Discography - Legion of the damned
The new album of Legion of the damned entitled "Cult of the dead", will be released December 19th 2008.
Album title: "Feel the blade". [buy here] [check more items]
Released: 2008 (officially recorded in 2003 and released in 2004 by Karmageddon Media Records)
Format: CD+bonus DVD digipack / Vinyl / CD jewelcase / Limited exclusive DVD package by Amazon.de.
Music by Legion of the damned, Lyrics by Tony "Skullcrusher" Manero, additional vocals on "Chronic infection" by Martin van Drunen (ex-Pestilence / Hail of bullets), "Expire" by Ian Ghoulston
Recorded, mixed & mastered by: Andy Classen at Stage one studio, Germany.
Tracks: Nuclear torment, Nocturnal predator, Slaughtering the pigs, Slut of sodom, Feel the blade, Expire, Warbeast, Disturbing the dead, Obsessed by the grave, Reapers call, Last command, Mask of terror, Chronic infection (cover).
Album title: "Sons of the jackal". [buy here] [download] [check more items]
Released: 2007.
Format: CD+bonus DVD jewelcase / Vinyl / CD jewelcase .
Music by Legion of the damned, Lyrics by Tony "Skullcrusher" Manero.
Recorded, mixed & mastered by: Andy Classen at Stage one studio, Germany.
Tracks: Son of the jackal, Undead stillborn, Avenging archangel, Death is my master (slay for kali), Sepulchral ghoul, Seven heads they slumber, Infernal wrath, Atomicide, Ten horns arise, Diabolist.
Album title: "Malevolent rapture". [buy here] [download] [check more items]
Released: 2006.
Format: CD+bonus DVD jewelcase / Vinyl / CD jewelcase.
Music by Legion of the damned, Lyrics by Tony "Skullcrusher" Manero.
Recorded, mixed & mastered by: Andy Classen at Stage one studio, Germany.
Tracks: Legion of the damned, Death's head march, Werewolf corpse, Into the eye of the storm, Malevolent rapture, Demonfist, Taste of the whip, Bleed for me, Scourging the crowned king, Killing for recreation.
PRESS REACTIONS TO THE ALBUMS
"Legion of the damned are at this moment the better Slayer, with this thought main thrash fans should slowly start to accept this" - Patrick Schmidt - Rockhard Magazine - 95 out of 100 points - 2nd place in Soundcheck (Sons of the jackal)
"Superb - everything fits together, fact: Legion of the damned are next to Amon Amarth the next band who will be able to become really big" - Patric Knittel - Legacy Magazine - 15 out of 15 points - 1st place in Soundcheck (Sons of the jackal)
"A thrash granate! This is no cyclone, this is the apocalypse" - Markus Wosgien - MetalHeart Magazine - 10 out of 10 points (Sons of the jackal)
"Maximum aggression - even better than their debut album" - Bjorn Thorsten Jaschinski - Metalhammer (Sons of the jackal)
"Legion of the damned start where "Malevolent rapture" ended. Pure Neckbreaking madness. This is how Thrash should sound like and nothing else! You will break your neck - garantuee! - David Gregori - Heavy Magazine - 1st place in Soundcheck (Sons of the jackal)
"One of the best Thrash/death albums I have heard in the last 12 months in Europe. A must buy for every person who likes the extreme" - Jurgen Tschamler - EMP Magazine (Sons of the jackal)
"Great follow up! The Death/Thrash highlight - The status of Slayer and Kreator in mid 80's can be transfered now to Legion of the damned, soon they will grab the throne, thats a fact!" - Tobias Pfletschinger - BLAST! Magazine (Sons of the jackal)
"Legion of the damned blew everything away. Unhuman machine drumming, tasteful neckbreaking riffs and the screams of Maurice are becoming a brand. Precise, fast and without mercy the songs destroy about everything" - Jakob Kranz - Stahlwerk - Tip January 2007 (Sons of the jackal)
Album of the month - 5 out of 6 points - Scream Magazine - Norway (Malevolent rapture)
Newcome of the month - Hard 'N' Heavy Magazine - France (Malevolent rapture)
Album of the month - 99 out of 100 points - Hellspawn Magazine - Belgium (Malevolent rapture)
6 out of 7 points - Mindview Magazine - Belgium (Malevolent rapture)
