I refuse to say that word. Because if I do, you may or may not apply some of the following h******* clichés to the sound of the band I'm reviewing:

• short intros
• songs that never break the 2-minute mark
• songs based on a more complex bass structure
• metallic riffs
• mosh-heavy breakdowns

The list goes on. See, the thing is, none of the above apply to Sheffield's the Legacy's sound. Yeah, you're right, this is nothing new or original, but this 6-track EP comes off as awfully refreshing. Their introductions are long and creative. Only one track runs at under dos minutos, but only by a second. The chords aren't constantly changing; we actually get at least one bar for each chord. The riffs are a long way off metallic, and the breakdowns are very minimal. Huh. I guess that makes them sound like Crime in Stereo. Take that sound, and imagine it a little harder, and we're just about there. And it's so damn addictive.

From the wonderful opening acoustic chords to the pure fury of "After Dark," the epic 5-minute "Man Overboard" (easily the best song on here) to the mid-paced octave-chord romp through "Coming of Age," or the vocal atom bomb of "We gave it everything / we tried our hardest to / make it through these nights" ("Sinking Fast") to the rousing and superb closing lines to the EP, "Don't give up on yourself / just pull through / and we'll make it to the end my friend" ("Man Overboard"), not forgetting that each track on here flows directly into the next, this is a collection of songs that seem to have everything. The whole thing reeks of passion. Yes, this is a record that should have you sweaty and red-faced by the end of it all. Well, if there's no one else in the house.

Put simply, this gets my vote for EP of the year (despite the fact it was originally released in 2004 on Dead and Gone Records). This is a fast, melodic can of whoop-ass that's ready to be opened to the world. Not to be missed.

MP3
Running on Empty (Note: This is actually the worst track on here in my opinion, and is the reason the score is only 8. Still rocks though.)