Forgotten Legacy

Hearts of Metal
“Metal. Period!” (Motto)
Written by Gerry Ulicny / August 2009

Forgotten Legacy is a band where dedicated means obsessed and biting sarcasm covers a deep hurt over the bastardization of heavy metal music. For all their hard-rocking and tough-talking, these guys are soul-deep purists who struggle to be “true to the art” and are somehow making a go of it in a musical age where it’s hard to get ahead even if you do sell your soul.

Though they didn’t actually intend the name “Forgotten Legacy” as a lament about what they call a lack of appreciation for true metal music, that’s what it has come to mean to the band and their fans. “It suits us perfectly,” says lead singer Joel Wood.

So what’s metal as far as Forgotten Legacy is concerned? Wood says its “original, soaring vocals, top-of the line guitar playing, drumming that creates both a cohesive band and the opportunity for dueling guitars,” but he is quick to defer to drummer John Jesuele on the question.

Jesuele could have written a thesis on the subject. “Music comes from the depths of my very existence and I hope it goes all the way to the top. If only people could understand the deep spiritual, medative and high feeling that I get when playing,” Jesuele says. “I feel like God when I am playing. The stars align and everything is perfect. Nothing else matters. I feed on the energy from a crowd. Playing on stage really is a religious/spiritual experience.” And perhaps it’s all summed up with this quote, “If I couldn’t drum … then I’d rather be dead!” from John.

L-R: John Jesuele (drums), Joel Wood (vocals), Chuck Donahue (bass) and Mike Johnson (guitar).

Though relatively new in their current form, the band members all come from experienced groups. Mike Johnson points out that his and bassist Chuck Donahue’s prior band, Beyond Fallen, was signed with Melissa Records in the Netherlands, and Joel boasts a former career with Phoenix Rizin and vocal training with Steve Whitman of KIX, just to cite a few examples. Chuck says the primary goal of Forgotten Legacy is one abandoned by many popular groups. His dream is that the band, and everyone, will be able to “Think for yourself …not what the corporate media wants you to think.” This idealism carries over to their live sets and they are already playing about half original music per set. While the band understands that realistically, cover tunes are a must, they do hope to convert that to 75 percent in time. The rest they want to keep. “Covers aren’t just necessary for the audience they are also good reminders of what inspired you,” Joel says. “They’re memories, they are tributes, and they are fun.” Influences: Judas Priest – Queensryche – Iron Maiden – Iced Earth – Slayer … so many more……So, perhaps nobody expects a metal band to be passive or easily influenced, but there are certainly some cookie-cutter bands out there. But Legacy members are determined to avoid selling out, well, as much as possible.

Forgotten Legacy is already heading for the studio with their first five polished songs, including fan- and band-favorite ‘False Prediction 2012,’ which pokes fun at the masses’ inclination to believe those perennial stories that the world is coming to an end. If that seems kind of highbrow for a metal band, that’s because people haven’t been exposed to the right kind of metal.”The music that the radio and MTV, which we refer to as EMPTY-V, are rewarding is not the best metal out there,” says Joel. “A lot of it shouldn’t even be called metal.” Band members say they look to early metal influences for inspiration, from the start of the British new-Wave era, early Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Metallica (pre-1990) and Queensryche. One of the best things about the band, according to all of the members, is that they all agree on this and just about everything else. “We all just seem to feed on each other,” says Chuck. Since the time that they first crossed paths – as members of two different bands playing the same show/venue – these guys have had a brother-like affinity for each other. “It’s like we were born together,” Joel says.

Their immediate goal is of course to get more gigs and to get that LP released, which they say will happen in the next few months. The determination to be a true metal band has to of course part of that too. “I want to prove to the world that real metal still exists,” John insists. Though saving America from its “sad state of music” is a constant theme with these guys, touring Europe is also a very important goal. “It’s a different world overseas!” Mike says. “They’re all about the metal over there.” Beyond that, they have the dreams of every hot-blooded, metal-loving boy. “We’d like to record a full-length album and tour overseas, ultimately landing a spot on a major record label,” Mike said. “Success to me means having people pay attention to and understand what we are doing,” John says, with Joel adding “and to carry the torch of traditional metal music and be a successful metal band.

“Personally I would love to make music my job…not saying I am searching for superstardom,” Chuck says. “But I’d love to be picked up by a major or semi-major label and be able to use my music to live.” But, of course, it would be really nice if all that hard work and idealism adds up to something lucrative, wouldn’t it? “Of course we ALL want to be well off, play music and live in a mansion,” Joel says. “Anyone who says otherwise is a damn liar.”