Album of the month - Soundcheck winner - Legacy Magazine - 15 out of 15 points (Malevolent rapture)
5th Place in soundcheck - 10x Dynamite - Rockhard Magazine 90 out of 100 points (Malevolent rapture)
11 out of 12 points - 4th place in Soundcheck - Heavy Magazine (Malevolent rapture)
90 out of 100 points - Metalheart Magazine (Malevolent rapture)
5 out of 7 points - Metalhammer Magazine - 4th place in Soundcheck (Malevolent rapture)
Album of the month - Legacy Magazine (Feel the blade)
Album of the month - Scream Magazine Norway (Feel the blade)
"Holy shit...better and more aggressive than before! "Extreme aggression" are the keywords to this mighty intensive Thrash album" - Rockhard Magazine - Andreas stappert
"Thrash fan who like Slayer, Kreator and Dark angel, will shit their pants from excitement while listening to the"'Feel the blade" album, garantueed!" - EMP Germany - Patrick Schmidt
"With only 2 albums Legion of the damned made it in the champions lague of Thrash metal. "Feel the blade" is the next important step to become Europe's most prominent Thrash metal-Armada" Metalhammer soundcheck winner
"Its 40 minutes seems like 15 minutes, and thats how it should be. Nothing subtle, overblown or fake so move along unless you are prepared to bang your head to a song called "Slut of sodom", need I say more?" Paul Stemming - Terrorizer Magazine UK
"The song "Feel the blade" opens up with a riff that would even make Slayer turn out green from being jalous" - Rocktribune Magazine - Steven Willems
BUYER's REACTIONS TO THE LIMITED DELUXE EDITION AT AMAZON
Katharina die Grosse
bekanntlich drei. Und außergewöhnlich gut präsentieren sich die Thrasher von Legion of the Damned auf ihrem mittlerweile dritten Album. Feel the Blade heißt das gute Stück und stellt schon Anfang 2008 eine hohe Messlatte für spätere Death/Thrash Releases. Auf diesem Album beweisen die Holländer warum sie zurzeit die beste Adresse für Fans der etwas härteren Musik sind.
"Feel the Blade" ist gewohnt aggressiv und schnell, aber nie langweilig, eichfach genial, so wie man es von Legion of the Damned kennt und mag.5 stars out of 5
S.Thomas
Excellent box set with the remastered version of the CD Occult - Elegy Of The Weak which sounds way better than the original EVER did. The 2 bonus tracks are awesome along with the Pestilence cover version!
The DVD is what you expect from LOTD, pure class and great quality as normal and which is also over 2 hours once again.
The Deluxe Edition Box is an excellent set along with the postcards,sticker,booklet & limited to 1000 copies is a must buy for any diehard LOTD fan!
5 stars out of 5
Maiden Beast
Endlich ist sie raus....die neue Hammer-Scheibe von Legion of the Damned. In nun schöner regelmäßigkeit veröffentlichen LotD ein klasse Album nach dem anderen. Schön, daß es noch Bands gibt die sich treu bleiben. So macht Metal wieder Spaß..
5 stars out of 5
Michi666
Genau genommen ist die neue Legion Of The Damned kein wirklich neues Album, sondern eigentlich die Neuauflage Elegy Of The Weak von Occult. Das macht allerdings nichts, da der Scheibe seiner Zeit kaum Beachtung geschenkt wurde. Dabei ist "Feel The Blade" die beste Platte die LOTD je gmacht haben.
Absolute Anspieltipps sind "Nuclear Torment" und Slaughtering The Pigs". Aber auch die restlichen Songs stehen denen in nichts nach. Ebenso hat Andy Classen eine super Produktion abgeliefert.
Kurz gesagt: Eins der Highlights des Jahres steht schon ab dem 04.01. in dem Startlöcher. Als Thrasher kommt an dieser Scheibe nicht vorbei. Absolute Kaufempfehlung!!!
Tipp: Die Special-Edition gibt es mit einer 127minütigen Bonus-DVD. Also schnell zugreifen.5 stars out of 5
Christopher
Ja, Wahnsinn ist wohl der beste Begriff für diese Hammer-Scheibe von Legion of the Damned!
Denn dieses Werk sprüht nur so vor ohrenzerfetzenden Riffs, die einem Lange ihm Gedächtnis bleiben und die den Nacken zum Wirbeln bringen bis sich die Muskulatur verknotet!
