Dark Legions - 2005 - Awakening of the Legions

Swedish Satanic Thrashers Dark Legions have, after only a few weeks as a band released their first demo unto the underground. This is some seriously good Thrash, and coming from me that's not bad, since I'm not that fond of Thrash in general. They have drawn inspiration from the classics in the scene - Possessed, Celtic Frost, Slayer and early Bathory. Ripping guitars and well played drumming creates a feeling of the bands from the '90ies, as well as the classics, with an updated sound to it. Very nice. This reminds me somewhat of Clandestine Blaze, as well as a bit of the amazing, but very very
 obscure local band Slakters that released a few things on tape many a year ago. The circulation was not that big, so it doesn't really help in describing this band, though, I guess. The music is mostly mid-paced, and seriously groovy.

The vocals sound like early '90ies Swedish Death Metal vocals with a twist of classic Metal. Some parts L G Petrow of Entombed are present, but mostly they are a bit deeper and darker, reminding me somewhat of those by Ares on the later Aeternus albums.

The soundquality is well above that of an average demo recording. The guitars are a bit fuzzy, and the percussions sound slightly weird at times, but other than that there really isn't anything to complain about here. The vocals are more towards the front in the mix, with the other instruments being slightly in the back. These guys know their stuff, and perform it well. If you're into Thrash you could do far worse than buying this demo.

Standout tracks are "Purification", with its heavy groove, and "March of the Legions". "Purification" is a track that easily gets stuck in your head.

Friday January 20 2006, by :Vragh: