IHLO: Legacy (PROGRESSIVE METAL): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

There is something deeply human in “Legacy,” the new Ihlo album, despite the apparent coldness of its machines. It is an album that speaks of fear—not fear of the dark, but fear of the future—fear of a world where artificial intelligence takes control of creation and the soul. Ihlo transforms this theme into sound, into electronic landscapes that breathe, vibrate, and fracture. And through it all, a heart still beats. It is this heart that makes Legacy a great album.

Where “Union” sometimes got lost in its electronic layers, almost to the point of indigestion, “Legacy” finds a better balance. The synths are still present, often massive, but better integrated, more organic. They no longer drown out the music, they extend it. And when saturation threatens, a riff or a break sweeps everything away. The band has found the formula: more density, more metal, more energy. “Source” is striking proof of this, with a monumental riff, one of the most effective Ihlo has ever composed. This track hits like a wake-up call: Ihlo still knows how to be a metal band, not just a sound architect.

What strikes you is the contrast between technical perfection and emotional warmth. The surgical, almost clinical production could be off-putting, but the band manages to slip in soul, a lot of soul. You can sense that they have left the comfort of self-production behind to aim higher, and it pays off: every detail sounds just right. The precise percussion slams into the space; the discreet bass carries the whole structure with quiet power. And above it all, that voice. It's when the energy explodes that Andy Robison's voice is at its peak.

But there is one limitation—perhaps the only one, but the most important: “Legacy” sometimes lacks a little wildness. No screams, no growls, no vocal explosions to release all the accumulated tension, apart from the appearances of Romain Jeuniaux (Omnerod), notably in “Legacy.” At times, we would like the polished beauty to crack, for something to break. The album sometimes remains too smooth, too controlled, as if it were afraid of getting dirty. The lack of surprise also plays a role: Ihlo masters his formula but gets a little stuck in it at times. However, the balance remains admirable.

In certain passages, particularly in the construction of the atmospheres and the way the instruments respond to each other, “Legacy” is at times reminiscent of the worlds of IONS, Karmanjakah or Earthside. This way of mixing progressive metal, orchestral textures, and suspended moments where emotion spreads like a wave. But Ihlo doesn't just follow these references: he reinterprets them in his own way, with his djent energy, sharp riffs, and a sound identity that is now his own.

What dominates everything are the last two tracks, “Legacy” and “Signals.” Two songs of disarming emotional accuracy. Here, everything falls into place: the guitars take over, the tension rises, the voice becomes almost prophetic. “Signals,” in particular, feels like a liberation. We hear desperate humanity, a struggle against the coldness of machines, and somewhere, a lucid acceptance: the fear of AI is, at its core, the fear of ourselves! Rarely has a band embodied this conflict so well without falling into caricature.

"Legacy" also manages to move away from its influences. Whereas Union sometimes sounded like TesseracT's little brother, on this new album, Ihlo breaks free. You can still feel the djent influence, the airy textures, the suspended harmonies, but it no longer dominates. The band has built its own identity, more metallic, more embodied, more alive. There is djent, yes, but it is thoughtful, elegant djent that rejects showmanship in favor of movement and breathing space.

It is this combination of rigor and sincerity that makes “Legacy” a unique album. It is not an album to be listened to in the background: it demands that you immerse yourself in it, that you experience it to some extent. It can be tiring at times, almost overwhelming, but it's a noble fatigue, that of a work that doesn't cheat. And when “Signals” fades out, in that twilight where everything seems to be both over and beginning again, you feel something rare: true emotion! - Official website

IHLO

LEGACY

KSCOPE

PROGRESSIVE METAL