3/5

Everyone has said it before, “Oh, I like the music, but just not the singer” or “I wish there wasn’t as much singing.” And for Toronto, Canada’s Mastery, you surely won’t have to think any of those thoughts as a lack of a vocalist eliminates any of those possibilities. Lethal Legacy is a six-song E.P. of solely instrumental tracks indulging in an old-school thrash type feel. The fast, abrasive cuts for the album maintain an initial level of interest and keep a change of pace throughout; and as they should without a vocalist, Mastery need to rely exclusively on the music they put forth. Granted, the first few tracks can prevail on their merits alone, but the lack of singer begins to take a toll on the listener. Without a potent singer to add to their helms, or at least some sort of diversion, Mastery begins to slowly wear away from a potential knockout. I've read that Mastery initially wanted a singer, but couldn’t find one up to par; hopefully they do find one that can maintain a level of competency with the band and something really good could be created. Lethal Legacy does in fact show that Mastery do have the licks and the chops that are needed within this cruel metal world, but without the presence of a singer, the music will have a tendency to mesh together as you can only thrash your way for so long (and I never thought  I would say that!).