Burn to My Touch

Lords, masters… it seemed like these lads wanted to be great, to rule the world… well, you know the saying, if you’re not born to be great, you can’t twist destiny subsequently… but it sure as hell is worth trying, to twist and perhaps even break this perfidious destiny’s neck, to shout in its fuckin’ ears your desires, and to accept nothing but exactly what it is you want… well, at least this is how I know one takes a master’s control over this illusion we call reality.

Metaphysical digressions aside, this band were an indelible part of the stolid US power metal movement throughout the 80’s, a dedicated batch who only found it feasible to dissolve once their beloved genre was overtaken by… thus rendering their legacy to the finest metal decade. Fair play, and kudos. As this is how you leave your short but essential discography unstained for the future generations to salivate over… salivation certainly commenced with the debut, a solid power/speed metal slab that saw the band outgrowing their infatuations with Judas Priest, the latter prompting the musicians to have a short stint under the name Dreamer… sorry, Deceiver, and play Judas covers only. Thankfully, the emulation/reverence project was put an end with this rise to originality, individuality and above all, freedom, a sure-handed entry into the annals of said movement, the youthful at the time bunch standing proud next to their brothers-in-arms Omen, Griffin, Jag Panzer, Savatage.

A string of singles preceded the emergence of the album reviewed here, the band obviously eager to display their new material, propagating it fervently far’n wide, confident in its scorching qualities… and well rightfully so as this opus slays from a speed-point-of-view, propelled by a sense of urgency and headlong stretches towards the good young (at the time) thrash. Add the attached epic vocals of Andy Michaud, and you have a recipe for success, and not only on the local circuit. With the production qualities also upgraded by a healthy notch, the band rush onto the arena with the wayward headbanger “Trangressor”, saddling all the birds… sorry, horses in the vicinity right after with the galloping wonder “Birds of Prey”. A smattering start, the lads doing away with both the more carefree side of the speed metal movement (“Cast Out”) and the steam-rolling power/thrash sector (“Portrait of Despair”) along the way, adding the more contrived shredder “Black Lit Knights” as a potential template for Helstar to use on their oncoming exploits. Yep, neat stuff, the Lords have taken care of business from all sides, leaving nothing to chance, also spicing the setting with the intriguing restless instrumental piece “Walking Fire”, but failing to reach the speed of sound with the marginally less dynamic power/speedster “Speed of Sound”.

But that’s alright, we’re not looking for breaking the sound barrier here; we just want to hear a fine example of American steel, pure and non-contaminated. And here it is, half an hour of it, guaranteed to burn you if touched… no kidding. A delectable cross over three genres, this album hit all the right buttons back then, placing the band in a propitious crossroad from where they had a fairly good look at the scene’s developments, and could choose to swing in whichever direction seemed the most marketable one. The more technical moments remain just hints, though, if there should be one minus ascribed to it, the guys voting to vent out vigour and passion this second time around, concealing intricacies and contrivances up their sleeves… cause there’d surely be time for those to be exhibited later.

It’s debatable whether the exhibition that “Master Control” was, was the finest one possible. It’s a more ambitious, more diverse, decidedly more polished as well, offering but it considerably lacks the sincere spontaneous, confrontational “wanna ram you down” attitude so amply shown here. Covers, mellower heavy metal tunes and frequently inserted melodic hooks did provide entertainment for the hungry metal masses, but it was 1988, for crying out loud; a more definitive position should have been taken… obviously, you don’t feel like thrashing, and you don’t feel like embracing the progressive branch whole-heartedly either… cause those were the two most viable options if you wanted to stay afloat, and hopefully cross into the next decade. On top of that you’ve lost the speed that made your previous opus such a compulsive listen… masters, lords… sure but those who strive for a master’s status simply can’t afford to reside in nomansland, not for very long anyway.

