I remember seeing the band logo in fanzines back in the mid 80s, but I don’t think I ever had any of the several demos LEGION OF DEATH released between 1985 and 1989 nor this LP. But when I stumbled upon it at Fribi’s excellent “Outsider Shop” in Olten, Switzerland, I thought, what the hell and bought it just like that. “It’s primitive, thrashy”, Fribi said and on my way home on the bike, I could hardly wait to put this on the turntable and see whether or not my sixth sense for quality music would fail me this time. The simple but effective front cover, the thick 70s-style cardboard sleeve, the band photo with the guy wearing a Septic Death shirt and the other one with the Venom patch, the song titles – this must be great! An hour and a half later, I arrived at home, it was a hot day, I was soaking wet in sweat, but yet before taking my jacket off, I went straight to the hi-fi, impaled the vinyl and put the needle on ……
Primitive, nihilistic, raw, obnoxious – and a total over the top feeling. I knew it!!! Heavy, kind of “sludgy” riffing, great guitar and an even better heavily distorted bass sound plus a singer with a weapon of a voice. “Death Sentence” is such a killer of an opener, with its crushing intensity and evilistic evility. I’ve rarely heard such ferocity outside the Death Metal or Grindcore subgenres in the later 80s, and when trying to put this music into historical context, I realize that I generally don’t know (or, frankly, care) too much about what was going on musically at this time on the Metal side of things. Do I hear the Celtic Frost-type of riffing that bands like Obituary or their cheap clones Asphyx carved out so vehemently? Is it the kind of über-dumbo-grandezza of Sheer Terror (who I find boring) and the likes? You tell me. To me, this has much much more power and aggression. Headfuck quality level!
The lyrics are all highly quotable, but the lines “Yes we believe in anarchy and we believe in death” have all you’ll ever need for a great slogan.
Download LEGION OF DEATH’s selftitled album in the best mp3 quality you ever gonna hear it. And remember: “Our legions wearing leather with their bullet belts in hand, Deathcore music spreading like a plague across the land!”
And sorry for the lame writeup, I think I caught a heat stroke on today’s bike tour with Bloodstar’s Rolf, the Bonneville-Man.
18 Comments
really like this! amazing! thank you for this. you made my day with this one.
[Reply]
Soooooooo goooooood! I’ll can’t think of what this reminds me of yet…I need to wait for my head to clear up from this evilism.
[Reply]
Admin Reply:
July 4th, 2010 at 12:49
Evilism can be very badistic!
[Reply]
What's the Truth? Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 05:44
Indeed it can. I think the vocalist here reminds me most of pre-Massacre Kam Lee, as heard on some of the early Death demos, especially on the Death live demo from 1984. Uncannily similar…
As for the riffs and the instrumental sound, hmm… Yeah I can hear early Slaughter. Not sure what else…
[Reply]
Denver band! Thanks! Got the record around somewhere.
[Reply]
No comment yet? If the comment of the record worth the donation for a year as usual, the sleeve of it worth as least half. And the music vibrate through my cone well.
[Reply]
I’am shocked!!!! SOOOO HEAVY!!!!! Why nobody re-releases this on CD? Yeah when is donation time?
[Reply]
Great as I knew I would be. To me it sounds like a mix of Slaughter and Mediveal. Metal with a punk feeling. The vo-kills are amazing and the lyrics are so great. This should be a classic.
And Asphyx are great, their Death the brutal way was last years best album. They are the best now existing recordning band along with Sacrifice. (If Autopsy make an album they will of cause be the best.)
[Reply]
Admin Reply:
July 4th, 2010 at 12:50
Yeah, Slaughter and Medieval, can hear those too.
[Reply]
sick!!! better than the demos. didn’t even know they had this lp out. thanks!
[Reply]
Ah, this is fucking wonderful! Metal and punk are like a brain-damaged, abusive couple with an incestuous relationship, they fornicate furiously and then shun each other, and then repeat, creating all sorts of mutant children in the process! Of course, the only offspring of that hideous copulation that people notice is thrash, but there are so many wonderful intsances where the OTHER children they have come crawling back, it’s always a wonderful discovery for me.
