Legion X started out in 2006 with their first studio release, "Demonic Hour". After four successful years of touring in support of the album, the band re-entered the studio to record their sophomore album, "Beat By Nothing". The name rings true, as this album is indeed truly unbeatable.
It doesn't get much more metal than this, folks. This is "I was handed this CD for free outside of an Anthrax show" metal. This is "They're playing so hard that the drums sometimes overpower the recording equipment" metal. It's raw, unmatched groove/death metal that steps above the generic to deliver a diverse and original album. Each part of this record builds so perfectly off the others. The riffage throughout the entire album is heavy beyond belief. The guitar is able to lay down a beautiful combination of thick grooves and classic, death-like licks. The bass work hits hard, and the solo work is equally as astounding. There's not a single track on the album (Save the acoustic one) that doesn't contain a screaming, classic thrash-sounding solo that contributes to the heaviness of the song, as well as the overall atmosphere of it. Certain solos do tend to sound a bit similar, but not to the point of simply repeating a solo in a different song. The drum work amplifies all of it, the heaviness, the groove, the speed, etc. It holds it all together and makes each track not only progress but charge forward at you with unmatched intensity. The in-your-face vocals top this beautiful combination to make this lineup a heavy metal dream team.
There is not a single bad song on this album. I could listen to it in its entirety over and over again. In fact, I have, but there are a few tracks that stand out to me, the first being "Arrival of the Fittest". The intro is a thick, low riff accompanied by higher toned shredding, that moves into a catchy, heavy groove of a second riff. As soon as the verse starts, it becomes a song that one could charge into battle listening to, and the song keeps this pace the entire time. The song ends with a masterfully written solo, and simply leaves you in awe of what you just listened to. The title track, "Beat By Nothing", starts out like a classic death metal song, mixed with intense soloing, then switches to a groove metal sound right before the vocals kick in. It's a great display of how Legion X can change style mid-song so flawlessly, and really shows that this is an album for all kinds of metalheads. "Black Metal" is one of the tracks off this album that starts out with a fairly simple riff, picks up, and blows you away by the time the vocals kick in. If you re-listen to this song knowing what's coming, you're mentally preparing to get up and start moving right when you hear the first riff. The riffage throughout is diverse, and the solo is creative, making this song easy to appreciate from a musical standpoint. The track "Soarin'" starts with a solo, and has a somewhat lighter tone as compared to the rest of the album, which makes it even more amazing when the darker, more sinister tones kick in, making it sound almost like a conflict between the two. These are just four of the ten amazing tracks on this record.
Legion X is currently playing shows and working on writing a third album, with plans to release it in spring/summer of 2014. For now, I HIGHLY recommend that you check out their other releases! You can do that here.
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