Legion DCLXVI

Just when it seemed as if Doom-styled hardcore couldn’t progress any further, Toronto, ON’s Legion DCLXVI (that’s 666 for you non-Roman numeral types) prove that there is still much life left in the old bitch. A gruesome beast of an album, Black Goat Armageddon succinctly blends the bellowing delivery of Discharge with the dark atmosphere of early black metal (circa Celtic Frost), some of Hookers’ late career punk rock’n’roll riffs and the inevitable Slayer-esque thrash beats. However, thanks to creativity in uniting these various attacks, one must listen quite closely to discern each individual influence. The majority of Black Goat Armageddon is vicious, direct and brutal, the equivalent of your ears being mugged in a dark alley, yet for some reason, you welcome it. Recorded in a raw, overdriven manner that accentuates the anger and malevolence contained within the music and musicians, Black Goat Armageddon stabs new life into a previously lacking genre.