Galloglass - Legends Of Now And Forevemore

*=Staff's pick	Dragons Revenge* Ancient Times* A Wintertale Remember the Fire* Legends From Now and Forevermore* The Conjuring Eye to Eye* Crusade of the Damned The Quest The Last Stand*

Genre	Epic Power Metal	Carsten Frank	Vocals
Tracks	10	Norbert "Nobby" Geiseler	Guitar
Runningtime	51 Min.	Kai Mühlenbruch	Guitar
Label	Limb Music	Dirk Zelmer	Bass
Release	21 Feb. 2003	Arnd Lorenz	Drums
Country	Germany	-	Keyboards
Similar artists	Rhapsody, Blind Guardian, Elvenking

Together with bands like MSG and Scorpions, Galloglass also originates from Hannover, Germany, and Legends From Now and Forevermore is their first label sponsored studio release. I also got curious about the unusual name so I made some research on the topic and considering the fantasy inspired influences this band has I'm guessing that this following explanation is a plausible one. Galloglass were highly disciplined mercenary warriors from the Hebrides and West Highlands who settled in Ireland in the later thirteenth century and achieved an extraordinary prominence on Irish battlefields throughout the three hundred years following. They fought as mail armoured heavy infantry and wielding their characteristic weapon of the long-staved war-axe. They were the decisive military component in the Gaelic Irish resurgence of the fourteenth century and represented the cutting-edge of resistance to Tudor reconquest two hundred years later. I could of course be wrong but then at least you got a little history lesson... =)

But what about the music? The band majorly fetches their sound, lyrics and inspiration from the classical themes of warriors, battles, some demons and of course dragons. Basically stuff used plenty of times before, but not many do it as good as these guys. Muscially the band they must be said to resemble the most is Rhapsody, but Gallglass doesn't use as many classical arrangements and have somewhat more aggressive guitars.
We can also experience some very nice medieval feelings when the violin joins in and supports the sound, both in faster and more mid-tempo tracks. In some of these parts Elvenking is a good band to compare with and some touches of Blind Guardian are also lurking around in some tracks.

The vocalist Carsten Frank sounds very similar to Olaf Hayer (Luca Turilli, Dionysos) in my ears and I almost had to check the booklet to see if that guy had made some guest appearance. The guitar duo Geiseler and Mühlenbruch have done a great job here and some very cool solos and other melodic parts and beginnings definitely raises the grade and so does some really catchy sing-along refrains.
The refrain in the first track, Dragons Revenge for instance, could be taken from almost any Rhapsody or Luca Turilli album and there's more of this to revel in too.

I liked this album from the very start, not only for the music but also due to a feeling. It's one of those albums and a band you somehow feel you've heard before because everything sounds so familiar and just right. Check out their homepage and download soundsamples from A Wintertale, Eye to Eye, The Conjuring and The Last Stand and judge for yourselves.

So the high grade I'm about to set is not only a proffesional opinion but very much also based on personal feelings, I must admit as much. But what can a poor reviewer do when something appeals to him this much? Anyway, check out Galloglass if the fantasy metal genre and previous mentioned bands are on your list of desirable groups. Profesionalism or not, Legends from Now and Forevermore IS a good album, no doubts there, but I'll add an extra chalice for personal reasons and I hope many of you take Galloglass to your metalhearts the way I have. A great start and a foreboding sign of an even greater future.