by Steve Joyce
Formed by vocalist Andy Robison and guitarist Phil Monro, UK progressive metal band Ihlo made an impact with their 2019 debut album “Union”. Exploring the emotional challenges of interpersonal relationships, it was hailed by reviewers as “a future classic” and “a spark of genius”. Now with their second album, Ihlo aim to demonstrate their growth from rising newcomers to a dominant force in the UK prog scene. Legacy is a ten song, 68 minute album, written, arranged and produced by Robison and Monro, who both also play keyboards. They are joined by drummer Clark McMenemy and the album features contributions from Liam McLaughlin, Connor Mackie and Romain Jeuniaux.
Lyrically, the album casts a wary eye on the near-future – one in which technological advancement feels increasingly hollow, its progress governed by profit rather than purpose. As someone who has never owned a smartphone, scanned a QR code or used ChatGPT, these themes resonate strongly with me! Six years is a long time in between albums, especially for an emerging band. So the question is, does Legacy enhance the reputation earned by their debut and provide impetus for their journey to become pre-eminent prog metal superstars?
Opening song “Wraith” bewitches the listener with an appropriately ghostly intro before vocals and drums add some edge. The song continues with an onslaught of heavy downbeats that don’t so much grab the attention as pummel you in the face, providing one of many headbanging moments on the album. A soaring chorus showcases Robison’s vocal prowess, before Mackie’s tasteful guitar solo sets up a thrilling finish. This song encapsulates the virtuosity, passion and power of Ihlo’s music and it’s a convincing statement of intent.
“Replica”, the second single from the album, is a song of stark dynamic contrast, like most songs on Legacy. The listener is initially unnerved by a stripped back but disconcerting vocal/guitar segment. A full band section adds drama ahead of an electrifying prog metal workout. The musicianship on display here is tremendous, notably McMenemy’s terrific drumming. His drums are a standout feature of the whole album: we could be hearing a drum legend in the making.
Atmospheric keyboards and emotional vocals imbue “Source” with a beguiling sense of danger, with more prog metal pyrotechnics following. With its strong chorus and lightning fast guitar riffage, it’s a good solid song overall, and the synths provide a subtle but effective melodic undercurrent.
“Empire”, a wise choice as first single, is one of the most accessible tracks on the album thanks hugely to its anthemic chorus. The song features spectacular metal riffage and the ever-prominent keyboards sparkle. This song will surely be a highlight of the album launch concert. Meanwhile, “Storm” is a shorter song with a brief, heavy full-band section bookended by electronica and some nice vocals by Robison. It’s a decent track, but I think the ambient coda could have been longer.
The next two songs are for me, the best two songs on the album. “Mute” has a different template to most of the other tracks, being relatively mellow and slower-paced for most of its eight (plus) minutes. As great as the more bombastic songs are on Legacy, sometimes the ears and brain need some respite! “Mute” has massive chills and feels through its plaintive vocals, a guitar solo with an interesting processed sound and a remarkable keyboard led doom metal section. This is my favourite song on the album.
“Cenotaph” has an explosive prog metal intro which provides a startling smack around the head, and Robison’s best moment on the album comes in the form of a stirring “LET ME GO…” refrain. The prog metal fireworks here are sensational, with extraordinary guitar work by Monro. A short breather sets you up for a burst of wailing drums and an epic outro. What a brilliant song this is! Whichever song came next had a two tough acts to follow and to be honest, I wasn’t grabbed by “Haar” – it’s a perfectly decent prog metal song but I didn’t feel the hooks or arrangements matched the strength of the other songs on the album. Other listeners may disagree, which is absolutely fine!
The final two songs complete the album in wonderful style. I love the swirly sequenced synths in title track “Legacy” and there are some phenomenal vocals. The song is a masterclass in tension-building, and the emotional release comes from a fabulous guitar solo (played by Jeuniaux). It’s my favourite guitar solo on the album and it’s a major goosebumps moment. More menacing synths establish an unsettling mood ahead of the album finale.
Before we get to that, I want to stress that this album has a distinctive feature that makes it stand out from the crowd: the brilliant keyboard playing. The songs on Legacy are underpinned by enchanting synth soundscapes, lush keyboard textures and strong lead melodies. From “Wraith” onwards and throughout, this really is an outstanding aspect of the album.
A superb example of this is a simply glorious keyboard riff in album closer “Signals”, providing what every prog fan demands from an album: an exhilarating payoff. As impactful as this truly is, the show almost stolen by a jaw-dropping piece of drumming and overall, it’s a dazzling denouement. A soothing synth piece gives the listener space to reflect on the stunning experience they’ve had with this album.
Benefiting from the acoustics of being recorded in a converted church, Legacy meets the awesome standards of sonic lushness and clarity that we’ve come to expect from modern prog metal. The stereo mix is exceptional– this is a brilliant “headphones” album, and an audiophile’s dream.
Legacy is a consistently strong album of diverse, exciting and enjoyable music. With music of such potent intensity, the middle of the album may have benefited from adding a longer acoustic or ambient piece to allow the ears and brain a chance to recuperate. That said, at 68 minutes Legacy is already longer than Ihlo’s 53 minute debut. Looking forward with eager anticipation for what Ihlo produce next, a slightly shorter album may reduce the interval in between releases: another six-year gap wouldn’t help the band’s momentum that will undoubtedly be invigorated by the release of “Legacy”.
To answer the question I posed earlier in the review: emphatically, yes. This is a killer record! The songs “Wraith”, “Mute”, “Cenotaph” and Legacy”are totally awesome and as good as anything else I’ve heard all year.
What an absolute delight it is that with talented artists such as Haken, Pure Reason Revolution, Returned to the Earth and now Ihlo, the British progressive scene is so healthy and vibrant. Despite ominous technological mission creep, great music will always prevail. The future is bright!
Tracklist:
1. Wraith 07:30
2. Replica 05:12
3. Source 05:03
4. Empire 07:15
5. Storm 02:25
6. Mute 08:27
7. Cenotaph 08:03
8. Haar 05:48
9. Legacy 08:45
10. Signals 10:01
Order here: https://ihlo.lnk.to/Legacy
Line up:
Phil Monro – Electric Guitars, Bass, Synths, Orchestration
Andy Robison – Vocals & Synths
Clark McMenemy – Drums
Liam McLaughlin – Acoustic Guitars
Connor Mackie – Guitar Solo | Wraith
Romain Jeuniaux – Vocals | Source/Empire/Storm/Legacy + Guitar Solo | Legacy
All tracks composed, arranged and produced by Phil Monro & Andy Robison
Additional production by André Six and Shelby Logan Warne