Und dass gleich zu Beginn des neuen Jahres!Auf gut Deutsch, PLICHTKAUF!!!
P.S: Die DVD und die Goodies setzen dem ganzen die Krone auf!
5 stars out of 5
Boda
Ich weiß zwar nicht warum alle so überrascht sind, denn es ist das alte Album von Occult "Elegy of the Weak" nur nochmal unter einem anderen Namen veröffentlicht. Ich fand das Album schon unter dem Namen Occult super und es ist und bleibt eine Abrissbirne. Wirklich geändert hat sich von der Aufnahme/Produktion her nichts. Es ist lediglich die Tracklist geändert worden und es sind ein paar Songs mehr drauf(3 Bonustracks). Alle die auf klassischen Thrash/Death abfahren (Kreator,Slayer,Exodus, Massacra usw.), bekommen hier feinste 'Riff' Kost.
Man kann auf dem Album wirklich keine Lückenfüller finden. Klar habe ich Favoriten auf dem Album, macht aber keinen Sinn die hier explizit hervorzuheben. Sehr Lobenswert ist die Coverversion des Pestilence- klassikers "Chronic Infection", bei dem auch Oberschreihals Martin von Drunen mitsingt. GEIL!
Für Thrash/Death Fans ein PFLICHTKAUF!!!
5 stars out of 5
T. Sief
Das neue Jahr wurde eingeläutet und schon steht der erste Hammer ins Haus!
Auf "Feel the Blade" beweisen Legion of the Damned einmal mehr das sie zur Elite der Metalszene gehören! Ein bombastisches Feuerwerk aus Death und Trashmetal rasiert einem die Haare aus den Ohren (sofern man dort welche besitzt) :-) Ein guter und vor allem schneller Start ins neue Jahr! ***** - für ein wirklich tolles Album!!!5 stars out of 5
REVIEWS "SONS OF THE JACKAL"
Tree house of death - 85 out of 100 points
Not only does death/thrash embrace the concept of unrestrained spite and aggression in the best way possible, but it is also a metal genre that holds a humongous deal of hidden lure capable of arresting your attention for many years to come once you got stuck in its crafty web. Legion Of The Damned, a young Dutch outfit, are full of steam and ready to deliver the second blow with their sophomore full-length Sons Of The Jackal, which, in actual fact, is about to kick off right from where debut Malevolent Rapture was brought to halt. And if with the latter the band was still put to some doubt as to be considered a full-fledged thrash band able to compete with the genre’s best ambassadors, the newest offering will blow any of your fears right to kingdom.
Though the legion consists of four members only they’ve got enough power to crash in your mind like the invincible armada conquering every inch of your essence with the experience acquired by the guys in Dutch thrash pride Occult whose untimely explosion gave birth to a new supernova, the band we discuss here. Thus, the issue of verdancy ceases to have any significance here at all. It was nearly proved with the debut and it is now a clear case with Sons Of The Jackal. The atrocious cavalcade of right-in-your-face leads, bombastic pushes of indestructible drum/bass battery and low biting shrieks from vocalist Maurice occasionally served in two layers are the three principal foundations the guys lean upon while sculpturing their death/thrash monster.
The song titles do well for the music itself. Thus, if you posses a pretty luxuriant imagination you will easily picture yourself falling a prey to a pack of acerbate bristling jackals ready to tear you to shreds while you are listening to the outrageous speedy title track opening the album. Likewise, Avenging Archangel with its shattering leads and frequent rhythmic changes will have you dip in the ominous abyss with a chilling ugly beast streaking hell for leather to and fro and willing to smash your skull to atoms with its huge spiky mace. Diabolist, due to its awe-inspiring lashing chorus and catchy as hell leads, will easily transform you into a mean sadistic beast with the whole wax of brute instincts, haunting more and more victims for Prince of darkness. Actually, this entire album is like a blood-curding trip around the gloomy labyrinths of the raging inferno full of all kinds of ugly beasts and devilry. If your cast of mind, like mine, allows you any visual hallucinations in your metal album, of course.
