The Murder Of My Sweet - A Gentleman's Legacy - guest review
The Murder Of My Sweet - A Gentleman's Legacy - guest review
Tracklist
01. Six Feet Under02. A Ghost Of A Chance
03. Damnation
04. The Wheels Of Time
05. Winged
06. Kill Your Darlings
07. Fathers Eyes
08. Rise Above
09. Trick Of The Devil
10. Heads Or Tails
11. Please, Don't Wait Up
12. Finding Closure
Guest review by
24emd February 25, 2026
The review you’re holding in your hands right now has been started and scrapped multiple times, mostly due to the album being four years old. However, since the only post under this album on Metal Storm is from some chump called 24emd, I thought it’d be worth going ahead and reviewing it too – regardless of however few or many people check this album out.
The Murder Of My Sweet was formed in 2007 by composer and multi-instrumentalist Daniel Flores, who also happens to be the founding member and composer in progressive metal band Mind's Eye. The connection here is not in name alone, no, because Mr Flores here, with A Gentleman's Legacy, has written the follow-up to Mind's Eye’s album, A Gentleman's Hurricane.
A Gentleman's Legacy is a return to prog metal for Flores, considering the sound of The Murder Of My Sweet has primarily conformed to symphonic or power metal. However, all three aforementioned sub-genres are blended in a tasty combo fronted by an excellent vocalist in Angelica Rylin, and backdropped by layers of virtuosic guitars and bright keyboards. Excluding the finale, the album focuses on concise 4-6 minute tracks after an interestingly long introduction. For the most part, the conventions of power-prog and symphonic metal are present here – large, singalong choruses juxtaposed with tight, cascading riffs, with keyboard leads and guitar solos sprinkled about.
Flores’ melodies are consistently earworms, from the warm, relaxed contour of “A Ghost Of A Chance” as well as its ascending synth hooks, to the syncopation in 6/8 of “Father’s Eyes” and the impactful pauses in its verse. The most interesting moments of the record are additionally given the space to breathe and develop, such as the almost nostalgic final moments of “A Ghost Of A Chance” (likely an intentional musical character) or the extended bridges in “Winged”, which lead into a final repetition of its chorus, one with heightened intensity and grandiosity. The lead guitar solos, most likely contributed by Mike Palace, are tasteful, expressive and well phrased, the finale of “Father’s Eyes” being a fitting example. Furthermore, Angelica Rylin’s voice has a dark timbre that is somewhat comparable to Floor Jansen, in how she never leans too far into the bright twang of Fabienne Erni or Diana Leah, nor the larger-than-life operatic tones of Tarja Turunen or Dianne Van Giersbergen. Rylin’s vocals are charming and modest, perfectly reflecting the themes of the album and the character she portrays – Pandora Evangelista, the daughter of A Gentleman's Hurricane’s protagonist.
As the story goes, Pandora’s father is a CIA agent killed by an infamous organisation, and through each chapter of the album, a revenge story is told, daughter seeking to avenge father. Unlike the usual concept album, Rylin’s lyrics seem introspective, as if diary entries, instead of dialogue being dramatically sung, and events being summarised. This thematic approach allows each song to stand on its own without context. Additionally, the genius of the lyrics is in their familiarity – there are no futuristic space operas or high fantasy worlds here. The direct mentions of “the cold war” and “Europe” ground the listener in a story not far from reality. Whilst the story is fittingly simplistic and literal, Rylin includes satisfying moments of lyricism, such as in “Heads Or Tails”, where “red” refers to both Pandora’s dress, and a mess of blood.
A Gentleman's Legacy is competently produced and performed with excellent songwriting and storytelling, the songs themselves being perfectly digestible alone, as well as when part of a greater whole (though “Rise Above” and “Please Don’t Wait Up” can be singled out as the weakest points of the record, despite the former’s lyrics being the most down-to-earth on the album). Daniel Flores’s Gentleman sequel expands the original’s sound and story expertly well whilst being an enjoyable and consistent collection of songs.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 9 |
| Songwriting: | 9 |
| Originality: | 6 |
| Production: | 8 |
Written by 24emd | February 25, 2026
Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
Comments
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Posts: 214
You convinced me to check this album out! There are some great choruses, riffs and ideas here; you can tell the band knows their craft and love the prog of the 90s. The production is horrendous though. The bass is inaudible and the vocals are way high in the mix ! It’s crazy ! This makes the album sound very cheap in my opinion. And of course some ideas (or the general aesthetic) is very outdated for an album that came in 2021.
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Posts: 1264 Written by ForestsAlive on 06.03.2026 at 18:18 Wow, I'm surprised you had such an issue with the production! Also, I have a weakness for modern metal with classic 'vibes', so guilty as charged there. Nonetheless, I'm glad you checked this out.
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Posts: 214 |
Posts: 214 Written by 24emd on 07.03.2026 at 01:25 I guess I was too harsh on them, but these guys are supposed to be in the scene for years right ? I was expecting more professionalism in that respect . Anyway, thanks for sharing this review !
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