Again, I was ploughing through Metal-Archives and noticed no review for "Legions" despite 4 for "Worlds". I decided to make my own offering. Thank Toozey for the inspiration
Probably the most enjoyable review I've ever written...though a bit flowery for my usual style. Check it out and give me some feedback!
A turbulent birth... a triumphant return.
When Mithras' debut album, "Forever Advancing... Legions" broke through the walls of its bleeding womb... it was unjustly cast aside by a metal media more concerned with heroes from afar. Technically brilliant, crushingly brutal and remarkably otherworldly...it was just too much for the tastes of the average British brute, more driven by the sound of tin-can snares and chainsaw guitars to admire the atmospheric majesty of Mithras.
After an imperial intro in the form of the title-track, The powerful onslaught of "Trample their works" hits like a hellstorm. The drumming is furious, the riffing bombastic and the overall effect: Absolute Aggression. If any song could be said to truly advocate its own teachings, this is one. You WILL trample their works...to fucking dust. "Sloping altars" does nothing to cease the momentum. Not only does it continue the rampant brutality but it unfolds the atmospheric complexity of the band, with unusual scales, odd rhythms and fantastic solos.
Guitarist/Drummer Leon Macey, is sometimes cynically referred to as "Trey Junior" but in my honest opinion he is one of the few musicians in modern metal who has almost blatantly forged his own ideals, quietly boasting a new approach to extreme metal and guitar in general. There may be a more obvious salute to Morbid Angel in this release but it is no more than that. A salute at an impossibly high speed with an uncompromising sense of boundary-breaking originality. This is clear in the monumental "Arena Sands". With a bludgeoning introduction, masked by the cheer of the collosseum, the song progresses with snake-like twists and turns, a tranquil keyboard interlude and a return to a climactic parade of heaviness which alternates from ear to ear.
Another highlight is "Wrath of God" a crushing anthem which describes the barbaric First Crusade of 1092. With pleasing double-kickery and an eastern melody laden with crunch and pinch-harmonics, this is easily my favourite track on the entire album. Much slower than the rest, it bears a strength unmatched as the powerful throaty screams of Bassist/Vocalist Rayner Coss preach divine retribution and cry out for the victims of religious atrocity.
Pleasingly, the Candlelight remaster of "Forever advancing...Legions" makes Rayner's anglo-saxon roar (often overlooked) much more audible than its previous incarnation and his well composed lyrics ring clear in the face of the storm. If there is anything negative to be said about this album... I could tell you in a single phrase:
"It's a bit much."
This is a ferocious and confusing assault on the senses and many I have shared it with have been unable to comprehend its glory without a few extremely careful listens (and a cup of tea!). It is also produced unusually to garner a god-like, imperial feel. To paraphrase Leon: If you're looking for "crisp-packets and bumblebees" (fizzy guitars and stone-dead drums) and catchy, generic death metal... then fuck off. Seriously, this is not for you.
"Forever advancing... legions" bears the mark of an excellent metal release:
The need to listen.