SHADOW GALLERY - Legacy
May 1, 2001, 22 years ago
(Magna Carta)
Shadow Gallery's fourth release, Legacy sees them build upon their unique brand of prog metal, successfully drawing upon the complex virtuosity of peers like Dream Theater and blending the older school of intelligent prog; Jethro Tull, Kansas and Rush all come to mind. Blending these textures give Shadow Gallery a sound which is all their own, no cloning here. Excellent guitar work, tasteful soloing, perfect use of keyboards and incredible vocal harmonies are just some of the Shadow Gallery trademark sound. Lead track 'Cliffhanger 2' is thirteen minutes of sheer progressive paradise, with the song picking up on a storyline started on 1995's Carved In Stone CD. Seamlessly, the six songs on Legacy flow from one to the next, which makes it one of those "all in one listen" headphone masterpieces. Third track, 'Colors' is one of the few instances where a metal band can get away with a near-pop tune and then follow it up with a headbanger, 'Society Of The Mind'. The only question mark here is the ambitious closer, 'First Light', which runs 34 minutes long, about 20 too many. Curiously, the song drops off a few times to overly quiet or totally silent sections that could have been left off altogether.
