Legion of Darkness, True Pagan Black Metal

Sometimes a name can be very misleading. With LEGION OF DARKNESS I had originally expected some grim and very serious raw Black Metal that will try to let icicles form all around the room. But no, while the three songs of their EP “Meridies” have a firm foundation of Black Metal, there is way more to be found than just three corpse painted fellows trying to sonically strip the bark from the trees. Founded in 2001 in very un-grim and non-wintery Palermo, Sicily, LEGION OF DARKNESS already have a history of three demos and one full album (dating from 2005 and it was the last sign of life since this EP). And it shows that the quartet (now trio) has been around for a while, because the level of quality and maturity of the songs contained is more than remarkable!

We get the usual raspy croak, blast beats and cold guitars, but also lots of melodies, double-bass, acoustic guitars, piano, even strong clear vocals and a lot of variety overall with different speeds, moods and whatnot, ensuring that an 11-minute plus song such as “Sentenced To Eternity” does not seem like one, but remains thoroughly enjoyable throughout the whole duration, maintaining a cohesive flow and impressive depth throughout and overall is one hell (no pun intended) of a song that to me can rival almost any of the big names, all I can say is wow! And it is followed by the 9-minute “Songs Of War”, which fits the description of Melodic Black Metal a little closer, but then surprises with a short acoustic break with flute, before resuming the melodic Metal frenzy (double-bass with some blastbeats). But it would not be LEGION OF DARKNESS, if there wasn’t more to come and there is, in form of a violin, which adds its sorrowful tune to the mix (and does not sound out of place at all), and also some more of the clear choir-like vocals, so you see, this is far more than what it seemed to be at first.

Closing “Ithaca” starts out with acoustic guitars (plucked), which then see some violin, some flute and some light percussion added, before picking up in speed and intensity, with the violin returning as lead instrument, and then a choir to complete the grandeur, returning to the serenity of the beginning for the end. An absolutely brilliant song and it makes me want more than just three songs!

“Meridies” is without a doubt one of the best independent releases I have heard in the last few years and I urge you to get this just as much as I urge labels to take note of this outstanding band, it is bands like THIS that deserve record deals and good distribution, mark my words!

REVIEWS ABOUT "MERIDIES"
By Alex 9.5/10	Webzine: METAL-OBSERVER	Website: http://www.metal-observer.com/
Sometimes a name can be very misleading. With LEGION OF DARKNESS I had originally expected some grim and very serious raw Black Metal that will try to let icicles form all around the room. But no, while the three songs of their EP “Meridies” have a firm foundation of Black Metal, there is way more to be found than just three corpse painted fellows trying to sonically strip the bark from the trees. Founded in 2001 in very un-grim and non-wintery Palermo, Sicily, LEGION OF DARKNESS already have a history of three demos and one full album (dating from 2005 and it was the last sign of life since this EP). And it shows that the quartet (now trio) has been around for a while, because the level of quality and maturity of the songs contained is more than remarkable! We get the usual raspy croak, blast beats and cold guitars, but also lots of melodies, double-bass, acoustic guitars, piano, even strong clear vocals and a lot of variety overall with different speeds, moods and whatnot, ensuring that an 11-minute plus song such as “Sentenced To Eternity” does not seem like one, but remains thoroughly enjoyable throughout the whole duration, maintaining a cohesive flow and impressive depth throughout and overall is one hell (no pun intended) of a song that to me can rival almost any of the big names, all I can say is wow! And it is followed by the 9-minute “Songs Of War”, which fits the description of Melodic Black Metal a little closer, but then surprises with a short acoustic break with flute, before resuming the melodic Metal frenzy (double-bass with some blastbeats). But it would not be LEGION OF DARKNESS, if there wasn’t more to come and there is, in form of a violin, which adds its sorrowful tune to the mix (and does not sound out of place at all), and also some more of the clear choir-like vocals, so you see, this is far more than what it seemed to be at first. Closing “Ithaca” starts out with acoustic guitars (plucked), which then see some violin, some flute and some light percussion added, before picking up in speed and intensity, with the violin returning as lead instrument, and then a choir to complete the grandeur, returning to the serenity of the beginning for the end. An absolutely brilliant song and it makes me want more than just three songs! “Meridies” is without a doubt one of the best independent releases I have heard in the last few years and I urge you to get this just as much as I urge labels to take note of this outstanding band, it is bands like THIS that deserve record deals and good distribution, mark my words!