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Eternal Legacy

its loud, it's evil, it's badass!

About Me



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In August of 2003, brothers Jason and Shaun Vanek formed epic metal band, Eternal Legacy, from the ashes of Mercinary. Shaun's virtuoso ability on lead guitar proved to be the perfect match for brother Jason's aggressive rhythm guitar and emotion-packed vocals. With drummer Steve Dukuslow adding syncopated double bass antics, the group was soon producing a driving sound born of a very technical and precise way of playing. By blending baroque form and 20th century symphonic inspiration with the bravado/attitude of metal, the group has always kept a unique sound through their melodic songwriting. As the Vanek brothers embarked on their compositional journey, comparisons were soon made to bands at the forefront of the epic and power metal genres; including Rhapsody, Iced Earth, Blind Guardian, Human Fortress, and Kamelot. The band's single,"Fire's Wrath", was chosen for inclusion on the 2004 compilation disc produced at the international Prog-Power Festival held in Atlanta, Georgia. In 2006 they returned to the Prog-Power catalogue with "Time out of Mind".

In late 2005, classically trained pianist Spencer Phillips joined the band on keyboards. His years of instruction at the renowned Cleveland Institute of Music had given him a solid foundation on which to grow with the group. And grow he will, taking into consideration the age at which he joined the band . The young prodigy causes qute a stir wherever Eternal Legacy plays, with his lightning fast fingers developed over hours of practice!

In May of 2006, Shaun Vanek's student/guitar tech, Josh Gatka, was recruited to play bass guitar for the band. An active and dedicated musician for well over half of his life, Gatka was described by EL photographer Pete Swanson as "a perfect fit".

Eternal Legacy has opened for such notable acts as Sonata Arctica, Jag Panzer, Chris Caffery (Trans-Siberian Orchestra), Dark Tranquility, Trouble, and Beyond Fear. Taking part in the international Brave Words and Bloody Knuckles festival held in Cleveland, they stood out among local acts and garnered the attention of legendary Cleveland label Auburn Records.

Eternal Legacy was the only local band to open for the UK's Dragonforce at their sold out show of their first American tour at the Cleveland Agora. Their hard-driving performance brought the house down and received a positive review from webzine MetalCovenant.com. More recently, the band won a victory at the Cleveland Agora's Battle for Kamelot, beating out the competition and earning the right to open for metal greats Kamelot and Epica.

After The Coming of the Tempest was released on Auburn Records in June of 2007, Eternal Legacy was invited to play at the Headbangers’ Open Air Festival outside of Hamburg, Germany in July of 2007. While there, they played at the famous Headbangers’ Ballroom in Hamburg, very close to where the Beatles started their career. The band received rave reviews from the Germans for their high energy, balls-to-the wall metal shows during their first visit to Europe. After their albums' international release and their well-received performance at HOA 2007, Eternal Legacy had captured worldwide notice for their youth, energy, accomplished musicianship, and power-packed vocals.

2008 would coincide with the exit of bass player Josh Gatka. Spencer stepped up to assume the duties of full-time bass player, previously playing bass during a few of the riffier numbers of 'Legacy's set. Taking on dual-responsibilites, he would continue showcasing his skills on both bass and keyboards. From there on in, Eternal Legacy would be a four-piece, ushering in the era of the Lake Erie Thrashers!

The Cleveland Free Times gave Eternal Legacy the double honor of nominating them as best local heavy metal band of 2007 and selected them as one of the top ten bands to watch in 2008. More determined than ever, Eternal Legacy is currently hard at work in Mercinary Studios recording their second album. Riding the crest of the wave from all the fantastic and encouraging reviews for 'Tempest from around the world, the band is bursting with creativity in their songwriting and performances.

Eternal Legacy continues to provide a high-energy, back-to-basics live performance that appeals to fans of all genres of metal. Catch them live headlining a top notch Bill Peters/Auburn Records-produced metal show at the Jigsaw Saloon on State Road in Parma.


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My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 7/30/2006
Band Website: legacymetal.com
Band Members:

Jason Vanek - Lead Vocals / Rhythm Guitar

Shaun Vanek - Lead Guitar / Backing Vocals

Steve Dukuslow - Drums

Spencer Phillips - Bass Guitar / Keyboards


Influences:

Jason's Influences:
Jioti Parcharidis, Titta Tani, Lord Tim, Iron Maiden, Labyrinth, DGM, Human Fortress, Blind Guardian, Edguy, Kamelot, Mob Rules, Iced Earth, Dungeon, Twilightning, Heavenly, Nocturnal Rites, Rhapsody, Iron Savior, Black Sabbath, Rush, Pantera, Skid Row.

Shaun's Influences:
Beer, Metallica, and Friday the 13th.

Steve's Influences:
"I make it a goal to tap into every sub-genre of metal out there."

Spencer's Influences:
Pagan's Mind, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, In Flames, Dream Theater, Joe Satriani, Black Sabbath, and of course, Beethoven, Bach, Mendelssohn, Chopin, Haydn, Gershwin, and Czerny's School of Velocity.


