J-Man
Of Legends is essentially a one-man project (minus the drumming) from Luis Dubuc; a name you may recognize as the leader of electronica outfit The Secret Handshake. He may be an unlikely candidate to chalk up a groove-based metalcore album, but that's exactly what he's done with Stranded - and he does it quite well. Of Legends' debut outing is an album filled with impressive musicianship, catchy riffs, and raw-delivered vocals. The (almost exclusively) groove-based riffs on Stranded can become a bit monotonous, but the positives end up ultimately outweighing the detriments on this impressive debut effort.
Of Legends plays a style of metalcore based heavily on groovy, djent-influenced downtuned riffing. The vast majority of Stranded sounds like what most metalcore acts would save for a "breakdown" section - blast beats and extremely fast guitar riffs are seldom utilized here. I hear a bit of sludge metal in here as well, but I wouldn't consider it a dominant style. Unfortunately, the music does lose a bit of its power halfway through. The constant groovy riffs are quite amusing at first, but don't quite allow for enough variation in the music - there's a reason why most metalcore acts save these sections exclusively for breakdowns. I guess Luis Dubuc will have to find a way to make more memorable compositions using this style - I really do appreciate his original approach to writing metalcore. In addition to Luis Dubuc (who handles guitar, bass, and vocals), Of Legends also contains Travis Orbin (Periphery, Sky Eats Airplane). He's, of course, a great drummer and the musicianship is excellent across the board. The production is also polished, but never crosses into "over-produced" territory. Stranded has a production that absolutely fits its style.
Though this one (or two) man act still has some work to do in the composition department, they've really created a kick-ass debut with Stranded. If groovy metalcore is your thing, I have no doubt that this one is a mandatory purchase. My own subjective point of view is a bit less favorable, though, so I'll rest with a 3-3.5 star rating. Of Legends is an up-and-coming group with admirable chops and a knack for writing irresistibly groovy riffs - let's hope they can take it even a step further next time!