FORLORN LEGACY: "Paths of Insanity"      forlorn legacy                metalsound records   

recorded and mixed at Gama Studio in Zagreb (Croatia) - engineered, mixed, produced and mastered by Igor Malecic -

digital artwork engineering by Davor Milasincic - cover design by Forlorn Legacy    

review by dalia "gryphon_spirit" di giacomo____   

Passion and perseverance are always rewarding. Forlorn Legacy, formed in 1995, after 10 years of hope and solid work, after 4 demos, after having opened for  for bands like Cannibal Corpse, Kreator and Immolation, finally can celebrate their debut album through a new Croatian label.  No need to say that Paths of Insanity is very meaningful  for this Croatian Death combo, beyond any joy that a debut album always gives to its authors.  This means 10 years of devotion to music.  Forlorn Legacy propose ferocious bursts of Death, counterbalanced by  passages of Heavy metal / Melodic Death and even a touch of American heaviness like in Insanity pt. I. Their proceeding , making safe any difference in style, reminds me of Node, considering the fact that the cadenced and impetuous strategy gathers many  techniques  and influences within the  space of short phrases, without destroying the general musical construction of every track.  Forlorn Legacy  are absolutely energetic and talented musicians, very able to  hybridize Death with other inspirations, among which  melodic solo's and a certain nostalgia for the 80's are plentiful, always maintaining their mainstream around sonorities between American and Swedish  school.  Therefore it is  actually very difficult to label them beyond this description. In Flames and Shadows Fall' signature is mixed with  typical Rock lead solo's and catchy moments of Melodic Death and Heavy. The result is enjoyable and enough fluent.  if you're no pedant purist, you can fully  appreciate them. I must say that the sound and the care in the production is  really good though i think that the  strong vocals should have deserved more  more underlining per se, though  the general three-dimensionality is already satisfactory, cause  the front position of the is anyway perceived. The energetic but not too deep growls/grunts  are accompanied in some tracks by a a singing in clear. The most important characteristic is that Forlorn Legacy is  a technical band yet totally enjoyable. Forlorn Legacy make your brain react , cause the musical paths are  clear and catchy enough but  quite varied to let you jump comfortably among more patterns instead of letting you be a victim of  a deadly boredom .  On the other hand, you must have a good knowledge of the Metal spectrum and, as headbanger, you must be elastic enough in order to  change gear more than "two times" within a song. This music is very articulated but remains always coherent in style. Moreover a great impression of unity surfaces from the valid instrument coordination.  The drumming is great, supportive like it has to be in a Death band, while the guitars are lively and agile. We have bursts of irruption, melodic breakdowns, virtuoso speed solo's,  diversified way of singing and backing vocals. The bass sounds are properly underlined. The appeal towards the new tendencies should be definitely welcome by the younger listeners too. The album impacts well immediately at a first listening; obviously after 2 or 3 listening's you  get more and more into the music. it is much  skill, forbidden for posers and for those who are not able to unite in their mind Heavy/Rock with Melodic Death. 

Among the good songs i'd like to remark the angry Numb, and then the melodic Delusion, so rich in feeling and guitar reverberant  but also able to offer very heavy  rhythmic riffs full of temperament, always supported by the melodic lead path.  The aggressive uptempo melodic Death attack Stillborn is  a killer  that can be appreciated both by Shadows Fall/Diecast' s fans as well as by Dark Tranquillity's ones. Last Try is actually a gem: sorrowful though  brutal, refined though  harsh , can be  put at  the same level of Melodic Death of first quality. The short Price to pay is instrumental only. Short indeed, but  with such limpid and balladesque acoustic guitars as protagonists, guitars that are simply marvelous in the wake of old Metallica. 

And finally a couple of words about lyrics, which are engaged, intelligent. Those who shape and own the world are to blame. Illusion, false serenity, emptiness, mask, vain task. These are the concepts: the voice of the damned and the dark heart in the chest. And even a genetically altered man shows up (in Stillborn)

crippled altered humanity

primeval need to breath

forced evolution, without souls

half human , half machines

this is the punishment

Versatility, decadence, hate and angriness,  technicality, and a touch of delicate embroidery  is all here. i think these cool artists from Croatia  only need to  be just a little bit more flowing and their sung in clear more biting, In that way they would be utterly amazing!  "Paths of Insanity" is a great debut that deserves international attention. Moreover Forlorn Legacy play f**king well !!

faithful fear, awake me!

faithful fear, creep next to me!

here's your chance to be like me  

(from Last Try)

rating:   8.5/10

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