Ihlo’s second record Legacy arrives six years after their debut Union, and it wastes no time proving the wait was worthwhile. Where their first effort hinted at promise, this one feels like a statement of arrival, a dense but deliberate exploration of what post-djent progressive metal can be in 2025. Across its ten tracks, the Scottish trio lean heavily into electronics and atmosphere while never losing sight of metal’s weight, landing somewhere between the architectural precision of Tesseract, the cinematic ambition of Devin Townsend, and the modern polish of Leprous.
The opener “Wraith” sets the tone immediately: ambient synth swells dissolve into tectonic riffing, Andy Robison’s vocals soaring above the melee with equal parts vulnerability and power. It’s a song that showcases the band’s greatest strength—an instinct for balancing intricacy with immediacy. The technical flourishes are there, but they’re in service of melodies that stick long after the final chorus fades. “Empire” sharpens that approach further, its syncopated guitar attack and luminous hooks making it one of the record’s most replayable moments, as accessible as it is ambitious.
Elsewhere, Ihlo broaden their palette. “Storm,” though brief, is a haunting interlude where hazy synth textures and restrained vocals evoke half-remembered dreams, setting up the heavier back half of the album. “Source” plunges into glitchy electronics before erupting into monolithic riffs, while “Cenotaph” crackles with energy, its djent-infused rhythms colliding with cinematic vocal swells. Even when Ihlo stumble—“Mute” overstays its welcome with a meandering midsection—the sheer conviction of performance keeps the momentum alive.
Much of Legacy’s depth comes from its meticulous production. Recorded partly at The Arch Studios, a restored 19th-century church, the record benefits from natural resonance that enhances its sweeping scope. Clark McMenemy’s drumming is crisp and dynamic, able to shift from polyrhythmic tightness to thunderous crashes with ease. Phil Monro’s guitar work balances brute force with melodic clarity, and Robison’s voice is the glue—clean, emotive, and commanding, carrying both the intimacy of “Signals” and the cathartic peaks of “Wraith.”
If Union was a promising debut, Legacy is Ihlo’s bid for permanence. The album’s 69-minute runtime may intimidate casual listeners, but for those willing to immerse, it delivers one of the year’s richest prog metal journeys—forward-looking, emotionally resonant, and technically accomplished without indulgence. Ihlo haven’t reinvented the genre, but they’ve carved out a corner of it that feels distinctly theirs: widescreen, meticulously layered, and unafraid to chase both heaviness and beauty in the same breath.
