LEGENDS OF THE SHIRES

When I started listening to this album I was pleasantly surprised by its subtle opening but that was soon followed by crunching heavy metal. However the catchiness of the songs kept me listening. There are some fine melodies here and I would have loved for them to be developed further. Don't get me wrong, there are some longish tracks here and while I enjoyed listening to the album, overall I felt it was a bit lightweight. When I was considering whether this is a four star album I found myself growing tired of it after just two or three listens. Just a three star from me.