LEGEND - Fröm The Fjörds (1979)

In my runthrough screening of '70s records that influenced power metal, I ended up picking Fröm The Fjörds (hereafter Fjords so I don't have to do those damn ironic umlauts), the sole release from the American band Legend, for further study.  I loved the frenetic energy of the bass in the songs I sampled, the whimsical sense of storytelling, and the way the record so interestingly anticipated at least certain strains of power metal, especially the early form of so called "epic metal" embodied by Manilla Road's "Manilla Four" group of mid-'80s releases (of which I've personally only really sat down with two... so far).  I've decided that my picks from the speed dating pool merit a really deep dive.  Like, track by track.  

Fjords seems to generally be viewed as one of those interesting little curios that delights the relative few who get delighted in the sense of having discovered an obscure gem, whilst also having a vocal minority contingent that sees the record as more potential and a few good songs that never totally reached that potential.  As I listened, I became steadily more inclined to accept the record for what it is, even when I sometimes wish it were something slightly different.

Track One:  "The Destroyer"

A song like "The Destroyer" pretty tightly explains what this band does, with a big rumbling riff that seems to go mostly to bassist Fred Melilo.  He and frontman/guitarist Kevin Nugent are constantly tossing parts back and forth between guitar and bass in a manner that we just don't get much of in our world of mostly two-guitar metal bands.  Most of Fjords, one can't neatly predict which part will go to whom.  Meanwhile, Ray Frigon on the drums is really just kinda never not playing.  On beat, off beat, all over the place.  Pretty much ensures that the music isn't going to get boring.  "The Destroyer" also shows how to use a vocalist like Kevin who doesn't really go big or high, ever; his plainspoken delivery needs to be augmented by the right chords from everyone else.  The chorus does just that.  It has a very appealing counterpoint that's not actually slower than the verse except for the vocals but sounds a lot slower because the guitar goes legato.  Without the appropriate grounds in music theory, I'd call it "harmonic" rather than "melodic."  Does that make sense?  Legend's catchy bits aren't catchy because of melody but because the core chords are designed to have notes that sound good together whilst acting as the response to the chords that preceded them.  That's the best I can do.

"The Destroyer" is one of those weird songs in that it'll never be my favorite on the record, but I wave to it as probably the best single-song encapsulation of what Fjords does well.  Sets the scene exactly the way you want from a first track.

Track Two:  "The Wizard's Vengenace"

For one 3.5-minute burst, the guys decided to reign in their musical meanderings and just tell a rocking little story-song.  TWV remains by far my favorite on Fjords.  It's the best showcase for Kevin.  As a guitarist, the riff is more rollciking '70s rock than full on metal during the verse but then the chorus's power chord version of those notes is hard for me to not classify as metal, and it hits hard.  But the thing I love most here is Kevin's vocal approach.  Lots of words that lyrically flow together with a narrative that's simple enough for the casual listener to follow.  This is a storyteller at work, a freakin' modern-day bard.  This short number even builds to a real denoument, with Kevin pulling of the rare feat of doing a silly voice that turns around and becomes cool ("I am the Wizard, wise and good..."), and sounding as triumphant as the music that backs him.

I thought I mentioned in the previous post that that down-tuned soundscape that follows the chorus is catchy as hell too; it's kind of a second chorus.  If not, consider it mentioned now.  

Track Three:  "The Golden Bell"

When you're doing a seven-minute mini-epic, it seems like the two main approaches are quiet beginning and ending with a heavy middle section, or vice versa.  Here we see Legend, mostly thanks to Ray's array of percussion, showing their ability to make things sound really mystical as the warriors assemble.  Trust the viking-fetishist band to appreciate the value of a wordless "ah-ah-ah" part.  Although the middle part of the song has a fair amount of noodling, we keep things interesting by letting Fred go crazy(er) but more importantly with the way the vocals build towards the "devil owns them now" part followed by the restatement of the intro riff in solo form.  I'm constantly impressed by how Legend are able to compose their songs to sound so big without being particularly loud.  Again, it's the storytelling feel.  Musically I'm not hearing any overt folk elements, just standard rock that's made to sound like it comes from a world of magic.  This song ends with the few surviving treasure hunters emerging from the proverbial storm, and the listener feeling like they've been on a journey with them.

Track Four:  "The Confrontation"

Could have been a candidate for among my favorite rock instrumentals, due to the intro riff being one of my favorites on the record.  Here for better or for worse Legend could have stuck with an alternation between two main parts, maybe with a middle section... but they quickly get bored with that idea and go a few different places instead.  Well, they're children of '70s prog too, and this song demonstrates that nicely without taking too long.  I do like what they ended up coming up with.  I think that guitar melody towards the end is nice too, even if (or because!) it seems to be so clearly inspired by "In The Hall Of The Mountain King."

That is one hell of an album side!  Where do you even go from there?

  

Track Five:  "R.A.R.Z."

On first listen, total dismay here.  After a fun intro with an Allman Brothers-y riff, we're suddenly in a straight up rocker about, uh, rock and roll?  Kevin, why are you suddenly doing this sneering rock star affection ("well, listen!")?  Why such a simplistic chorus?  What the hell is a "zole?"  Where are my mythical songs about vikings and gods?  What are you even doing, band?

