CoC : Dark Legion - Bloodshed : Review

Dark Legion - _Bloodshed_
(DeadSun Records, 2001)
by: David Rocher (4 out of 10)

The Polish death metal scene just seems to be writhing organically with an endless supply of technically proficient, musically inspired bands -- acts such Lost Soul, Decapitated, Yattering or Hate are often hot on godfathers Vader's heels, a lethal nervecurrent which DeadSun signees Dark Legion seem to be fusing with both in body and soul. Unfortunately, though their technical proficiency can not be questioned, it is Dark Legion's truly musical abilities which turn out to be a blemish; this Polish quartet's warlike death metal is tight, brutal and competently played, yet the globally chaotic structures, often uninspired arrangements added to the imprecise, shifting production let _Bloodshed_ down pretty badly. Although some interesting, powerful melodies do surface sporadically throughout the nine tracks plus intro on this recording, this debut release on the whole seemingly tends to grunt, grind and blast around aimlessly, and no matter how hard I try, I can't find myself being even mildly interested by Dark Legion's material. I can only hope that in the near future, they will return to display with consistent and efficient songwriting skills, as although their pure technical abilities are clearly apparent, this release is unfortunately not a wholly recommendable listen.

(article published 12/4/2002)