The Legion Of Doom - Manifesto The First - CDR (2005)

Labels: self released
Review by: Kunal Nandi

Nice! As if their name wasn’t enough to pique my interest, the Legion’s first demo deals out big, brawny, instru-metal (see what I did there?) riffing metal (though it’s not especially doom-y) that treads that fine line between po-faced seriousness and comedic intertwining guitar solos like a stone-cold pro. The production is great for a demo, all thick and hefty to bludgeon your attention, all clean and crisp during the middle-eights.

The litmus test is, of course, the total lack of vocals (bar a distant holler of “œmotherfucker” during “˜Antediluvian Motherfucker’, which is my favourite track of the three. I’m also sure that’s a dinosaur reference, so extra marks for that too). Usually the province of artier, more experimental outfits, the lack of vocals in a more conventional rock setting can seem like a glaring omission, but rather than being a gimmick, I don’t see how some guy yelling over top of this would make it any less addictive. The riffs themselves are gloriously melodic, straightforward enough to headbang to, twisty enough to keep it interesting. A thoroughly fun 15 minutes!