Monday, April 29, 2013

Legionary - Path of Tyranny



Path of Tyranny” marks the first EP for New York’s death/thrash band Legionary. At just 12 minutes, it is an aggressive, forceful assault on the ears. Don’t confuse the death/thrash tag as being a clone of Demolition Hammer; Legionary is more of a death metal band first, with thrashy riffs that break through the brutality. While most of this EP provides exactly what you might expect, there is a surprising amount of melody throughout the release. Just when you let down your guard, the band springs a harmony that would not be out of place on any early Iron Maiden record. As quickly as these moments arise, they are gone, and Legionary’s more intense side returns. At times, there is plentiful use of blastbeats; however, the band never overdoes it. Likewise, tremolo picking is used as a part of many riffs, rather than being the entire riff.

Vocally, Legionary takes influence from their death metal roots. Don’t expect any shouting, as these lyrics are grunted quite heavily. The vocals never get guttural; however, which still makes this release fairly appealing for thrash fans that can’t get into harsher vocals. The rhythm section is similar to the vocals: death-metal based. The double bass drumming is frenetic, and only lets up when the guitars allow. From a songwriting perspective, none of these tracks are overly impressive. It is mainly the quality of riffs that will make you want to return to “Path of Tyranny”, as there isn’t much to remember (aside from the short melodic leads) once the EP ends. Still, the unique blend of the commonly combined death/thrash makes “Path of Tyranny” a must listen for fans of extreme metal!

Be sure to check out and like Legionary on Facebook!

Highlight
"Disgrace of the Union"

Final Rating
3.8/5 or 76%. 

Written by Scott