Well, the next question is if there is any difference between the debut and this new one on the musical block. Yes, there is some, but on no account should they be characterized as totally different albums. First, there is some notable improvement on the part of the tempo used. The rhythms became more diverse and interesting, which is a good compensation for lack of solos. Yes, the guys are again pretty reluctant in including a number of good sharp-edged solos in their songs. I, for one, don’t suffer much from this factor, but I also wouldn’t mind if they threw in at least one short lick here and there. Actually, there is still one or two insets here, but being so short and elusive they may easily slip along unnoticed.
Second, the melodies see some work of amelioration as well. This feel is mainly strengthened by the wider use of catchy, thrashy riffs. Just listen to Undead Stillborn, Infernal Wrath or Diabolist. All of them feature the tastiest belligerent tunes you could expect from your model thrash band. Furthermore, the album sticks out because of the increased number of lead-based bridges used here nearly in every single track.
All in all, this pleasurable album is a powerful tool for splashing out your internal aggression and spite. I’m sure that any sane person is a bit insane in the remote depths of his/her essence and it would be much better for your dirty half to find the way-out through the unexplainable magic of music rather than through more open form of violence. Listen to good death/thrash, gentlemen and you will hardly ever hurt a fly, though I can easily picture myself chasing after the swarms of nasty flies on my dacha with a big flapper in my hand to the pestilent sounds of Sons Of The Jackal.
Blogcritics Magazine - 9 out of 10 points
In 2006, this thrash metal juggernaut released their debut album, Malevolent Rapture, to a whirl wind of positive reviews, catching the metal world by surprise with a deadly balls to the wall attack. The free-for-all, wide open surge of guitars and drums are incredibly refreshing, as tired as I am of hearing band after band attempt to take the genre to higher levels, only to fail miserably and fall a notch or two. LOTD came at the right time last year, a spark in a sea of miasma, and it is no different this year. The second half of 2006 nearly provided nothing worthy of note, so their release this year is even more welcoming to my ears.
With haste, this new release hoses off the metal plate that, at this point, is piled high with monstrously overwhelming mounds of crap. Like their debut, Sons of The Jackal is raw, and consists of 10 viscously powerful tunes that are, quite fittingly, packaged tightly within a quick play list. This time around a brain-frying 37 minutes. The album busts open with the title track, a tune that plays like a swift kick in the nut sack, and possesses a groove that offers no apologies. Speaking of groove, "Undead Stillborn" presents a riff cycle worthy of any band playing not only in this genre, as with "Avenging Archangel" as well, but in genres that are closely related, like death, or even better yet, what's being heard out in the technical death field. Although, LOTD are not technical death, they aren't that far from it either. Fierce, crunchy speed is the name of game once again, as tune after tune sticks with the same winning formula that their debut offered. After two really good releases now, they can tear up the meal ticket, the banquet is no longer on stand by, they're at the table. Thrash is a widely inclusive genre, but I believe this band to be at or near the top of it at the moment.
Yes, I know the critics of this band, to which there are only a few, love to stick their nose in the air and point out how little LOTD progress the genre, preferring to play from the "Slayer crossed with Venom" template, never really stepping off the red carpet that those two bands laid down. Quite often when I am reading these criticisms, I don't see where the justifications lie within their arguments. Singling out a band's similarity to other bands in the past, as a way to discredit the music, while not constructively analyzing their performance, is not wise and seriously lacks integrity. The music is all that matters, if it is played well, as this album is, then what you should do, instead of worrying about silly acumen, is crank the shit up. That's what metal music is for, and that why I love it. Listen to me, not those blow hards.
RATING: 9/10 - Yeah, Yeah, Yeah... I am going to dispense with the soap box. If you liked their first release, or are on friendly terms with their previous incarnation, Occult, then you need to find this release and fork over some of that wallet confetti. I have spun this album well over 30 times, many of which were in my car (the proper way to gauge an albums effectiveness), and it hasn't grown old to my ears yet. Is it carving new ground? No, but who cares.
Lords of metal - 86 out of 100 points
One year ago 'Malevolent Rapture', the debut album from Legion Of The Damned was released. This album hit many thrash freaks like a proverbial bomb and the band can look back at a good year with a lot of positive reviews and many successful gigs. And look here, one year later it is already time for the band's second album, titled 'Sons Of The Jackal'. And yes, again the album became a sharp thrash hand grenade. Or to put it in other words, the success formula turns out to be successful again. This means:
Again a powerful Andy Classen production.
