Power of Metal.dk Review

 
Artillery
Legions
Rating
Style: Thrash
Release date: 22 November, 2013
Playing time: 54:51
 

Coincidence or not, like the band Hell they also started back in 1982 and their new album is released on the same day. Another thing they have in common is that they returned after being away for a long time. For the first time in 1999 with the album 'B.A.C.K',  to split up again a year later. Second attempt in 2009 with the album 'When Death Comes' was a lot more successful and with their 2011 album 'My Blood' they proved that they were back on track.

On both albums original singer Flemming Rönsdorf was replaced by Soren Adamsen. Last year Soren left the band and was replaced by the new vocalist Michael Bastholm Dahl. I was very curious how he would perform on his first album. He passes on all fronts, he actually can sing very well and when I say sing, I mean singing and not just aggressive shouting parts. That is the biggest difference from former Artillery vocalists, he sounds less aggressive, but it suits the aggressive songs very well. Another new recruit on this album is drummer Josua Madsen, he replaces Carsten Nielsen and with success also.

The album starts with an Eastern melody, which is almost a trademark for Artillery because it returns on every album. In a few songs like in "Dies Irae" it returns again. Even with the new singer you can hear from starters that this is Artillery and I don't know how they exactly do it, but you can pick them out of 1000 thrash bands easily. The sound of the guitars in combination with the melodies and the rhythm is typical Artillery, Bay Area thrash the Danish way. Sometimes there are riffs reminding me of my favorite Artillery album "By Inheritance".

You can wake me up for the galopping guitar riffs and rhythms of Artillery any time. For me they are together with Anthrax, Exodus, Metallica and Slayer the founders of thrash metal. They could have been as big as the other 4, they just weren't as lucky I guess...

Again an eighties band shows that despite all the new wave of thrash bands, the old guys still rule....


Tracklist
01. Chill My Bones
02. God Feather
03. Legions of Artillery
04. Wardrum Heartbeat
05. Global Flatline
06. Dies Irae
07. Anno Requiem
08. Enslaved to the Neither
09. Doctor Evil
10. Ethos of Wrath
Label: Metal Blade Records
Distribution: Target (Denmark)
Reviewed by: Reinier de Vries
Date: 20 November, 2013
Website: www.artillery.dk