If you’re like me, the RPG is your favorite genre of game to play. But also like me, perhaps, you may have a tendency to get overwhelmed by the huge amount of distracting side quests that pop up. Of course, these ancillary activities are meant to enrich our enjoyment of the game, and, ideally, that’s exactly how they should be viewed. But I just can’t help sometimes feeling obligated to clear my character’s journal before moving forward in the game’s main quest. This tendency towards distraction carries over into my real life as well. At the time of this writing, it is December 14, and my main quest is undoubtedly to compile and finish my Top Ten(ish) of 2023. In fact, that’s exactly what I sat down to do when I opened my laptop. But wouldn’t you know it, an uncompleted side quest stares mockingly from my journal: ‘Write TYMHM for Great Traditional Metal Releases in 2023.’ How can I resist such a tempting diversion?
I had every opportunity to grab the promo for Time Immortal Wept, the fourth full-length release from Pittsburgh’s Legendry. Unfortunately, I was slated to cover two other albums for that release week, neither of which I actually completed. But for the last couple of weeks, I’ve been spinning this delicious morsel of Manilla Road-meets-prog/psych-rock, and it has been worming its way into my mind relentlessly. These guys have a timeless sound, as evidenced by the fantastic single, and first proper track, “Sigil Strider.” An enormous bass line from Arcane Hammer (AKA Andy Ramage, ex-Argus) undergirds a fantastic driving rhythm as vocalist Vidarr’s classic vocals begin our quest.
I’m generally not one to partake of things that are dripping with psychedelia, but I guess my love for this album doesn’t really break that tradition. Time Immortal Wept has just enough psych-rock influence to paint its traditional metal material with a sense of whimsy. In addition to vocals, Vidarr handles a host of other instrumental duties. His guitar work is exemplary, but he also plays mandolin, mellotron, piccolo bass, Hammond organ, etc., many of which can be heard on the Pink Floyd-ish “The Prophecy,” a track that never seems to stop adding embellishments to its rather straightforward rock/metal base. This is the kind of stuff that would really annoy me 99 out of 100 times, but when Legendry does it, it just simply works. The closing title track is another example of the band using a plethora of musical ideas to produce a 12-minute standout that deserves every ounce of the oft-overused descriptor of ‘epic.’
It’s always satisfying when a side quest nicely dovetails into the main quest, and I think that may have just happened here. I thought I had my list all sorted out, but these Legendry warriors have infiltrated my keep at the eleventh hour, casting doubt upon all that I thought I knew. Time Immortal Wept is an incredible journey, and it only gets better the longer I let its wiles work upon me.
Tracks to Check Out: “Sigil Strider,” “The Prophecy,” “Chariots of Bedlam,” “Time Immortal Wept,” but listen to the whole thing, Silly!
