October Spotlight - Legion

America's best kept secret has once again proved without a shadow of a doubt just who is leading who, or should I rather just say Legion is simply the best heavy metal band that you aren't listening to? Either way New Jersey's Legion have emerged as the leader of a whole new movement here on these domestic shores. Taking into account everything put into a well seasoned metal ear, this five-piece have sprung to life with "Shadow Of The King", the band's debut full-length album. That is right, 2005 marks the year of the beast, the year that classic heavy metal is enforced stateside.

2004 was a huge year for the red, white, and blue underground metal. With the likes of Overlorde, Attacker, and October 31 releasing some of the finest metal ever received by a buying public, America finally seemed to be comparable to the quality goods being dished out in Europe. With an emphasis on tradition, countries like Germany, Sweden, and Finland have been making waves since the late 90s. Unfortunately the US has been a bit lagging in that department, BUT that all changed last year with solid releases like "Return Of The Snow Giant", "No Survivors", and "Soultaker". Another quality gem reared it's head as well, a little known demo disc from Legion, a new band, a new force, and a whole new level of entertainment.

While so many new, up-and-coming groups concentrate on the next cookie cutter sound, Legion continue to go against that philosophy and religion, instead taking on a familiar but not so currently familiar stance. By simply recalling the finest of the new wave and classic rock sound, this group have invented themselves, established their own identity (no matter how much we compare them to other classic acts), and released a motherload of talent and commitment with "Shadow Of The King". In all reality this really should be an album with a hefty price tag and a major underground metal label backing it. Unfortunately the band haven't picked up that label contract yet, but don't worry...it's coming soon enough. They simply can't hold this band back for long, for the walls will come down my friend.

Fans of the old sound will enjoy every aspect of this effort. While most of the material found here will fall into that Sabbath/Rainbow mold, at times you can hear some other influences as well. Personally for me I hear everything from Zeppelin and Bad Company to Deep Purple and Badlands. Vocalist Mike Bunk does an amazing job here, with his voice and register soulful enough to carry these cuts to their absolute best. Guitarists Francesco Adamo and Joe Adamo work very well together, really creating the perfect chemistry to put on display some fine new wave style riffs mixed in with that steady, slower driving rhythm made famous by the likes of Sabbath and Dio. Drummer Collin Bianchi is very much in the same vein as Bobby Rondinelli, who of course is a hard hitting drummer that has sit behind bands such as Sabbath and Blue Oyster Cult.

Legion released a demo in 2004 and this debut album captures all four of the songs found on there, only this time the production is much better and the whole packaging is very much steeped in late 70s/early 80s tradition. Fans of the demo will enjoy this record tremendously, with this release adding in new songs like "Shadow Of The King", "Deny Yourself", "Colors", and "Stay Away". Of course my favorite songs seem to be the cuts I originally heard on the demo (probably from memorizing every riff and note) but these new songs show some improvement songwriting wise as well as song structure.

"Shadow Of The King" begins with the title track, a moving, building track that is punctuated with a driving rock rhythm, all driven home with Bunk's amazing voice. I really enjoy the way his register is so dramatic and emotional. Just listen to how he belts out ".....lost in the SHAAADOW OF THE KIIINNNGGG". This is just pure energy, an effective singer that understands how to properly match vocally the same amount of power as the music behind him. At times it is really hard to put into words the amount of magic put into this release. "Illusion" hits that same driving force, really sort of doing what Iommi did on that phenomenal riff in "Danger Zone". It all builds around that riff and slips into a powerful chorus set into motion once again by the powerful throat of Bunk. "The Watcher" has a bit of Maiden by it's side, with some melodic structure used to set mood and atmosphere. Another new cut is "Deny Yourself", a flashy razzle-dazzle piece that really brings back the sounds of Priest and Maiden. This one sees the band moving more up-tempo, with a bit of Led Zeppelin thrown in the bag. Favorite cut for me is still "Medicine Man". That riff is just simply amazing.

Honestly you really could put this group of hard working musicians on the same page as Rainbow, Deep Purple, Dio, and the mighty Sabbath. I feel they are that damn good, they have that much dedication, and if people don't respect them and don't like what they are doing, I know in my heart they will continue to make music. It isn't about the money, it isn't about getting a huge fan following, it's not about making headlines and press tags. No, Legion are about making quality music that they enjoy listening too. You can tell by one spin of this record that the band enjoys what they do, they enjoy creating songs that they like to listen to. They aren't interested in the next big thing, they don't care what the suits and ties or Billboard say. They like tradition, they like that classic sound, they like metal that is simply metal, refusing to bow to today's genre calling. "Shadow Of The King" is simply today's purest form of heavy metal. That is what we all want, and finally, with Legion....well we finally have it.

Links: www.legion-music.com