Saviour Machine

Item: Legend Part II
Author: Joe Rockstroh

Legend Part II

(1998)

Reviewed by Joe Rockstroh

Discogs Apple Music TIDAL Amazon Music Spotify YouTube Music

Label Massacre RecordsThe Phantom Tollbooth1998

doom metal gothic metal gothic rock symphonic metal

Imagine a beautiful, hand-crafted mosaic, assembled from thousands of intricate pieces. Imagine that when you stand up close to the mosaic, the picture is fragmented and obscure, but when you step back, the whole painting comes into view. You can step back two ways, either by opening your Bible to Revelation, or by introducing your CD player to Saviour Machine's Legend Part II

Imagination is something that is lacking in the music of today. Artists tend to spell out to a T what it is they are feeling, thinking, wishing to do, etc. Rarely does an artist or band take the time to force the listener to imagine. Sadly, in a genre (Christian music) that should be all about using one's imagination, it is rare to find an album or song that encourages the listener to imagine anything beyond the standard "I love Jesus, yes I do, I love Jesus, he loves you too!"

The Legend project is a three-album trilogy based on end-times prophecy and predictions. Legend Part II is the second album of the trilogy, with Legend Part I already released and the double disc Legend part III scheduled for sometime in 1999. The band's lead singer and writer Eric Clayton began work on the Legend project back in 1995, and has been the driving force in its fruition so far.

I will warn you now, Legend Part II is not for the casual music listener. If you are someone who has to sing along to their music, then you'll probably only find one or two songs that you can deal with. What you will discover instead, however, is well worth the price.

Musically, Saviour Machine is best described as gothic/operatic art rock. Opening track "The Covenant" is a perfect example, including a choir, an electric guitar, a spoken word background, singing, and drums...sometimes all at the same time! Eric Clayton's vocals are very distinct--part scary, part sad, always dynamic and fitting to the mood. The music is very dramatic, with the lyrics complementing the music and the vocals complementing both. The time spent on writing and arranging is clearly apparent in the sheer complexity of the music and lyrics at times. Also, the songs tend to flow together, either joined by Scripture readings or just going from one song to the next without a break.

The lyrics for Legend Part II were taken completely from the book of Revelation, and each of the songs describes something that is prophesied to happen in the end times. For example, the lyrics for part of "The Whore of Babylon":

Behold, the center of demonic faith,
The filthiness arising in the sea of black beneath her
Behold the true satanic nature
Defined in its allegiance to the new world order...

Behold the ritual of the new age
And the multitude occult; the new crusades
Babylon reigns, Babylon reigns....

Sometimes the lyrics can be a bit heavy, but they never lose sight of the hope that is Christ Jesus, as is evident in "The Martyrs Cry":

Jesus, help us, save us, seal us,
speak to us...Jesus, Lord, vindicate our blood....

Several of the main differences I noticed between Legend I and Legend II: Legend I makes more use of the choir in songs and to bridge songs, while Legend II uses spoken-word bridges; Legend I is a bit softer musically, while Legend II has some excellent distorted guitar; and in my opinion, the production for Legend II sounds better.

Saviour Machine has set out to give the world something special, a musical journey through the end times. They do this excellently, with intelligent vocals, well-crafted music, and good production. This album has more depth, more meaning, more passion than anything I have ever heard in the CCM market. If you have been looking for a band who says something more than the typical Christian pick-up line, yet something that is so intertwined with the Word, then you have found the band you have been looking for.

5 tocks