Legion Of The Shadow Realm

Another 2019 album that I picked up at the end of December was the new one from Legion Of The Damned, Slaves Of The Shadow Realm. While the album was released back in January last year, it took me a while to get motivated to finally pick up the vinyl for it.

I don't really listen to a lot of death metal...in fact, I'm pretty selective about which death metal bands I spend much time with...but there is something about Legion Of The Damned's brand of blackened thrash that works for me. This shit is harsh. It isn't something that is going to get repeat spins from me, but when I'm in the mood for this kind of thing, Legion Of The Damned hit the mark. Plus I tend to really like their cover art, so it is always cool to add a new album to the collection.

I went all out when ordering the last Legion Of The Damned album, Ravenous Plague, back in 2014, and I didn't hesitate to spend the extra money for the more limited colored vinyl. This time around I kept it simple and saved a bit of money by just going for the regular black vinyl pressing.

Join The Legion Of The Damned

I've always come up short when looking for Legion Of The Damned vinyl. Sure, I suppose that I could cough up some big bucks and order it from overseas, but I guess that I keep holding out for some US distributor to stock it, and make the hunt easier for me. I've been listening to the band for seven years, and with each album they release, I tell myself that this time I'm going to make it happen...this time, I'll put up whatever cash it takes, and I'll buy the album on vinyl. However, each year, while I enjoy that new Legion Of The Damned album, I find that I don't return to it enough...thus it fades from the forefront of my thoughts, and I move on to records that are higher on my immediate Want List.

So when it was announced that Legion Of The Damned had a new album, Ravenous Plague, being released this year, I found myself in a similar position. I told myself that this was the year...this time it was going to happen. The difference this year was that I'd really been digging a ton of Metal, and with a push from the new Cannibal Corpse album, I'd been craving some Metal that is a bit more brutal. Legion Of The Damned's brand of blackened thrash was just what I was looking for.

Legion Of The Damned follow the same path as Motorhead and AC/DC. Not that they sound anything like those bands, but like them, you know exactly what you are going to get with a new album. No need to worry if they are going to go "soft", or if they are going to "mature". They do what they do, and that is cool with me.

Limited to 150 as a special Napalm Records pressing on golden vinyl. At first I thought that the vinyl was kind of ugly, but the more I look at it, I get sucked into the ripple of color...plus, it does complement the art very nicely.