Getting out of there was definitely on the band’s schedule; that’s why this abrupt disappearance from the scene was heart-breaking, and not only for their diehard fans. They surely had the skills to also sing an ode to Nosferatu, or find their own penetration point to the top, or to make everyone think this… polemics and speculations; this is how things were left in this camp; with a burning touchy album sticking prominently in the middle. Will the guys choose to carry on its flame now that they’ve reformed (since 2012)? Or will they try to ambitiously squeeze fate some more in order to finally take control… of the scene, of the universe, of everything… I’d personally vote for the former option… leave it all to chance with as much passion and vigour emitted as possible. The way of the lords…

Liege Lord from Stamford belonged to the likeable fools who thought it is sufficient to release simply good music in order to become a well-known and respected band. How naive! They never took care of a unique image and "Burn to My Touch" provides the painful evidence that they even did not understand the importance of an adequate artwork. Of course, many pioneering formations were not immune against kitschy fantasy covers, but this anti-aesthetic, multi-coloured crime almost takes the cake. I am always at risk to lose my sight whenever I take a close look at it. However, the real tragic here is that the vinyl did not even house good music.

It is therefore definitely not the guilt of the awful artwork that the second album of the band has remained the weak point of its short existence. The playtime of only 30 minutes indicates either a production which came to soon or a lack of ideas - and unfortunately, these alternatives are not musically exclusive. The brief numbers cannot be deemed as insubstantial, but great ideas are missing as well. Most songs do not show a central theme, they are not driven by bulky riffs, nevertheless, they are far away from any kind of earworm. The entire A side leaves a pretty lackluster, somehow ill-defined impression. The comparatively lackadaisical pieces do no harm, but where is the drive of songs such as "Wielding Iron Fists" or "Dark Tale"? Especially these tracks pushed the debut on a pretty good level. Here we just have a collection of unimaginative numbers that pass by like a shy child. I thought that the band likes to perform further songs that knock on the door of thrash, but here we have mid-paced run-of-the-mill metal with some epic, traditional and mystic elements. And the fact that the lead vocalist has an affinity for relatively thin high-pitched screams does not make things better as well.

I am quite sure that Liege Lord did not lack integrity. Furthermore, the instrumental has some solidly galloping guitars and the opener of the B side, "Black Lit Knights", reveals more edges and corners than the complete first half. These are just two examples that Liege Lord still know how to write pretty decent tracks. Nevertheless, the feeble (low-budget?) production allies itself with the more or less unimposing material and so Liege Lord were sidelined by the strong and countless competitors of these times. That's a pity, because the really strong closer "Speed of Sound" with its memorable chorus and its swift drumming illustrates that it would have been possible to pen a much better full-length. But Liege Lord tried to play a strange form of powerless power metal and missed the chance to take the next level after their promising debut. Not to mention their masterpiece "Master Control" with another lead vocalist and much more aggressive tunes. Don't think that "Burn to My Touch" will make your day, solely because "Master Control" has entered your heavy rotation. Despite its name, the here reviewed work has absolutely no fiery details and therefore I only recommend it to those freaks who cannot sleep until their Liege Lord collection is complete.

When you're using the same enigmatic, fantastical cover art style that adorns the covers of The Specter Within and Awaken the Guardian, you must immediately expect a higher expectations for the quality of your music. Freedom's Rise was an average, effort at best, so Liege Lord expanded on that forgotten work with an elevated sense for songcraft that placed them squarely between Helstar and earlier Fates Warning...with Andy Michaud's piercing, wavering vocals that sadly would still break into his horrid falsetto screech...which King Diamond had already been doing for years, and far better. Yet, aside from these few moments of head shaking and begging the question 'Why?', Burn to My Touch is honestly a somewhat strong record of its 3rd Class (that being the class below the bands who would go on and forge careers, i.e. Fates Warning, which in turn was below the bands like Slayer, Metallica and Megadeth who would DEFINE careers).

