Warner Music Times of Legend [VINYL]

VENGER, FORMED BY SAXON’S GUITARIST DOUG SCARRATT AND JAMES FOGARTY (IN THE WOODS, OLD FOREST) TO RELEASE DEBUT STUDIO ALBUM, TIMES OF LEGEND, ON JANUARY 9TH Written and produced by Scarratt and Fogarty, Times Of Legend, offers an utterly refreshing reminder that endlessly engaging entertainment exists within the realms of history, folklore and fantasy. Scarratt’s history with Saxon is well-known, whilst Fogarty comes from a varied array of projects embracing several genres including black and progressive metal, with bands such as the aforementioned In The Woods and Old Forest. Even though Venger only came together in 2024 when Scarratt’s son was playing his own show at a bar in Brighton, UK, and Fogarty introduced himself, the pair soon discovered to have common musical ground in a couple of areas, and spending time together started to quickly feel like having an afternoon between old friends down at your local hostelry: a safe space with genuinely fine people that share common interests such as metal, cinema and an appreciation of the art of storytelling. In terms of workload, Scarratt is a guitarist’s guitarist, whilst Fogarty enjoys the melodies. Drummer Sven Rothe is in another of Fogarty’s projects, whilst vocalist Franz Bauer is also an associate from Fogarty’s musical alliance who guests on the album. In an era where the world seems to want to rush at digital speed into digital things, Venger (the name comes from the one-horned sorcerer in the game Dungeons & Dragons) and their debut album, Times Of Legend, have wrought wide ranging inspiration and shed new musical light on figures and stories of old. For now, sit back, unplug, and enjoy turning the aural pages in Times Of Legend.