Burn The Priest, now better known as Lamb of God, is a thrash/groove metal project from Richmond, Virginia that has created several fairly memorable releases since their mid-to-late 1990s inception. Since their name change, they've become nothing short of one of the most influential and largescale metal bands in the country. Though they're intent on keeping the LoG trademark, they have brought back the original name for thier latest release. I'm not really sure what this means for the artists' future, but for today let's take a look at this oddball compilation.
Released via Epic Records, Legion: XX serves as a collection of metal and hardcore covers by the Virginia-based five piece. It's ten tracks, 38 minute long, with new takes on iconic groups such as the Melvins, Bad Brains, Agnostic Front, Cro-Mags and more.
Though this isn't the most original album to for obvious reasons, it still has its own merit and listening value. Randy Blythe's voice manages to blend and connect quite well with the majority of Legion: XX's material. The band contributes their own tone, style, and quality to the music...and for the most part it sticks th landing. Personally, I'm not a big fan of some of the songs being covered here to begin with, but I still enjoyed listening to these covers as a Burn The Priest/LoG fan.
On certain songs, such as 'Jesus Built My Hotrod' by Ministry, Blythe changes up his vocals to make an original statement. There are also some added quirks or slight riff variations here and there that give this track and others an extra "oomph." Overall, you're getting each song infused with the usual thrash/groove sound we've come to appreciate, especially with the earlier tracks such as the Melvins and S.O.D.
The only issue I have with this compilation is in regards to the 'Dine Alone' by Quicksand, which I personally believe did not feel on par or did justice to the original track (FlightOfIcarus Edit: as a huge Quicksand fan, I too am highly dissapointed with this subpar cover of a song that is among my favorites.). More generally, the snare sounds iffy throughout the album, which is a minor but noticeable complaint.
Despite this being merely a cover release as opposed to an original album (a factor that may or may not immediately put some peope off), I still believe that it is one worth checking out. If you're a fan of the bands featured or Burn The Priest/Lamb of God in general, you'll definitely find something to enjoy. The covers are done well and mostly do justice to the originals while offering a few little surprises along the way. Even so, this is probably not something that I would listen to on a regular basis.
Fave Tracks: 'Honey Bucket' (Melvins cover), 'We Gotta Know' (Cro-Mags cover)
For Fans Of: Burn The Priest, Lamb of God, or any of the covered bands
**This release is available now here!**
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-Review by: Dave Raffy
Musician, reviewer, fan & promoter
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