The style is not a huge departure from Freedom's Rise, but there is a darker element here, perhaps brought on by the lessened reverb on the actual guitars. The bass of Matt Vinci is just as busy as ever, and Pete McCarthy was replaced here by Paul Nelson. Michaud's bite and bark are largely the same as before, though this album would be his swan song with the band, and his performance is simultaneously superior and more annoying than the debut. At just over 30 minutes, a fairly brief example of the American speed that ramped up its Maiden, Dio-era Sabbath and Priest influences into a more extreme form that helped usher in the style that we now dub power metal.

"Transgressor" is hot and heavy, like a Motley Crue that skipped a night of heroin to inject some classical influence into their sexy swagger. Michaud walks a fine line here between quality frontman and major headache, but the music compensates...with some thick bass lines strolling below the great leads. "Bird of Prey" is catchy up front with its great, sinking ship rhythms, and the work well until the screams, though they could have stood to be a little softer in the mix. "Cast Out" rocks hard, with searing opening leads that recall like Alex Masi's shred of the day. The entire track has a higher, melodic leaning that matches the vocals, and some of Michaud's shrieks even fit right into the following track "Portrait of Despair", one of the catchier tunes on the album. "Black Lit Knights" was perfect for getting laid in that dark, airbrushed van your cousin gave you after giving up on it in 1979...assuming you had a metal enough lass who wouldn't scream at you to turn it off.

"The Manic's Mask" boasts a metric ton of Vinci's excellent strutting fingerwork, and Michaud really finds his stride, with a range in between his previous two poles that simply doesn't annoy within the context of the writing. The leads here are likewise terrific. "Legend" is somewhat of a mess, there are good rhythms in there but the vocals don't seem to mesh so well. "Walking Fire" is an instrumental which balances some jet fueled blues rock into its metal carapace, and "Speed of Sound" is a power metal ballad, though not untirely untasteful aside from a few annoying shrieks.

From the cover to the content, Burn To My Touch was a steady improvement over its predecessor, though Liege Lord may have already been too late to capitalize on anything more than cult status (it's not nearly as good as Somewhere in Time, Love You to Pieces, or Awaken the Guardian after all). The solos and bass are really well done on this album, and Michaud has just enough character to promote tolerance for his eccentricities behind the microphone. Like the previous record, it still holds up pretty well if you can live through the 80s production snafu (loud, loud vocals in the mix). It was enough at least to send the band once more into the field...

Highlights: Portrait of Despair, Black Lit Knights, The Manic's Mask

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http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

After garnering serious underground support with their ’85 debut Freedom’s Rise, Connecticut’s favorite dungeons and dragons metallers were back with another hopelessly unfashionable exercise. While this effort lacks some of it’s predecessor’s charm, it does certainly continue their mark of quality. A label upgrade to Metal Blade also ushering in noticeably brighter and more professional production job. But little had thankfully changed for Liege Lord musically, as they still offered up their singular slant on US fantasy metal notions.

“Transgressor” uses fierce and tight riffing, taking full advantage of Matt Vinci and his ever pumping, dominant bass guitar runs. Now it’s true that some of this material(like the disjointed “Black Lit Knights”) tries to be a bit more clever with it’s structure than they should. But the balance of material swings further in the other direction, with “Birds Of Prey” bearing a clear and welcome influence from conceptual nuts Manilla Road, while the forceful “Cast Out” is perhaps the best damn song on hand, a success from every angle. Singer Andy Michaud is still doing a fine job on this record, but it would prove to be his last with the band, Liege Lord issuing one more album in Master Control (so-so by my judgment, a bit more thrash and less personality) before expiring.

Still, I hope the message is clear: for US metal this stuff is tops, and when you compare it to the flock of latter day power metal hopefuls (at least the dire Sacred Steel, Kamelot or Skylark) there’s like, no comparison man.

