Legion is the second album by Florida death metal band Deicide. It was released by Roadrunner Records on June 9, 1992.

Background

Though the album is a favourite of fans, "Dead But Dreaming" is the only song from it to remain in the band's live set (though as recently as 2010 the band has begun playing "Trifixion" and "Holy Deception" as well). When the Hoffman brothers quit the band, Eric Hoffman stated that one of the main reasons was Glen Benton refusing to play longer sets and being unable to perform the technical bass guitar riffing required for Legion's material. The first track, "Satan Spawn, the Caco-Daemon", features a backward message. At about twenty seconds, a voice can be heard repeating the song's title.

Musical style

Legion is one of Deicide's most musically ambitious releases, incorporating technical guitar riffs and song structures. Unlike Deicide's first album, no pitch shifters or harmonizers were used on Benton's vocals. However, delay, reverb, and multi-tracking were among the studio manipulations used to achieve the vocal effects on the album.

Reception and legacy

A reviewer for The Metal Storm said "in general a good album, some songs are well executed and with complex musical writing, but there are others that are just very simple and repetitive". Vincent Jeffries of Allmusic stated, "Legion stands out as a musically complex but familiar offering from the band. Live favorite 'Trifixion' is indeed one of the better cuts from the release, but it's easier to consider this disc (and most records like it) as a whole. Deicide's compositions and performances are solid and serious throughout". He also suggested, "newer death metal fans will do well to start off their collection with Legion". Frontman Glen Benton believes the album was "ahead of its time" and that the album's high tempos "caught everybody off-guard". He described the album's sound as "fuckin over the top". "Everybody fuckin hated it, all the magazines hated it; now it’s years later and everybody loves it."

Track listing

All songs written by Deicide (Glen Benton and Steve Asheim).

Personnel