Do you ever wish that there was a metal album that didn’t waste your time with the unnecessary parts? With their first full-length, Of Legends has provided that album. Stranded is set to be released, or should I say, unleashed on the world March 29th through their recently acquired label, Season of Mist.

Many know Luis Dubuc from The Secret Handshake. If you’re a big TSH fan, I’m not going to promise that you’ll like this album, but I will say that Luis definitely hit the nail right on the head with this new project of his. With an average track time of around two and a half minutes, Stranded cuts out all the fat and serves up only the most lean of jams.

Luis tracked the brunt of the album himself, only with the help of the great Travis Orbin on drums and Zack Ordway on some of the lead parts. Having all been written by Luis himself, the album reflects a sense of unity throughout.

Musically, this album displays only the very strongest of metal elements with breakdowns, grooves, and blast beats, but also features some very intricate lead work with even the most subtle of applications. I would not describe the album as simplistic by any means. The songs may be shorter, but they are jam packed with awesomeness throughout. I would say that it is very raw, but in a good way. Luis has described the sound as similar to if Meshuggah had the guy from Turmoil as their vocalist. It’s nothing too fancy. Just some straight up metal that makes you want to punch the guy next to you in the face.

Lyrically, I wouldn’t say that Stranded has a centralized theme per se, but it definitely touches on several subjects surrounding what we might picture as apocalyptic or zombie-like ideals. Luis’ vocals definitely deliver in this context with a forceful nature not corrupted by ridiculous effects.

Overall, this album is definitely worth having if you like metal. Stranded is available digitally on iTunes and Amazon MP3 or you can pick up a hard copy at one of their shows on tour with Norma Jean! My favorite tracks off the album are “Consecro” and “Cannibal King.”