TRIPLE ASPECT

Appropriately given its title, Triple Aspect is Legend's third album. Until fairly recently I knew nothing about this great British band with roots that go back into the 80's, but I have very quickly grown very fond of them! For those whose first impression of this band is seeing the front cover of the present album, I should perhaps point out that it is not the members of the band that are depicted there, so please don't get any idea of some horrible female Pop trio from the 80's!

Compared to the previous Second Sight album, Triple Aspect is a bit less Folk-influenced and also slightly less diverse which means that it is also more consistent and coherent. It is also more polished and better produced. This album has only five tracks, but one of them is a five part epic that runs for close to 30 minutes! The sound of Legend evokes both Renaissance, Steeleye Span and perhaps early Rainbow (the Dio-era) but they manage to create their very own sound. The metalic guitar sound is very cean and razor, the keyboards are modern and colourful, the very strong vocals of Debbie Chapman remind a bit of Annie Haslam of Renaissance. Drums and bass make up a tight rhythm section. All the musicians are obviously very talented in their respective departments and they sound very confident here compared to their first two album. However, there was a certain rough charm to those albums. I actually initially preferred Second Sight over the present one, but with more listens, Triple Aspect has become my favourite of the two and with even further listens this has become an all time favourite! I had to raise my rating from four to five!

The album opens with two very melodic up tempo songs. They both have catchy melodies - Holly King in particular has a very catchy chorus - but this should not be mistaken for being "commercial" or anything like that. These are very good songs and Cunning Man opens the album in great fashion. Lyonesse slows things down a bit, initially at least. This song took longer to get into, but now I love it. All Hallows Eve is a fantastic song that well represents this band with sublime vocals and very powerful guitars and keyboards. When Chapman sings "sit there in your armchair with the curtains drawn, and the television on" she sounds very much like Annie Haslam. The final, 29 minute plus title track revolves around three phases of life; maiden, mother and crone (with are presumably the three figures on the front cover from left to right). These three phases get their own sections in the epic track surrounded by an "overture" and a "Full Circle". I find this track very enjoyable and it features many great parts. The overture in particular is very strong with great keyboard and guitar work outs. Intense passages alternate with mellow, softer passages with acoustic guitars and folky vocals.

Like with Second Sight, there is once again a nice and informative booklet with lyrics and short descriptions of the "Pagan" lyrical background of the songs. The lyrics are a bit like the dark side of those on Jethro Tull's Heavy Horses album!

Legend is a great and severely underrated band and Triple Aspect is a masterpiece and very highly recommended! It is indeed good news that Legend has recently reformed and will record a new album in 2010!

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