Legacy of Hate

Celesty began as something of a wild card in the Finnish power metal scene, bearing slightly more similarity to a number of German bands with their pure speed approach meshed with a vocalist that was closer to Kai Hansen than Timo Koltipelto. The keyboard tendencies were definitely present on “Reign Of Elements” that play into that dark yet serene atmosphere that has become sort of cliché amongst Finnish bands in general and filters its way into melodeath and black metal bands from said nation as well. But the driving guitar tendencies and slight grit normally associated with 80s German speed metal bands definitely made this a band more welcoming to anyone who wants a wicked metal screamer at the helm rather than one of The Three Tenors.

In keeping with this, “Legacy Of Hate” could be seen as Celesty embracing the trend of the general Finnish sound circa 1999-2001 a bit late in the game. The overall sound has been softened slightly due to a bit more piano and synthesized string work, along side a new lead vocalist in Antti Railio, who is all but a dead ringer for Tony Kakko. But otherwise the generally triumphant blend of fantasy-based lyrics and high flying tempos cuts with all but the same intensity as the debut, and the songwriting has actually gotten slightly catchier. One could almost say that this band has rewritten Sonata Arctica’s “Silence” and cut out most of the ballad work in favor of more attention to blazing speed, as if “Wolf And Raven” and “San Sebastian” were presented in a slightly less keyboard and vocally drenched fashion.

After the brief epic intro that borrows a few ideas from the symphonic formula ala Dark Moor and Rhapsody Of Fire, the next 70% of this album cuts heads in the more relentless of ways for a power metal band that isn’t going for a gimmick approach. “Shelter” and “Settlement” are among the more restrained version of being unrestrained, but even amid the mid-tempo sections, there is a driving force that will keep the listener from being still. But the real goods for anyone who enjoyed the previous album are to be found on “Unbreakable” and “Army Of The Universe”, where the violently fast tempos merge with an interesting mix of powerful melodic vocals, occasional melodeath inspired screams, triumphant instrumental sections that are somewhat reminiscent of Freedom Call at times, and a solid helping of fancy guitar and keyboard work.

Towards the close of the album things take a rather sizable shift as the band attempts to pack twice the punch of a typical power metal album with two 10 minute plus epics. The long-winded double dose that is “Legacy Of Hate” is largely a repackaged version of the earlier parts of the album, loaded with symmetrical mixes of melody and speed, and extended with some slower sections and an extended ballad period during the first 4 or 5 minutes of the second part. It appears that this was likely intended as a homage to the longer works of Helloween on the two “Keepers” albums, and in this respect they come up short on actual contrasting sections and build up of tension. It gets a bit repetitious and seems to be dragging things out a few minutes longer than it needs to be, but for the most part these are a fun listen and don’t detract from what is otherwise a solid collection of majestic pomp.

While this is a somewhat cleaner cut version of what was a fairly unique reassertion of catchy, lighter sided power metal, this should appeal equally to the same crowd. Of the many Finnish bands often renowned for merging lighter 80s rock sounds with power metal, this is one that brings a bit more credibility to the table for those who want it in a more metallic, riff happy fashion. It’s not quite as raunchy and forbidding as Grave Digger or Running Wild, but it gets pretty closer to Gamma Ray territory, and successfully balances out the softer elements without turning into a glam-like endeavor. All in all, another strong release by a very strong and somewhat underrated band.

Out of all the Power metal releases this year, Celesty's Legacy of Hate has to be one of the best ones, but it's not as good as Manticora's 8 Deadly Sins (of course!). The vocals in this still contain as much energy as in their other release, the melodies are still as epic, everything is there to please the fans.

This also contains a bonus: The last 2 songs, which are 2 parts of Legacy of Hate, and they are both 10 minutes long... Yep, epic songs! These 2 songs prove what Celesty can achieve, both of the songs don't get repetitive at all, contains melodic riff, harsh vocals, clean vocals, amazing keyboard/guitar solos, they will undoubtably impress you.

The only little problem with this album is the fact that some songs are a bit too repetitive, and contain not enough riffage (Army of the Universe was pretty boring).
Nonetheless, this is a great album, and one of the best to be released in 2004!

This CD pwns hard. I'm so tired of boring fruity power metal, and Celesty was the answer to my problem. Those shitty whiny vocals as in Stratovarius is no where to be found on this CD. Celesty's lead singer is experienced in Black and Death vocals, and has a very powerful normal singing voice. Totally fit for this album, it has the feel of a warrior singing his story to his fellow comrades. There are three types of voices on this CD. There are the "humans" and the reptiles, and the deep voice reptile, which utilizes the power, black and death vocal skills. The guitars, just perfect. nothing more i could ask for. Solid solos, awesome riffing, very powerful. Drumming is excellent, use of double bass pedal perfect, and the keyboards are used to their potential without making the album sound like a joke. One of the other parts of this album I love is the lyrics. It makes me feel like im living the moment. I feel like im back in ancient times, slaying evil, and using magic. He uses everything present tense it seems, so it puts you in the moment. Very consistent, the whole album, every song tells you a story about his adventure. I can listen to this CD without skipping any tracks, i never get bored of it.

My favorite songs would probably be, Unbreakable, Breed From the Land Unknown, Settlement, Legacy of hate part 1 and part 2.

I would recommend this album to anyone who is a fan of good power metal, and would like some more exciting lyrical themes instead of "eagles and rainbows".

98/100

In the vein of bands like Heavenly, Freedom Call, Sonata Arctica and even a bit of Stratovarius; this album ‘Legacy Of Hate’ is by a Finnish band called Celesty and it is their second album. In 2002 these Fins released their first one called ‘Reign Of Elements’.

The new CD, which was released on the 10th of May, is one kick ass fine collection for power and melodic metal. This album contains a great concept story around which the music revolves. The band is not afraid to throw in some black metal vocals here and there to spice up the music. The quality of the sound nears perfection and the album is very diverse, with all kind of changes of mood and speed. These six musicians with all their unpronounceable Finnish names create a wall of sound and it’s great to read the intelligent lyrics. This album is the debut for singer Antti Raillo, and he has the perfect voice to give this exciting journey through medieval times an extra dimension. This album is also full of extra choir singing and even a female vocalist is brought in to fill up some empty spaces.

This album is highly recommended for the fans of the bands I mentioned at the beginning of this review.