Again a short but firm 'in your face album'. (37 minutes of music)
Again almost no solos but very cool riffs and drumming instead.
Again good, compact and strong thrash metal songs the way they were meant to be.And of course, it is very easy to say that there's nothing new here, the same thing done again and things like that. But with a result like 'Sons Of The Jackal' I really don't care about that. And just to put some more strength into my words I give you some reactions about Legion Of The Damned by others:
Scott Ian (Anthrax): "Legion Of The Damned is kick-ass thrash done right. No Bullshit, if you like your metal fast, hard and brutal you'll love this.
Snake (Viovod): "Great stuff, really tight. They bring something different to metal. Innovative mood, good riffs. Pick it up."
Maurizio Lacano (Kataklysm): "Legion Of The Damned, the name says it all. They come straight for the throat with a savage thrash/speed attack. Real metal for real metalheads."
Jason Bittner (Shadows Fall): "Good power thrash metal with some excellent drumming.
Raymond I. Herrera (Fear Factory): "Sure, this is a very good CD. It has some really cool influences in it that took me back to when I was a kid. Very well done."Tormentor Erich (Lords Of Metal): "Nuff said, crack it up!"
Metal temple - rate: Excellent!
I was aware of the existence of this band but I wasn’t lucky enough to have a taste from their debut album "Malevolent Rapture" (2006). I had heard good things about them and it was about time to see if these guys are worth their reputation. To tell you the truth, I couldn’t expect something less than a good release since this band is a kind of an all-star band! Don’t tell me that while looking at the line up you didn’t understand a thing!
Formed in 1992, LEGION OF THE DAMNED were formerly known as OCCULT. They were forced to change their name because their former singer Rachel Heyzer-Kloosterwaard (ex-SINISTER, INFINITED HATE, PATHOLOGY, SACRAMENTAL SACHEM) was no longer a member of the band. Consisting of members of bands like INHUME, DISGORGE and BESTIAL SUMMONING, the deathsters signed a contract with Massacre. There, they released their debut album and now, their second full-length work.
As I mentioned above, I haven’t listened to their first album so I can’t compare "Sons Of The Jackal" to it. It may be due to the continuous attack of Greek shitty Pop music the last days, but I found this album filled with passion and incredible rawness. No, it is not an album that is full of new ideas and experimental stuff, but it is an album that grabs your balls until you surrender to its power. In "Sons Of The Jackal" you can find the rawness of BOLT THROWER, the brutality of VADER, the thrashy riffing style of KATAKLYSM, and for all of you who followed my advice and bought the last DEATHCHAIN album, this is one more album that will look beautiful next to it. Based on the European Death Metal style, LEGION OF THE DAMNED created an album that even though has nothing new to offer to Death Metal, still manages to sound fresh. There is no way you will get bored or skip tracks. The album is full of great riffs! The guitars really spit poison! The production is awesome and makes the sound heavy enough to blow your brains on the wall. Dear friends, this is European Death Metal at its best!
There are no excuses! If you wake up and instead of soft songs you listen to GRAVE or UNLEASHED, this album is the perfect for you. I won’t say buy or die and stuff like that. I will just say that I am already looking forward to their next release!
Metal observer - 10 out of 10 points
Can you better an almost perfect album? In the best case you can work a bit more with better surroundings and that is exactly what LEGION OF THE DAMNED did with their new album. Despite the immense success of their debut, including many gigs, the band managed to release their new long player less than a year later and “Sons Of The Jackal“ seamlessly continues where they had left off.
So how loved “Malevolent Rapture“ will not be disappointed. The second epos also contains the variety like most RAZOR albums, next to none. Instead there are so many killer riffs that it is a true bliss. No Thrash Metal band will reach a second “Reign In Blood” anymore, but at least LEGION OF THE DAMNED stomp the latest very strong SLAYER album “Christ Illusion” into the ground. Not a small feat, eh? And hard to believe, but true: The production by Andy Classen is even fatter and more powerful without seeming overblown.
With the cover artwork they also scored a true winner this time around. I can only recommend absolutely every Thrasher, bone sucker and ultra headbanger to get this CD and completely go nuts. And again the first edition has a very nice DVD with several live shows, studio report etc. Holy crap, when shouter Maurice lets out one of his great, small, grimy screams, I could – aaahh, now I want more, hell, give me more!!!