Deicide - Legion (Death Metal)

In a previous review of Chaos Horrific by Cannibal Corpse, I remarked that there are rare instances where an album is so utterly disastrous that it feels like an affront to music itself, something that should have never existed. Enter Deicide's Legion, an album that not only fits this unfortunate category but perhaps exemplifies it. I somehow endured this sonic travesty from beginning to end — twice, no less. Let me save you the agony: steer clear of this one.

Let's begin with the production, which, to put it mildly, is appalling. The guitar tone is a swampy mess, muddled to the point of obscurity, while the bass is utterly inaudible for the entire album. One has to wonder if there's even a bass player involved at all, or if Deicide just threw the instrument in the credits as a practical joke. The music itself? Uninspired tremolo picking paired with obligatory, poorly executed proto-deathcore breakdowns. It's as if the band stumbled into the death metal formula but missed the part about creating something interesting, dark, evil or even listenable. The drumming, too, feels weak and lifeless, devoid of the aggression you'd expect from a record meant to be punishing and fierce.

However, the real downfall of Legion — what drags it from mere mediocrity to outright disaster — is the vocals. Glen Benton's performance is nothing short of excruciating. His vocals alternate between pathetic inhaled and exhaled whining, punctuated by the occasional pig squeal, none of which can be described as powerful or brutal death metal vocals. It's difficult to believe this band tries to pass off Legion as being somehow the "equal" of masterpieces such as Onward to Golgotha or Necrotic Fairytales. At certain points, I couldn't help but imagine Benton was simply grunting out these sounds in frustration while straining on the toilet, and the band, in an act of sheer absurdity, decided to pass it off as "vocals."

Then there are the lyrics, which are as cringeworthy as the vocal delivery. They strive, with all the subtlety of a drunk obese moron (aka Glen Benton), to be "blasphemous," yet fall laughably short. Take a sample: "Life has no meaning, unyielding obsession, Death by my own hands, achieving objective." One could be forgiven for thinking this was some misguided parody of the genre, but no, this is Legion in all its earnestness. It's mind-boggling to think that a label as reputable as Roadrunner Records actually gave this the green light.

As for the tracks themselves, there are no highlights, no moments of redemption. Maybe the solos by the Hoffman brothers? If even that... The songs all just blend together in a monotonous slog, thanks largely to the aforementioned vocal trainwreck and lackluster songwriting. The only silver lining I can offer is that, mercifully, the album is brief — just 29 minutes of auditory suffering. If you're unfortunate enough to listen to it, at least the torture won't last long.

In summary, Legion is an album best forgotten, a pitiful entry in Deicide's discography that does a disservice to the death metal genre itself. Avoid it at all costs — it's truly, truly awful. Replace with Khranial's Devoured by Pigs for something actually brutal.

Back to the band Deicide.