LEGACY

This album is my first introduction and my first listen to CAST ( besides the two MP3s on this site ) and I wanted to share my impressions so that you too could also enjoy this very amasing band.I had never heard of this band before a few months ago and I discovered it here on the Progarchive site Thank-you ! Progarchive .It definetly is an underated band.Why is that ? After hearing the 2 MP3s here, I had a strong feeling this band would meet my musical needs so I went out and bought the LEGACY album.Its an import ,its not given but it's worth it. Lets us start with the instruments : The bass and guitar are good but don't stick out particularly.The keyboard on the other hand is predominant ,not that I mind, quite the contrary. The keyboard player is excellent : a little reminescent of Tony Banks style from Genesis.The album has a couple of very good solos.The sounds used on the album are good but sometimes they lean towards the "digital cold modern sounds" instead of the "warm lush analog" ones.The drummer is also very good at his craft.He is creative and supports the melodies with his rythms is an excellent way.He is one of the better drummers on the Neo Prog scene to my taste.He also seems to have Genesis/Phil Collins influences and to me thats a good thing.Last but not least the vocals: It's a warm rasphy emotional voice reminiscent of Gabriel ie: my favorite type of voice.Can you tell Genesis is my favorite band yet ? CAST harmonizes alot and it's excellently done. The songs on the album are all very good.They are very melodic although no melody particularly sticks out for me yet and they are sometimes more eclectic melodies like YES . Its been a pleasure listening to this album and I will continue listening to it, to further discover and sink myself into it. Don't forget this is my first listen to the album so I could possibly alter this review a bit after a couple of listens.

Well this is not the first place to start with this famous progressive Mexican band, but anyway here you find some interesting music passages, even though you can listen unfortunately to some boring repetitive themes at the keyboards and some prolix parts too. Before this one try "Imaginary Window" and "Angels and Demons".

It's a good but not essential issue...

One of the best Cast albums. IMO Cast career are a little bit irregular but this album is one of the high points of that band.

Even when its a Mexican band, this album lyrics (as many others of Cast) are in english. The music also is very-very Neo Prog, with notorious influences of early Pendragon and Marillion, so maybe Neo Prog fans couldn't find surprises in the 13 tracks of Legacy. But there's something in the music that feels totally different and powerful. Maybe is the superb keyboards of L.A. Vidales or the awsome drumming of Antonio Bringas. Legacy's Executor is the best example of this talents gathered into an explosive formula of prog rock.

Another highlights of this album are Key of Life, Magic of Love, We Are te Ones, Take aLook Back (so similar to I.Q. and so different at the same time!), The Will and Conclusion.

Good album, interesting but not a masterpiece. I'm totally sure that is best Mexican band around here but Cast make a great effort with this album.

3.25*

Since there were little reviews for this album, I quickly looked at some of them. I must say that I agree with Lor68 for a good part of his comments. This album is definitely not the best one to enter into their catalogue. It will hold the beauty of some great tracks fom the past but at the same time it will display some long and boring instrumental parts like in "Legacy's Executor "or "Key Of Life" although that the latter sounds a bit better.

The worst could have been imagined while listening to "Proemio", the short opening number, but it was hopefully only a short deviation. "Celestial Garden" and its opera intro vocals and classical mood all the way through is another difficult moment for me.

One of my fave is "Magic Of Love". During these seven minutes, all the spectrum of Cast complex music is represented. Rhythm changes, great and heavy keys, at times some light piano style sounds, great drumming and spacey passages. This is Cast at their best.

Like in "Personal Status". A shorter piece, featuring a similar riff as on "Watcher Of The Skies". "Take A Look Back" and its PFM oriented vocals (another trade mark for Cast) is the third good number.

"Beneficiaries" will be the occasion for the band to show its great musical skills. An average intrumental piece although diversified and dynamic. All the contrary of "Living Dreams" another (very short) instrumental. Starting as "Horizon" with an acoustic guitar intro and ending up in a pityful middle age madrigal.

The next two numbers of this album won't do anything to raise my overall feeling. Very average. The closing one "Conclusion" will join the group of the three best songs of this album to make it a fourth one.

"Legacy" is absolutely not their catchiest one (this still remains "Third Call", IMO). The very extended format (over seventy-two minutes) is prejudicial to its interest. I rather prefer a good fifty minutes one than an average seventy minutes long album. It is far too monotonous to catch the listener's attention during its full lenght.

If you are just interested to approach the band with only one release or two, I can not suggest any better choice than their pretty good compilation "A View Of Cast" and their excellent live album "A Live Experience". Pick up one of the two since all the numbers (except one) from their compilation effort are featured on the live one which is more complete thanks to its double CD format.

Two stars for "Legacy".