Deicide - Legion CD

DEICIDE (Florida, USA) - Legion CD (1992) (Reissue) Coming in at #40 on Decibel Magazine's Top 100 Death Metal Album of All Time list.  The year of 1992 found Death Metal at its most potent, chaotic, destructive and virile, just as Speed Metal was in 1986, and Black Metal in 1993. ‘Legion’ sets itself in a league of its own, giving each musician a distinct elemental voice. Glen Benton’s chthonic barking is at its most virulent and savage, having a rhythmic cohesion that is comparable to that of David Vincent, but separable in tonality. His bass is very audible within the mix, sandwiched in between the juxtaposed, trebly Hoffmann brothers guitars, which are thankfully never distant or uninterpretable.

The drumming of Steve Asheim is chaotic but disciplined, as if one were battering cakes laced with grenades. The musical influence of Slayer is a clear template for Deicide’s work, and in terms of compact intensity, ‘Legion’ is to their self-titled debut what ‘Reign In Blood’ was to ‘Hell Awaits’. The album radiates just under half an hour of pure blasphemous momentum and communicates with spiraling, chopping guitar riffs that sit in perfect unison with a manic rhythm section.

Structurally ‘Legion’ emphasizes a more highly proficient musical backdrop and compresses this into a greater density. Virtuosity echoes the best work of Atheist and Voivod if the melodic and progressive rock tendencies were eschewed, whilst the pattern language and aesthetic is in league with the best work of Morbid Angel, Sepultura, Massacra and Suffocation.

This is without a doubt Deicide’s pinnacle, one they would never surpass. A fundamental cornerstone of Death Metal, one of the all time best.  **originally published at: http://stenchofishtar.wordpress.com/2012/09/30/essentials-deicide-legion/**  Roadrunner Records ‎– 168 619 192-2