC LEGACY INCLUDING BUYING THE NEW ALBUM WHICH IS RELEASED ON 05/03/08 GO TO...

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