Legend ~ Legend (aka debut) (album review) ... A faded mystery!

Style: progressive rock
Label: self-released
Year: 2010
Home: Ohio

Members: Chris Carroll ~ guitar/vocals
Chris Baker ~ bass
Rob Law ~ drums

The name says it all. But, it's not legend in terms of reputation or longevity in the music scene, but in the choice of legendary musical inspirations who clearly come through Legend's music. "Faded Mystery" is a slow somber prog where you're sitting through the barebones bass-heavy intro waiting for someone like Greg Lake to appear on vocals out of the mist ... surprisingly, or maybe not, that's what happens. Well, it's not Lake but the song does unfold as expected following its classic rock roots of build-up & suspense, instead of hurrying to the chorus in under a minute or rushing to show off with a guitar solo while the rest of the song suffers. Legend's most outstanding feature is the under-played guitar solos (i.e. "Crossing Over (Prelude)") that are the opposite of sonic blast. Frontman Carroll's whammy/wah-wah heavy solos are like ocean waves that paint a mood instead of showing off technically, he's no doubt talented but doesn't have to clonk listeners on the head with a flurry of notes to prove it. "Under The Midnight Sun" features Carroll in a Gilmour-esque instrumental three minutes at his highest form of crying stratospheric notes for anyone questioning if he can do anything more than rhythm or some under-played solos. "Hypnosis (The Awakening)", "Book of Song" & "Ancient Wonders" are the heavier songs in Legend's collection a la Dio-era Sabbath with rhythm section courtesy of the influence of Gentle Giant or Rush. The song titles definitely scream Rush-era psychedelic influence. The one downfall is the lower quality production, or at least an unfinished mix, which gives a darker & at times muddy feel to the band & puts the vocals a bit too low.