TRIPLE ASPECT

"The three made one, the one made three, we weave the web of destiny"

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!

Legend was one of those slippery eels that slithered through my absent-minded hands and I hesitated. It vanished from my ever hungry prog agenda until I landed on a PA review that rekindled the scent (southsideofthesky). Ordered it and presto, a new lost gem from the past (the burgeoning mostly Neo 90s) that was their swan song third album recorded in 1996, though it has been alleged that they have reformed! Well that bodes well, Triple Aspect is a sensationally inspired progressive structure that has the luxury of a female vocalist that takes the Annie Haslam approach head on but even more distinctively British , if one could possibly believe that! After a blistering "Cunning Man" with its delirious lead guitar solo, the true nature of Legend appears on "Holly King" with its pseudo-medieval tinge enflamed by an edgier style. Incredibly astute rock music that is built around a firm bottom and tantalizing axe work from Paul Thompson who doubles on relentless bass , grueling keyboard work courtesy of leader Steve Paine and those Debbie Chapman vocal exaltations. John Macklin keeps everything supremely tidy , very much in an Ian Mosley manner (now that's a compliment). The epic dozen minute long "Lyonesse" is a magnificent slice of sheer prog perfection, the essential melody is woven meticulously, all instruments blooming in a Floydian psychedelia that only elevates the celestial voice even further. What a performance, I can only bow to the beauty and brush my lips over her glove and utter "marvelous Madame"! I know by now that this is gonna be a winner! And it goes on, a mind blowing guitar parade furtively in the Hackett/Gilmour camp only adding to the symphonic grandeur. The second segment actually bristles and the crackles like some nervous campfire, the riffs rushing forward and slashing through the vines, the pace panting and the bass battling. This muscular rock renaissance is exhilarating to the utmost, creating the right contrast and uplifting even more the pleasure, a neat but simple synthesizer solo followed by a wicked guitar rant seal the deal with aplomb! "All Hallow's Eve" has a hint of 90's band All About Eve (an aroma that permeates the whole disc), a slight Gothic chill gives this an "anthem to Odin" feel mostly due to the choir mellotron work, the jarring/jangling guitar gales and the voice haunting icily. Drummer John Macklin bashes with authority, keeping it steadily on course undeterred. Another thrilling track that will please unfalteringly. No pity, no mercy is given, the next and last piece is a monster 29 and a half minute 5 part extravaganza that defies description, a title track that has the classic traits of all Prog epics , a basic and recurring melody wrapped around various shifts in tone and texture , liberally sugared with startling and multiple solos from both Thompson and Paine, a sheer sonic adventure that stretches the gratification beyond the merely pleasant. After a lengthy symphonic overture called cunningly "Overture" , "The Maiden" reintroduces the floating vocal glory of Debbie Chapman , who here has a style between Cathy Alexander (of the Morrigan fame) and Annie Haslam (yeah, it's there!). A cool Jon Lord-like organ solo heightens the fury into a powerful storm (I swear I hear a hint of "Sweet Child in Time") which morphs again into a whirlwind on "Mother". A more ominous tone is set , getting biting and searing in Thompson's gifted hands, a flight that would make Mick Rogers of Manfred Mann Earth Band fame, proud. The electro voice rant at the end is sheer genius as it blends in the beeping synths into "Crone", an authoritative partition that brings a sense of passion into the mix, thrusting the epic along like a sturdy locomotive, spewing linear Fripp-like streams as the electronics foxily babble in the background. A Jig like synth solo, very Celtic and the perfect platform for another whopping axe solo. A tremendous discovery and if the other two previous albums are as good (they are allegedly), then I will eagerly await their new release with trepidation. The closing "Full Circle" segment takes the proceedings into a rising crescendo of bliss, very obviously crafted preciously to provoke such an orgasmic response. A monster album that deserves serious accolades, applause and encores! I fully intend to place this among the greats . 5 Cheshire cats

In principle, the idea of a fusion of neopagan folk music and Pendragon-inspired neo-prog (with a touch of Genesis and early Marillion here and there) sounds really good to me. Unfortunately, I find the execution as offered by Legend on Triple Aspect to lack something. Perhaps it's the lyrics, which are just as shallow, unimaginative and preachy as the more tiresome sort of Christian rock lyrics tend to be, or perhaps it's their delivery - vocalist Debbie Chapman has a decent but not exceptional singing voice which isn't helped by the somewhat muddled mix. Or possibly its a more general problem - the neo-prog-by-numbers musical backing, for instance, or the rather mediocre production job the album has. Either way, it just doesn't wow me - certainly not to the extent that I'm prepared to proclaim it an overlooked classic of the genre.

