author: Christopher Toler, THE Blathering Gommel This highly-anticipated release, (well, by me, anyways!) grabbed me immediately upon my first play through, living up to and even surpassing my expectations. No “How-do-you-dos” or needing to grow on me, No! Just here it is... BAM! A favorite new disc that I hadn’t heard before! The Dreadnoughts’ sound is one of a driving, crunchy guitar at the helm of a tight and kinetic rhythm section that provides a dynamic underscore for the combination of traditional instruments that define each tune, specifically mandolin, fiddle, and one monster accordion. All these elements come together for an intricate and engaging backdrop for Ol’ Jimmy’s distinctive, rolling roar. But at the end of the day, its the songs that carry the CD, and here is where Legends Never Die really shines! The disc’s 11 tracks include frantic and frenzied hornpipe and reel-based Celtic songs, and crashing and forceful whaling and maritime rants full of folk-tale, storytelling lyrics sung with fiery urgency, that blur the lines between contemporary songs and traditional tunes past the point of knowing where one ends and the other begins. Legends Never Die may be the debut release by Vancouver quintet The Dreadnoughts, but it possesses all the confidence, muscle, and production of a seasoned outfit in the prime of their career. Recommendation: You should really own this. Seriously.

The Dreadnoughts are nothing new to all of us in the Celtic Rock…. but to many this band has remained underground until we started getting in requests for their music lately here from around the world. “Legends Never Die” is The Dreadnoughts first release, but this is not a CD made by amateurs… these musicians are by far more talented than some of their peers and other media give them credit for. To grasp the sound of this diverse group could be summed up as a mixture of Great Big Sea, Circle J, Finn’s Fury, Blaggards, and even some Flogging Molly mixed in between. “Legends Never Die” could have been in our Top CDs of the year for 2007… if only just they would have got it to us by then. Pick this one up today if you are looking for a little Sea Shanty, Celtic Trad Jigs, Celtic ROCK, and a little punk added to the mix. This is the next Celtic Rock band to watch for years to come! Tracks of interest: “Fire Marshall Willy”, “Mary the One Eyed Prostitute….”, “Sons of Murphy”, and “Roll the Woodpile Down”.