With the end of promotion for Guardian of Eternity in 2009, Legacy was all but done and the founding members went their separate ways. But there was still some unfinished business to complete and while originating as a Dave Morrissey solo project, The Lie of the Land eventually turned into a new Celtic Legacy album.
With Ciaran Ennis having been tapped to sing on a couple of tracks, he eventually agreed to do the whole thing and with the music sounding more and more like Celtic Legacy, they decided to switch the band back on again, albeit as a recording-only project.
Much time was spent on production for this album and having started with only 3 completed tracks, new songs were written over an extended period as the album progressed. For the first time, all production was kept in-house with both members using their own studio setups to record their contributions. No recording studios were used for this album cutting costs back to a minimum, but the finished album still has a superior sound to the band’s previous releases.
For budgetary reasons, The Lie of the Land received only a limited CD release although it fared well as a digital album. The album received favourable reviews with it being named album of the year on at least 2 webzines and generally being seen as a return to form. The Gary Moore tribute, Emerald Eye, received singular praise along with the title track. Distant Shores, the last song to be written for inclusion became a new favourite.
With no gigging band this time, promotion was limited to social media and a flutter of online interviews. Thankfully, The Lie of the Land became the first Celtic Legacy album not to lose money, with enough sales to cover the cost of producing the CDs and also ensure a very modest profit for the first time in the band’s history.
The Lie of the Land
Ciaran Ennis – Vocals
Dave Morrissey – Guitars/Bass/Keyboards
Produced, engineered & mixed by Dave Morrissey
Recorded at Dirty Dog Studio and Megatech Studio
Released 13h January 2015