The Legion – A Bliss To Suffer (2009)

This Swedish Black Metal outfit after 3 years comes back with a vengeance. “A Bliss To Suffer” is a released entirely produced by the band. The album captures the exact sound The Legion wants to imprint on their music and it’s near excellent. Nine tracks of chaotic Black Metal that will blow everybody away.

Since minute one of this album the listener is enthralled by this release. Furious paced blast beats and great guitar work bring this aural assault near Black Metal perfection. And don’t think that this album is all brutality, since the band manages to add melodic passages in the songs to shake things up a bit and avoid the linearity that many BM bands are plagued with. I really enjoyed every track and their different structures that makes it hard to pick a favorite song.

The drumming is excellent courtesy of an ex-Marduk member and lays the perfect foundation for this release. Traditional blazing fast guitars make this release excel. The riffs in this album are not overly repeated allowing each song to have its own identity. The use of keyboard hints in the songs make this release comparable to more symphonic BM bands, but they don’t get abused and they perfectly fit the brutality of the music.

You will have to listen to this album several times to fully appreciate the complexity behind the songs, but since the first time you will be blown away. The changes in the pace of the music make this release standout for me, since they allow the band to create darker atmospheres and keep the listener on its edge waiting to see what is next.

The overall superb production of the album and the excellent music created by the band, make this release one of my favorite BM releases of this year. While keeping the brutality of a traditional BM release, the band manages to add the perfect balance of melodic elements to make this release stand out.

Release Date: April 27, 2009

Country: Sweden