Sporting a singer whose James Hetfield impression is so complete it borders on parody, Ukrainians Dimicandum spend their debut driving straight down the middle of the road with such implacability it sounds like they’re scared of anything more adventurous.
That’s not to say The Legacy Of Gaia is bad, because it isn’t. For all the blatant Load-era Metallica vocal worship, the singing conveys far more personality and creativity than the bland, monotonous screaming this kind of groove-led, keyboard-flavoured metal usually gets dragged down by, and there are some decent melodies. In particular, the brief flirtations with more gloomy, gothic passages are rather engaging, such as on At The Gates Of Ishtar.
But it’s all rather nondescript, and like the cheap chocolate you get in advent calendars, ends up being a little flavourless and forgettable. The riffs lack drive, the grooves aren’t big enough to generate real movement, the keyboards don’t add texture and the lasting impression is negligible.