Two years after their top notch offering "Freedom's Rise", Liege Lord returns to release another album with no signs of changing their style and displays a handful of improvements over its former full length venture. "Burn To My Touch" is pretty similar to "Freedom's Rise" in just about everyway, the upbeat darker and mature power metal figure is here, with a few signs of traditionalism here and there, over the top melodic vocals, and some incredible virtuosity displayed by all of the band members and their instruments. The songs here are even catchier than before.

One of the biggest imrovements over their former release is vocalist Andy Michaud's performance. Though his vocals are still a bit too vibrant from time to time, he seems to stay on key more often and shows more control with his singing. He also gets merit for doing an incredible King Diamond impression on the track Birds of Prey switching from very commanding vocals to those piercingly high shrieks that even sound like King Diamond himself! Despite the incredible work from the instruments, Michaud does manage to steal the show from time to time. He did a great job on their debut, and here he does a fantastic one. The production seems improved, which is probably thanks to their switch from the label Black Dragon to the more infamous house of Metal Blade. The mix still seems a bit odd at times, but its certainly more consistent and improved over "Freedom's Rise's".

Among these slight changes is the replacement of guitarist Pete McCarthy with Paul Nelson, whom according to Liege Lord's official site claimed to be instructed by Steve Vai himself. And once you've heard some of the riffs, rhythm's, and especially the solo's and dual harmonies here, it'd be no surpise if what the man claims is a fact. The guitar work here is phenomenal.

Musically this is still old school power metal at its finest. This time it feels a bit more in the vein of Helstar than their previous album did, which seemed a little more comparable to Attacker. Or, as one Amazon review put it "Omen meets Crimson Glory". But I could go on to say those bands sound a bit like Liege Lord themselves. Liege Lord definitely has their own sound going for them, and an incredible one at that. Faster than your average metal, with a few influences of thrash abound, topped off with a dark melodic focus throughout the majority of the songs. Overall this feels a bit catchier than their former release, and maybe not as moody. But it definitely works and both albums go hand in hand easily.

Once again this release is nothing but hit after hit, without any real low points at all. This time they didn't even bother having an intro track,and instead you're dwelved into incredible and unforgettable melodies starting off Transgressor. Its like their own Hellion! As the song continues you'll probably easily notice Michaud's improvements, and the solo work along with the harmonies are practically flawless. Finally those opening melodies come back in to end this great track. The ultimate King Diamond impression begins on Birds of Prey, another track with engaging rhythm's and outworldly harmonies in between, once again topped off with some amazing solo's. Cast Out also starts off with some over the top guitar work and a great classic opening wail from Michaud. The rest of the song continues on to work perfectly with the vocals, with more incredible screams and solo's here and there. Portrait of Despair slows things down just a tad, and again is taken away by some extremely catchy rhythm's that flow very well with the vocals. Black Lit Knights tends to be a little more on the complex side of things, and easily has one of the best solo's on here. The Manic's Mask is one of their more classically driven songs, but a bit darker. You never really can go wrong with these. Legend continues to display this traditional influence and builds up to their craziest shred-filled solo'ing and harmonies. Walking Fire is an instrumental that starts off a bit commendable, but is definitely worth hearing for the dual guitar work towards the middle and from there on it seems to get pretty interesting. Was it necessary to include an instrumental? Probably not, but it doesn't really hurt the album at all. Speed of Sound is the most over the top track here, easily the most diverse and more epic than any track before it. If the title didn't give it away, it all builds up to the most impressive solo on here.

My only complaint - Damn, why did this have to be so short!? Bah, at least its very easy to listen to along with "Freedom's Rise". As I said in my review about their debut, its not "Master Control" but easily something that shouldn't be left in the shadows; I can say they the very same about this album. This easily hits classic status from me and is easily something that old school power metal fans must hear! And if you liked their debut you'd love this, and vice versa. The truth is however, both their debut and this album are quite different compared to "Master Control", which felt much more thrashier, but on the other hand more original. Vocalist Joe Comeau definitely made that work and its definitely their greatest work, though this and their debut should not be forgotten. Liege Lord's trilogy was fantastic and unforgettable.