2018 Metal Album Review, But in 2019?? - "Legion: XX" by Burn the Priest (a.k.a. Lamb of God)
For those that know me the best, it is no secret that I am quite literally one of the biggest fans of Lamb of God that you will ever hope (or loathe) to meet.... I have idolized D. Randall Blythe as a vocalist ever since I was in high school. I discovered them at the spring chicken young age of 14, in the year 2004, the year of their 3rd album release, "Ashes of the Wake". Unlike other metal fans that age at that time who all seemed to first hear "Laid to Rest", the album's opening track, the first Lamb of God song I heard at that time was "11th Hour", the fourth track from their second album, 2003's "As the Palaces Burn" (still my absolute favorite LOG album to this very day). I was instantly hooked. And well, that now brings us to now.
Every single release they have ever done has thoroughly impressed me, almost seemingly without flaw.... obviously I like some material far more than others, but on the whole, they are a band that seems incapable of doing any wrong, musically and artistically.... very few bands truly do that for me, with the exception of Demon Hunter, my absolute favorite band. So yes, I was SUPER excited when I first heard of this new album, and that they would be releasing it under their original band name, Burn the Priest, as they did on their very first self-titled release all those years ago back in 1999. I was even more super stoked to learn that they would be compiling and recording an all-covers album as the thematic element to this release, rounding out a good measure of their favorite influences, covering ground on virtually all the sounds and songwriting styles that made them the metal powerhouse that they are today.
And boy, was I SO FAR from disappointment! I still catch myself popping it into my car's CD player to this very day, and it still manages to get me jazzed up every time. Tonight, I am going to list out but a few of the reasons why, by sharing with you my 4 favorite tracks on the album, though I really could put at least several, considering they cover so much ground on many artists that I love and look up to as well! Just to name a few, whether mentioned below or not, they have covered The Accused, Bad Brains, Melvins, S.O.D. (or Stormtroopers of Death, Scott Ian and Charlie Benante's punky-thrash band formed a few years after Anthrax), Ministry and Agnostic Front, among others.
And so, without further ado, I present to you a few of my favorite tracks from "Legion: XX". Enjoy!
Inherit the Earth (originally by The Accused)
Honey Bucket (originally by Melvins)
Kill Yourself (originally by Stormtroopers of Death)
Dine Alone (originally by Quicksand)