Celtic Legacy

Celtic Legacy is a Heavy Metal band from Ireland formed in late 1997, often styled as a cross between Thin Lizzy/Iron Maiden.

The line-up of this band has changed on numerous occasions but the original founder members continue to write and record material.

The band have released two self-financed albums to date and a third is currently in production for a release late in 2007.

History

The band evolved from a recording project called 'Mischief' which had been started by guitarist Dave Morrissey and Bassist/Vocalist Dave Boylan. Throughout most of 1997 the two musicians wrote and recorded numerous tracks which were recorded using the minimum of resources available. By late Autumn they decided to expand the project into a full group.

Over the course of the next five years the band recorded two albums with both being completely self-financed and produced. The debut album "Celtic Legacy" was a highly experimental affair with several styles of music in evidence although the emphasis was clearly biased towards a hard rock sound. Highlights of the album included "Lost Soul", "Glen Corr - The Spirit Of The Vagabond" and the epic title track itself which clocked in at over 12 minutes. Another high point of this album was its closing track "Waterfront" which featured fiddle player "Ciara Roe" to full effect.

After the album's release, the line-up began to fall apart. Within six months singer "Tom Branagan" had left and a re-think was required. In 1999 "Dave Boylan" took over vocals for a 6-song demo which featured new tracks some of which would eventually surface on the next album.

The following year Legacy returned with a revamped line-up which even featured a female vocalist "Mel Shields". They recorded another demo which had a heavier feel than earlier material and pointed the way to the style the follow up album would take. This line up also foundered however when objections from a prospective record label to a female vocalist make the band's position very fragile. Undaunted, Celtic Legacy involved themselves with an album entitled "The Spirit Of The Black Rose - A Tribute To Philip Parris Lynott" and contributed 2 songs to the double CD set: "Glen Corr - The Spirit Of The Vagabond" and a cover of Thin Lizzy's "Vagabonds Of The Western World". Guitarist Dave Morrissey, a graphic artist by trade was asked to design the album cover by Philomena Lynott, which he did for free. The album was released in April 2001 on the Record Heaven Label.

Following the release of this album Legacy went into hibernation until February 2003 when fan power from Germany brought it back to life. One fan in particular, "Vladimir Hrubik" undertook a campaign to raise the recording funds for a new album, doing so incredibly within only four months. A new line-up was put together and they recorded and released "Resurrection" which was released in November of that year.

A huge improvement over the debut album, "Resurrection" received incredible reviews upon its release and was widely regarded as one of the best Irish albums ever. However due to it being released independently and without any record label muscle, the success of the album would never go past the underground cult status it achieved. In the wake of the album's release another fragmentation of the line-up followed and by July 2004 only the founder members remained once again.

Plans to record a third album in 2005 were shelved when ongoing problems with replacements as well as increased pressure on the band's domestic lives led to the founder members deciding to take 12 months off to consider their options and concentrate on their personal time.

In October 2006 Legacy once again started back with a new line-up and began a period of writing and rehearsing with the next album in mind. During the period between line-ups, new material was being constantly written and demoed. Despite the lack of a full band with which to record, the founder members continued to develop new songs and with the arrival of singer Ciaran Ennis in January 2007, the latest incarnation of Celtic Legacy was complete. Getting back to live work in March, the new band used the time to also rehearse the new material and finally entered the recording studios in late June 2007 to begin work on the next album entitled "Guardian Of Eternity". The album was released in March 2008.

Discography

;"Celtic Legacy" - 1998: The band's debut album was released on May 8 1998. The album has completely sold out and is no longer available.

:Dave Morrissey - Guitars/Keyboards:Dave Boylan - Bass/Vocals:Tommy Branagan - Vocals:Ciara Roe - Fiddle:Phil McEvoy - Drums

;"The Spirit Of The Black Rose" - 2001: Double album featuring numerous bands recording their own versions of Thin Lizzy/Phil Lynott songs. Legacy were the only band allowed to contribute an original track.

:Dave Morrissey - Guitars:Dave Boylan - Bass/Vocals:Mel Shields - Vocals:Phil McEvoy - Drums

;"Resurrection" - 2003: The band's second full independent release. This album featured a completely new line-up and received top reviews worldwide, quickly selling out.

:Dave Morrissey - Guitars/Keyboards:Dave Boylan - Bass/Vocals:Mark Guildea - Vocals:Darren Maher - Guitars:Stephen Cash - Drums

;"Guardian Of Eternity" - 2008: Release Date: March 5th 2008:Dave Morrissey - Guitars/Keyboards:Dave Boylan - Bass/Vocals:Ciaran Ennis - Vocals:Keith Hendley - Guitars:Conor Gillen - Drums

External links

* [http://www.celtic-legacy.com Celtic Legacy Homepage]
* [http://www.myspace.com/celticlegacy Celtic Legacy MySpace Page]