On another note, I’ve had plenty of similar experiences these days with bringing a record home that I simply knew was going to be good, and being antsy to get back home and listen to it. The ones I can think of now are the latest Heaven & Hell record (Dio’s last recorded output–bought it the day it came out on a really fuckin’ hot day, right after donating blood, UGHhh) and when I found Napalm Death’s “FETO” (with the Def Leppard sticker!).
Always good stuff on this blog, Herr Keller. Thanks!
And here I am shamelessly promoting my blog, but with good intentions, because in this first post it has a shout-out to you!
http://delayreact.blogspot.com/2010/05/out-out-brief-candle.html
[Reply]
Admin Reply:
July 5th, 2010 at 08:50
Thanks! Looking forward to seeing your blog grow.
[Reply]
anony-mouse Reply:
July 5th, 2010 at 22:34
“I’ll leave the intellectual ruminations to Erich Keller. His blog (feels dirty and demeaning to even call it a blog) GoodBadMusic and his old band Fear of God, by the way, have been indispensable to my life. As an aside to him, thank you for so much, particularly introducing me to Angel Witch, Upright Citizens, and for fronting one of the greatest bands of all time. Sorry, I’ll take your cock out of my mouth now.”
you feel pretty honored with all these compliments here, don’t you? I think your blog stinks.
[Reply]
Admin Reply:
July 5th, 2010 at 22:40
Start your own and show you can do better.
[Reply]
I recall this band… One of the guy used to record CO shows from POSSESSED, DARK ANGEL, SATAN’S HOST etc and trade them around..they ahad like 2 demos out…. we loverd them back then…now I doubt they would makle a lasting impression…but back then it’s was all so news.. the same can be said for SAVAGE DEATH, HELLWITCH, SLOD, DARKNESS and hundred others… some were really GREAT some now sounds boring…but hell comparing to the likes of EVILE and all that nu wave trendy Thrash Metal thing, I’m sure those old bands blow ‘em away haha!!!!
[Reply]
Drummer Damion Alexander wrote about a reunion show in http://www.myspace.com/damionalexanderbloom , did anybody hear about thisß
Bassist Andy is in Turambar now: http://www.myspace.com/turambardoom
[Reply]
Pretty good! The bass is a bit too high on the mix, but only add to the punk based rawness of this band. sound like a blend of mid 80′s suburban teenage thrash (ala SUBURBAN MUTILATION) and the proto-death metal sound of CARNIVORE, SLAUGHTER (Canada) and the likes…
[Reply]
a common friend told me you really wanted to stop blogging and are already preparing the close down of goodbadmusic! tell me it’s not true!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
[Reply]
Admin Reply:
July 8th, 2010 at 13:43
I’m not saying one word without my lawyer.
[Reply]
I just find it creepy how much the voice reminds me of the singer of RF7.
[Reply]
Oh fuck. Who ever produced this should be shoot at sight! Horrible.
[Reply]
crazydude1992 Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 12:35
Whatever you say, small penis man.
[Reply]
My penis is small Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 20:31
You´re just jealous cause my penis is smaller than yours.
[Reply]
Admin Reply:
July 11th, 2010 at 20:34
hahahahahahaha
[Reply]
Great album…There are some live soundboards floating around that really good..Also I recently bought a bootleg L.O.D. shirt on ebay..One of my fave 80′s bands
[Reply]
This is an excellent album. They were one of the best thrash bands in Denver, CO in the late ’80′s along with the Acid Pigs and Innocent Addiction. I never quite understood LOD, though. They seldom played live and never opened for any bigger bands that I can remember. They didn’t seem to fit into the local thrash scene. While several of their songs are “anti-poser” and most of their lyrics cover dark topics, they seemed a bit disingenuous. If you saw them live, you know what I mean. They kind of looked like Ratt, but playing brutal hardcore thrash. They could hold their own, though, packing in up to a few hundred people in clubs. In addition to this on vinyl, I have their demos and live stuff on cassette somewhere. I’ll put them up sometime.
[Reply]
Got an original copy of this LP for sale, 1,000 were made. Contact me [email adress] if you’re interested.
Edit by the Admin: This ain’t no market place for record dealers here.
[Reply]
L.O.D. was the first concert I ever went to. They opened for M.O.D. at the Rainbow Music Hall in Denver in 1988. They were great!
[Reply]
Post a Comment