LEGION OF THE DAMNED – Sons Of The Jackal

After supposedly keeping to themselves within their rehearsal room for a few years, Dutch Thrashers Legion Of The Damned seemingly came out of nowhere unto an unprepared and unsuspecting world when the debut Malevolent Rapture was unleashed in January of 2006. Now, they are back for a second round of delivering sinister, ultra-aggressive Thrash in the school of the early Thrash giants.

Since the release of the debut one year ago, the band has built a sizeable profile through playing festivals and opening for Destruction in the Netherlands. Classic-styled Thrash Metal is truly alive and well within these ten tracks — just under 38 minutes of mayhem that is Sons Of The Jackal. In a mere few years, look up “aggression” in a dictionary and Legion of the Damned should be right next to that word as this band is symbolic of and embodies aggression; the music revels in it and hardly ever lets up.

For the Thrash faithful, Legion Of The Damned just might be the saviors of the genre for this millennium. The band’s playing is about as tight as a sewn up arse, as the precise riffing and ultra-fast double kick drums blend exceptionally well, with slower rhythms being executed only very occasionally. The production job, again handled by Andy Classen (Holy Moses), is excellent and demonstrates said tightness in a most powerful way.

The title track is first up and sets the tone from the get go. Legion Of The Damned are clear at what they are supposed to be doing and has no pretensions of being anything else. And, they do it well. They wear their influences proudly on their sleeves, but also manage to come across fresh, mainly due to the intense delivery. The band also sneak in “tributes” as classic Thrash titles are incorporated in their lyrics; both “Deliver Us To Evil” and “Among The Living” are mentioned within the first two tracks. A menacing riff opens “Undead Stillborn.” Vocalist Maurice Swinkels manages to sound extremely evil as he spews of “the lord of the dead.” Material such as “Avenging Archangel” and “Atomicide” further demonstrate that Legion Of The Damned could well be the long lost bastard sons of Kreator (rather than that of the Jackal), while “Infernal Wrath” offers a “slower,” yet still angry, grinding stance, though the drums eagerly pick up the pace again soon enough. “The Horns Arise” offers even faster pace, bringing the speed up a few extra notches, but at the same time it lacks the memorable quality of much of the other material.

Sons Of The Jackal conjures up images of a train that will stop at nothing along its way and forges on mercilessly to Metal stardom. The great, whipping anthem “Diabolist,” ends the blood-filled ride on a particularly high note, being about as effective as Thrash could ever hope to be, and the verdict can only be Thrash-tastic. For how long Legion Of The Damned will manage to Thrash with such relentless frenzy and conviction remains to be seen, but for now, it’s best to just enjoy them. Properly managed, these guys will be a huge name within their genre. Thrashers be sure to relish: this one’s for you.