Another band drawn to the ever-superb Inferno label, Legions of war are a Swedish “warmetal” (essentially a military themed variant of blackened thrash) band proudly and firmly committed to the art of making devastatingly heavy metal. ‘Forced to the ground’ is the band’s second full-length album, following upon the heels of 2009’s ‘Towards death’ and it demonstrates a maturity and presence that should have metal fans sitting up and taking notice.
The first thing that hits you squarely between the eyes when you place ‘forced to the ground’ into the CD player is the crisp, clean production courtesy of the band themselves and Thomas Selin. Capturing each instrument with perfect clarity, what sets the production apart is that you can hear each element exactly as it should be. The guitars bite and snarl, the percussion is crisp and taut and the bass underpins each track with suitable weight and substance whilst the vocals of Zyklon and Hellwind cut straight through the heart of the mix, their brutal roars delivered with an air of conviction and menace that can’t be faked.
It is the songs, however, that mark out Legions of war as something special. The album comprises nine brutal tracks, each of which is delivered with a fire and a fury that will leave you awe-struck. This isn’t some tedious retread of past glories, this is a band playing their guts out and delivering a furious tirade that tramples naysayers into the ground with much the same disdain for their existence as demonic soldiers depicted upon the cover could be expected to show. Opening track ‘through the barricades’ is a slow-building monster of a track which opens with some beautifully phrased guitar work which shimmers over throbbing bass and subtle synth, all in time to the marching of booted feet. Sat somewhere between Cradle of filth at their most Maiden-esque and Aura Noir, musically it is a triumph, the guitars blazing away with elemental fury and yet retaining an understated elegance that speaks of the grand scale of long-ended wars. The vocals, in contrast, are delivered in a furious bark that recalls the unstoppable Nazi zombies seen in Outpost – cold, unforgiving and utterly without mercy, they capture the spirit of the lyrics perfectly. The title track comes crashing out next and it packs a hefty punch with its sublime lead guitar work and meaty groove combining in a manner guaranteed to get any mosh pit heaving. ‘Pile of corpse’ is pure, brutal thrash mixing up Megadeth, Children of Bodom and Slayer with deft skill over a series of razor sharp riffs that will leave you breathless. ‘Remains of war’ shows off the band’s instrumental skill with a beautifully played acoustic introduction before surging into folk-metal territory with the riffs drawing heavily from more traditional chord progressions even as the vocals are torn from the very voices of the damned.
Next up is ‘At the eastern shores’ a song which surges with blackened menace and an almost punk spirit that aligns Legions of war with those perennial doyens of the underground, Darkthrone, with perhaps a touch of Motorhead thrown in for good measure. A raucous blast of unhinged and primitive fury it stands as an interesting counterpoint to the almost regal guitar work of the appropriately titled ‘grandiose visions’ which shifts from frantic groove to stunningly articulated lead work with a deft skill that can’t help but leave you impressed. ‘Death brigade’ does not even pause before launching itself into the charge with crushing riffs pouring across the listener like a blood-soaked avalanche, the band only slowing things on a chorus awash with doom-laden riffs. The bands ability to vary the pace and keep things interesting never ceases to amaze and as ‘in the warfield storms’ detonates you’ll find yourself shocked that the album appears to be nearing its end. Final track, the blistering epic ‘nights of revenge’, closes the album with some of the disc’s wildest solos and most intense playing and it leaves you shattered yet wanting to start the whole thing over again – exactly as a good metal album should.
Legions of war get everything right. This is how you make a metal album. From the ferociously tight, deeply passionate performances from all of the musicians to the trad-metal aping artwork via the ferocious production job, the band don’t put a foot wrong, and the music is simply stunning. This is blackened thrash at its very best and if there’s any justice in the world you’ll be reading a heck of a lot more about Legions of war soon. Brutal and uncompromising, ‘forced to the ground’ is a heavy metal triumph on the grandest of scales – track it down now.
