The book of Revelation, the story about the end of days, the Apocalypse, is an amazing work that set the foundations for epic creations such as Dante's Inferno and Milton's Lost Paradise. No matter the religious beliefs, everyone who has read it can only think back to it in awe and respect, considering that it has been written 2000 years ago and it still makes people shiver nowadays.
Eric Clayton, the voice of Saviour Machine, dedicated his work into making a trilogy of concept albums, based on this book. Legend III is one of the most awaited metal albums ever, especially if you are this band's fan. The awaiting has been justified even more than I expected.
In 1997, Saviour Machine released Legend I, and Legend II followed in 1998. Till now everyone agreed on Legend I being unrivaled, but it seemed like Clayton saved the best for last.
What words can be said for an album like this one? It captures your heart from the first moment you listen to it. Then you want more and more and more. I can't believe the way he has managed to combine utter despair with the light of hope for better things to come.
It is definitely one of the darkest albums in my collection and I can't get enough of it, which is a rather rare phenomenon for me. If you close your eyes and let yourself free you will feel like traveling from the depths of hell to the heavens and back again, in an endless journey with the music coming out of the speakers working as your guide.
You get my point already. I can hardly choose some songs that stand out, since you have to be insane to hit next or search for a specific track. The production is perfect, Clayton is the perfect voice to narrate the end of days, even when just reciting verses.
The piano and the choir are enchanting to say the least and the only drawback I managed to find (after the zillionth time of listening to it) were the parts where the keyboards took over the difficult orchestrated parts. I can hardly imagine what this man would be able to do with a real live orchestra.
Trying to analyze this work is almost as hard as trying to do the same for the book of the Apocalypse, even if my name is John and I am Greek just like the man who wrote it
I can only say that it is a perfect work of art, it's really addictive no matter what your beliefs are (and I emphasize on that), it's one of the albums that make you even more proud for listening to metal.
I really hope that Legend III:II will be as good and perhaps (if possible at all) even better than this one. Then Eric will be able to rest assured that his lifetime work is completed with total success.