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OATH
Legion EP

Self-released (2018)
Rating: 6.5/10

Clearly UK melodic metal project Oath are completely unaware of the countless other bands sharing the same moniker. It is a bit annoying, but look past such unimaginative titling and we get a solid, well-measured new… new… new… wave of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal.

The first thing that strikes me with Legion is the instrumentation; slow-building moments of reflection are mixed with upbeat stirrings. Much of what’s on offer has that classic feel with so many strong and potent melodies offered, which is immediately apparent with opener ‘A Dream Of Solitude’.

Great stirring solos are displayed majestically as if from a veteran act spawned from the original movement; stony drums create flighty passages of deftness and darkness with those grey daubs of melancholy one would probably expect from a rainy Britain in the early 80s.

The whole thing remains rather delicate in its passing though, or it could be argued that the EP never fully catches fire. This is probably due to the sometimes rather weak vocal stylings, which really do sound so separate from the instrumentation on the title track that it leaves one wondering if they were recorded in a separate dungeon?

What’s even more disturbing about such a flaw is the fact that Oath is a one-man band formed by Steve Waddell of Scottish act Tantrum. But hey, if Waddell was going for a rather murky, lo-fi feel then I guess it worked. Hats off to him for such replications of that traditional grey haze, which conjures up smoky images and sounds of the likes of Angel Witch and Praying Mantis; the slick musicianship is so well-crafted and without a shade of predictability in sight, as ‘Legion’ unravels as a fine tapestry of soloing and downbeat chugging.

‘Cry Of The Wolf’ follows a more familiar trudge; that nice hook reeks of a mid-80s design with steady drum plods and not overly intrusive bass, but it is the guitar which wins out every time.

Steve Waddell is obviously a talented musician with a real eye for detail, although as every solo squirms delightfully through every castle corridor, I do feel that the whole package lacks a bit of weight and punch. That is down to the production values, which tend to make Waddell’s vocals wistfully ascend and fizzle out once in sight of the stratosphere.

As ‘The Carpathian’ rounds things off, I’m at once hearing great potential but slightly disappointed. As a closing cut, there’s a steady trudge to behold, but the ethereal tones of Waddell just seem lost in the mix. I for one can’t think why this would be intentional, but then again throw this back on some indie label in 1983 and I’m sure collectors – adorned in chainmail – would have been fighting over this.

That’s the feel of Legion; a rather sombre and stormy platter providing enough killer slices of axe work but not enough attitude elsewhere. No, it’s not a hearty slice of harmless metal, but it’s not the sort of soundtrack I’d be accompanied by if I were on a mission to slay dragons. Nevertheless, the future still looks bright for this old school work of not quite glinting steel.

Neil Arnold

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