Sitting with "R.A.R.Z." for longer it makes more a little sense to me.  The influence of guitar-heavy '70s rock bands like Thin Lizzy isn't some new element that was absent from the other songs on Fjords, it was just a little more sublimated elsewhere.  Here's Legend using the same skills they always use to have a go at a radio style track, all while keeping up the plausible deniability that no, no, we're just parodying it.  I mean, there's a long tradition of pop songs for the masses about how I/we don't write pop songs for the masses.

I pondered for awhile whether the sequencing could have been better so as not to kill the mood by putting the atypical song in the middle.  But where else could it go?  It can't be the first track.  You can't close with it.  You don't want to displace your best and punchiest song as track #2.  And keep in mind that the typical listener to Fjords in 1979 wouldn't have gotten shocked by the jarring transition from "The Confrontation" to "R.A.R.Z.," because they would have had to physically move to wherever their turntable was, and physically flip over the record, and manipulate the needle,* in order to actually listen to the latter song right after the former.  So there was a moment to breathe.  I think an art that maybe got lost once CDs replace cassettes was sequencing a record such that each "side" has an opener and a closer.  Where else could the ironic Thin Lizzy pastiche really go, other than as the opener of side B?  Track two on side B is the only other place I can think of to maybe put it.

 

Track Six:  "Against The Gods"

Bit of a slow grower for me.  ATG isn't as epic in length as, say "The Golden Bell."  But I'd argue the story it's telling is just as epic.  This one is a real vibe sort of track, in which the slow music that underlie the lyrics sounds oddly relaxing, matching Kevin's delivery as the protagonist projects his quiet confidence in his ability to go up against the gods that can only come from being convinced of having a just cause and nothing to lose.  Those who only listen to side A, y'all sleepin' on "Against The Gods."

Track Seven:  "The Iron Horse"

Okay, the intro/outro riff isn't bad.  But in case you didn't need a reminder that you're listening to '70s rock with all its excesses, you will be unable to forget that once you realize that a full three minutes' worth of "The Iron Horse" is a drum solo, punctuated only by a few train whistles to make one say "oh, that kind of iron horse."  As I'm sure one would expect from my feelings about guitar solos, drum solos are not my thing.  Even Rush knew to save that shit for the live setting.

Track Eight:  "From The Fjords"**

The other basic structure of an "epic" track - louder verses, and then an instrumental section that leans quiet and atmospheric, then back to the original verse at the end.  FTF is a good song but maybe not a great one.  Compared to something like "The Golden Bell," I like it less for two reasons.  Lyrically this is much weaker than the other fantasy songs, not telling much of a story beyond "we are vikings and we pillage shit."  And the instrumental section is looooong, without a vocal bridge to keep the momentum going.***  The reason FTF is, in fact, quite good, though, is the band that's playing it.  You know their instrumental stuff is going to be high-level.  First, we go staccato on the post-verse riff that serves as the chorus, and that's pretty great.  Then the middle portion isn't a pure guitar solo, it's a full-band jam where as usual Kevin will often shift into rhythm mode to let Fred shine, and then Fred will use his bass as a rhythm guitar so Kevin can do his thing for a bit... it's a winning formula.  I said "jam" but Legend's songs actually seem to me to be more tightly constructed than they appear at first blush.  It helps here, since one can listen to the way the interlude plays out and get a distinct sense of a voyage, followed by an unseen menace, followed by readying for and ultimately struggling against and overcoming said menace (at least that's how I hear it).  If one wants to know how it's possible to keep a riff interesting by recasting it over and over, one could do worse than "From The Fjords."

Final thoughts:

- Legend are doing a bunch of things here.  It's tempting to keep thinking of them as "proto" something or other.  They've got elements of what could be called prog-metal, power metal, epic metal, and stoner metal, way before any of those things crystallized into defined scenes.  I'm trying to push against that and mostly appreciate Fjords as a compelling set of songs that are interesting on their own merits, rather than because of who they influenced.  (Legend didn't get big enough to actually really influence anyone, right?).  What this means is, while I may wish that they would really lean into writing high-energy narratives like "The Wizard's Vengeance," if that were their only mode, they wouldn't be Legend.  They pick a particular range of sounds that doesn't sound like anyone else, and they excel at them. 

- That being said, I learned pretty late in the game that a band about whom I'm very curious but haven't yet checked out, (The Lord Weird) Slough Feg, did know about Legend and have covered one of their songs.  Of course they went with "The Wizard's Vengeance," what with it being the obvious choice.

- Metal Archives, for what it's worth, claims that "zole" means "asshole."  I have no way to confirm or refute this, what with it not being a piece of slang that anyone else has ever used, ever, to the best of my knowledge.

Favorite track:  "The Wizard's Vengeance"

Runner up:  "Against The Gods"

Least favorite track:  "The Iron Horse"

Rating:  4.5/5

Coming up:  A return to slow speed dating with the Metalstorm list, with the '80s, whenever I get around to it!

*At least I think that's how it works.  I don't do vinyl.

**No fake umlauts in the song title the way there are in the record title, as best as I can tell.  

***Not a comment specific to Legend in particular, but in general, I'm not sure why so many prog acts respond to the challenge of "let's deviate from the standard structure of a pop song" by saying "let's write a song with a standard structure and just add four minutes of dicking around in the middle, and since we don't know how to play blues, there won't even be any defined structure or unifying elements."  What a boring and limited interpretation of what progressive music can be.  Going way off topic here, I guess I'm still in the classic early rock n' roll mentality wherein the solo is mostly to give the singer and the listener a quick break; it's rarely the point of the song for me.