''Second Sight'' was the most succesful among the 90's albums of Legend regarding its sales and in 1994 the band's label Pagan Media organized a tour for the band along with label mates Inkubus Sukkubus.The following year Legend focused on writing material for a third album.They were as tight and confident as ever and the ideas came naturally, even if bassist Paul Thomson had to play both the bass and the guitars after the departure of bassist Martin Rouski.''Triple aspect'' eventually sees the light in 1996.

This confidence of the band resulted to ambitious and bombastic compositions, among them the 5-part title track was clocking at almost half an hour (!), showing that Steve Paine had become incredibly comfortable with the composing of long tracks.Soundwise this was definitely the most mature work of the first period of Legend, offering rich, powerful and intricate compositions in a style, which reaches as closer as it gets a genuine Epic Progressive Rock, borrowing elements from Neo Prog, Folk Rock and Heavy Rock.The shorter tracks contain plenty of fiery rhythms to go along with a very OLDFIELD-ian atmosphere, combining the sharp edges of early-80's British Prog Rock with the folkier yet cinematic touches of MIKE OLDFIELD's music and the result is a mix of pounding electric guitars, symphonic keyboards and Medieval-styled female singing.The 12-min. long ''Lyonesse'' points to a folkier direction, but Legend were never predictable.The music is close to the style of ARRAKEEN, delivering a bombastic Progressive Rock, swirling between dreamy vocal sections, Neo-styled nervous synth soloing, mascular electric guitar leads and a marching rhythm section.Some folky melodies are still apparent, but the dynamics in here are on a very high level.Fast-paced and very tight music.The extended title-track is the very best reason to call Legend an Epic Prog Rock band.The love of Paine for Classic Prog Rock comes particularly in evidence in this piece, which contains some of Legend's most complex time signatures and powerful breaks without the band losing for a second its own identity.A pompous combination of raw Neo Prog, Classic-styled Symphonic Rock and Heavy/Power Rock with constant use of keyboards, fantastic female vocals and Thomson's mature guitar work, both on his melodic solos or his flaming riffing.

If you ever get one album from Legend's early years, this is propably the one.Very different from any other group, this is passionate and highly energetic Progressive Rock played with originality despite the obvious references to monster bands of the past.Strongly recommended...3.5 stars.

A legend is born?

What an improvement compared to the first two albums! "Triple Aspect" is undoubtedly LEGEND's best studio opus of their first period, the 90's. The music and sound have greatly matured, the compositions become more complex and incorporates breaks and rhythm changes in the vein of RUSH and RENAISSANCE. While still "medieval hard neo-prog", the style is now heavier and rock-ier. One more time, Debbie Chapman's voice is quite enchanting and suits well the fairy tale ambiance. Let's hear what these modern minstrels brought back from their journey through this fantasy land.

The powerful opener "Cunning Man" is an epic metal piece that makes you want to raise your sword on a knight horse. "Holly King" is also a very nice energic song, with medieval and folk touches. The 12 minutes mini-epic "Lyonesse" is a bit uneven. Despite its pleasant slow fairy intro, the middle sung part is a bit boring and impersonal, sounding more like average neo-prog. The weakest track of the record. The haunting "All Hallows Eve" possess a pretty eerie opening and an oppressive atmosphere coherent with the witches dance theme.

Then comes the highlight of the disc, the 30 minutes mastodon title track! This epic suite can sometimes remind RUSH's "2112" in its construction and heavy prog style with synthesizers. All progressive elements you're looking for are present: changing rhythms, breaks, varied atmospheres, instruments soli... It also incorporates folk elements and sounds even a little futuristic by moments! Maybe some parts could have been shortened, but the overall result is very good and will transport you to another world of knights and sorcery...

More ambitious and united than the former opuses, "Triple Aspect" shows the band defining their own musical identity. Furthermore, this refreshing style is quite uncommon. One of LEGEND's best albums, and an essential listen for neo-prog or progressive folk fans!