tracklist:
01. Prologue
02. Unbreakable
03. Dream
04. Breed From The Land Unknown
05. Army Of The Universe
06. Settlement
07. Shelter
08. Legacy Of Hate Part I
09. Legacy Of Hate Part II

(55:18 min)

2004 Arise Records (www.arisemetal.com)
Release: 10.05.2004
Country: Finland
дискография

Line Up:
Antti Railio - Vocals
Juha Mäenpää - Keyboards
Jere Luokkamäki - Drums
Ari Katajamäki - Bass
Tapani Kangas - Guitar
J-P Alanen - Guitar


review:
Celesty, a young power metal band from the land of thousand lakes, not so unusual these days. And with “Legacy of Hate” they release their second album, but I guess many of you already heard the first one, “Reign of Elements” was voted for “Best debut album in 2002” in some magazines. And Celesty was chosen as the “Best newcomers of the year” too. So it’s success written all over these young Finns.

Founded in 1998 as Celestial by Jere Luokkamäki and Ari Katajamäki, the band underwent several line-up changes before issueing their first of two demos in 2001. Celesty is yet another Finnish power metal band in the vein of countrymates Sonata Arctica and Stratovarius. If you're familiar with these two stalwarts of European symphonic metal, then you know what Celesty has to offer - keyboard driven, soaring vocals, and a blistering pace. Although the genre is flooded these days, led by the excellent keyboard work of Juha Mäenpää this band displays what it takes to rise above the pack on their debut Reign of Elements. While recording their latest album, Legacy Of Hate, singer Kimmo Perämäki left the band because of "musical differences" but was duely replaced by 19-year old Antti Railio.

The natural question here is, “How does Celesty sounds like now, with a new singer and a direction the old singer didn’t like?” And my answer to that is, “Different but still damn good”.
The music isn’t as power metallish as the debut; here are the songs a little darker and not so “usual Power Metal” as on the debut.
And with a new singer they music use to change too, but I don’t think Antti’s voice changed the music so much, because I can really think that Kimmo would have fitted this as much as Antti does. So you won’t get disappointed because of Antti, if you will be disappointed at all then it’s because of the material that’s written in a different way, more epic, aggressive, progressive touches, but still Celesty.

But I don’t think people that liked the debut will have so much against this, because it’s more original than the debut. (It’s not very original, but if you compare to the debut, it is), and the “new” style is pleasing me more than the “old”, and I find Celesty a better band today than they where before.
And the cover art, how can they? I mean, the debut had a wonderful cover art, but this is damn much better, OMG what a beautiful one.

And this is also some kind of concept album, a Fantasy theme (surprise surprise) about two peoples, one woman and one man (I guess) and their son that’s having some kind of a disease, and they have to use the power from the four elements stones and the magical sword (hehe, yeah, that’s fantasy) and that’s, shortly, what the story are about. My guess is that’s a follow-up to the story from the first album, but I’m not sure, but it’s my guess.

Overall this is a very good release, not a masterpiece, but what band does a killer as a second album? Not many.
But here is potential, and I’m sure Celesty will be one of the biggest Finnish Power Metal bands in a few years, so to both Stratovarius (btw, Antti sounds just like Koti in the song “Shelter”, just so you know) & Sonata Arctica, watch you backs!

Favourite Songs: “Dream”, “Breed From the Land Unknown”, “Army of the Universe” or another of them, it’s so hard, since the album is so good.