Celesty - Legacy of Hate
Arise Records
Power Metal
9 songs (55:16)
Release year: 2004
Celesty, Arise Records
Reviewed by Jay

So Celesty is back with a new lineup, a new logo and a new album. Two years after their awesome debut, they have returned with another epic album chock full of power metal. Following the departure of the previous vocalist, Kimmo Perämäki, the band picked up 19-year-old vocalist Antti Railio. His vocals are a real improvement over Perämäki, adding body, volume and force to the delivery of the lyrics and arming them with a true power metal competent vocalist. So with some spirited tunes and a kick ass recording, we would be looking at another one of the overblown albums that seem to attract heckling in the forums. Well with the exception of the new vocalist, there is not much to this one, I am afraid to report. The songwriting has taken a dive, resorting to the same boring song structures and power metal clichés/standards that have been used since power metal was power metal. This feels more like a cut and paste job than real song writing.

The guitar work excepting solos is pretty standard fare with the motor galloping guitars and riffage. The bass is nonexistent and the drumming is pretty much straight up double bass for the entire album. This gets old very fast. The solos are nothing truly impressive and the whole album seems to lack balance and cohesiveness, favoring speed to songwriting. Chord progression from one song to the next is virtually identical and wears thin. I also question how good Railio truly is since there are few chances after the first few songs for him to actually sing alone. The band chooses to go with the chorus effect for much of the second half of this album. While it can be appreciated in a song here and there, allow your singer to cut loose and show his talent the same way a guitarist would during a solo once in a while. "Settlement" is a perfect example of what is wrong with this album. A boring track from start to finish, it really holds no value. "Shelter" is similar with the exception of the intro, which does sound pretty cool.

The entire album seems to lead up to the last two songs, which are "Legacy of Hate" Parts one and two. Sadly, these are some of the most yawn-inducing epic ten-minute songs I have heard. Part two really is just crap. The first five minutes is the same chorus repeated over and over until you are sick of it. Just when the song picks up and you start to enjoy the song, we get another dose of the same chorus with electric guitars and drums as opposed to the slower acoustic version one they had been playing merely minutes before. It may be hard to write an epic track but repeating the same chorus over and over does not an epic make. This one would be better forgotten. It truly is saddening that the new vocalist had to come in just as Celesty decided to produce such a lackluster album. This band really had potential from that first disc but fell into the same rut and traps that many beginning power metal bands do. A shame.

Killing Songs :
Maybe the opener, Unbreakable. Maybe.
Jay quoted 61 / 100
Mike quoted 58 / 100
Other albums by Celesty that we have reviewed:
Celesty - Vendetta reviewed by Kyle and quoted 92 / 100
Celesty - Mortal Mind Creation reviewed by Crims and quoted
Celesty - Reign of Elements reviewed by Mike and quoted 78 / 100
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