Sounds Like: "Epic Power metal with great riffs and vocals. Real killer."
- Forgotten-scroll.net

"Eternal Legacy is one of the best bands I got to know this year and that needs to be told"
-Pablo J. of Human Fortress

"It's almost perfect... driven by the magic of Metal music, Eternal Legacy plays it all in a well-considered manner. Technical all the way, you should listen to the awesome combination of both guitar players and the keyboards parts which brings me straight into the world of Progressive Metal ala: Symphorce, Kamelot or Avantasia to name a few. Melodic and catchy to the extreme, what mainly kicks me in the head while listening are the shreddings. The WOW effect is at hand for sure! Also throbbing bass works, roaring guitars and great vocals, etc... i'm totally in guys!"
- Metal To Infinity

"Even though i listen to a variety of music, i havent heard anything as concrete as eternal legacy, and that in itself is a compliment"
- The Streets Webzine

"i hold 'coming of the tempest' in high regard and don't have any difficulty commending them to fans"
- The Streets Webzine

"pure American power metal"
- The Streets Webzine

"Tracks like "Time Out of Mind" show how well the band traverses diverse musical terrain while still maintaining coherent song structures"
- The Cleveland Free Times

"Drummer Steve Dukuslow and bassist Josh Gatka provide the solid rhythm section to support Shaun Vanek's stampeding, spiraling guitar and Sean Phillips' classically trained but understated and artful keyboards. And Jason Vanek has one of those classic metal voices, with fullness in the low end and steely steadiness in the upper register, that allows him freedom to roam. These elements coalesce to create tracks like the ferociously dazzling, inexorable "Shadow of Revolution," and "Realm of Wind and Ice," which has a grandeur that's positively Scandinavian"
- The Cleveland Free Times

"In a genre as sometimes stagnant and archetypical as power metal, Coming of the Tempest is a breath of fresh air."
- The Riff Repository

"They have progressive elements, but are primarily straightforward metal in the vain of early Queensrÿche, Metal Church, Jag Panzer, Fates Warning, etc"
- Metal Covenant

"If you can imagine a mixture of SYMPHONY X and EYEFEAR with a slight dose of old DREAM THEATER this one's a Must for you, a gem for every demanding Metalhead."
- Metal-Rules.de

"These guys will step into the gates of fame quite soon!"
- Metal To Infinity

"Check this band out before they start selling out arenas."
- The Riff Repository

"If the band’s debut album is half as good as this track (Realm of Wind and Ice) is, then we are talking about one of the best 2007 releases" -
Forgotten-scroll.net
"This band was so tight, that they should have played just prior to Dragonforce."
- Metal Covenant

"Brothers Shaun & Jason are exceedingly gifted guitarists. Jason is also an accomplished vocalist, hitting the Harry "Tyrant" Conklin and Geoff Tate high notes. Shaun was truly astounding on guitar."
- Metal Covenant

"Overall this Ohio based band has an excellent future ahead of them." -
Metal Covenant
Record Label: Auburn Records
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

New Single: Lost But Not Alone

As you can see from the main page, we have decided to give you all a little taste of things to come. A fist-pumping anthem in its own right, "Lost But Not Alone" is the first single from the upcoming ...
Posted by Eternal Legacy on Mon, 21 Apr 2008 03:10:00 PST

Album titled announced! (more...)

Eternal Legacy has finally decided on the title of their previously-unnamed second full-length. The release will be tenatively called Lifeless Alive.According to Shaun :"It [means] dead on the outside...
Posted by Eternal Legacy on Wed, 19 Mar 2008 02:58:00 PST

Update From the Studio: 3/6/08

Yesterday night I had a chance to head out to Eternal Legacy's Mercinary Studios in Avon. This week starts the tracking of the drums for the as-of-yet untitled sophomore effort by the Lake Erie thrash...
Posted by Eternal Legacy on Thu, 06 Mar 2008 12:39:00 PST

Show at the Beachland Ballroom (2/9/08)

We just wanted to thank everyone who came out to see us at the show for the Cleveland Free Times at the Ballroom this past weekend. We had a killer time jammin' a set for you all. This was our first s...
Posted by Eternal Legacy on Wed, 13 Feb 2008 11:04:00 PST

Eternal Legacy parts ways with Josh Gatka

After a successful musical partnership and many great shows, we regret to inform everyone that Eternal Legacy has parted ways with former bass guitarist Josh Gatka.Following public statements about hi...
Posted by Eternal Legacy on Wed, 13 Feb 2008 08:51:00 PST

Help Us Take It Back For TRUE METAL!!!

Keep it true, brothers and sisters of metal!The Cleveland Free Times magazine has just announced its nominations for best bands of 2007. If you're a fan of my band, vote for Eternal Legacy for best m...
Posted by Eternal Legacy on Thu, 17 Jan 2008 07:50:00 PST

More Reviews

The Forgotten ScrollA few months ago I had the privilege of reviewing a promotional Auburn Records sampler where the legendary Cleveland label introduced us to some of its forthcoming releases. Among ...
Posted by Eternal Legacy on Wed, 12 Dec 2007 02:21:00 PST

Reviews

Mrs. Phillips has been nagging me to put these up forever, so if anyone is interested in us bragging about our credentials or what our critics have to say, here you are:METAL TO INFINITY:May I have yo...
Posted by Eternal Legacy on Thu, 22 Nov 2007 04:40:00 PST

A Not So Silent Night...

POSERS STAY HOME OR RISK DEATHSpend your winter break getting your fucking face melted.we'd like to thank Joe Cola for designing that flyer. If you need a flyer designed and have some $, click the li...
Posted by Eternal Legacy on Wed, 07 Nov 2007 09:00:00 PST

Forever in Leather

Here's the final details on the upcoming CD release of our Brothers of Metal from Destructor. We hope to see you all there.Hail true fucking metal!...
Posted by Eternal Legacy on Tue, 06 Nov 2007 04:00:00 PST