UMUR
"Sons of the Jackal" is the 2nd full-length studio album by Dutch death/ thrash act Legion of the Damned. The album was released in January 2007 by Massacre Records. In addition to the "regular" format "Sons of the Jackal" was also released on vinyl in March 2007 by War Anthem Records.
"Sons of the Jackal" pretty much continue where "Malevolent Rapture (2006)" left off. We´re talking fiercely aggressive death/ thrash influenced by acts like Slayer, Kreator, The Haunted, Demolition Hammer, Dead Head and Defleshed. The music isn´t terribly diverse but Legion of the Damned are skilled composers in the respect that they know how to write a powerful and memorable death/ thrash tune (take a listen to the opening title track for the best example of that). Of course the band aren´t exactly newbies. They released 5 studio albums under the Occult monicker in the years 1994 - 2003 before changing their name to Legion of the Damned in 2005, so the guys in the band are very experienced musicians. That´s also audible if you focus on the playing. These guys deliver death/ thrash just the way it should be delivered. Technically well played (without ever being noodly technical) but with an organic touch. The vocals by Maurice Swinkels are aggressive, sneering and raw, leaving no doubt that he is pissed and he is coming to get you.
The tracks mostly vary between being mid- to fast paced, but mostly mid-paced really. I was actually slightly surprised by the, for the genre, relatively slow pace. The simple and effective delivery is still crushing though, so just because everything on the album aren´t delivered in a lighthing fast pace, never doubt that the intensity level is intact. And don´t worry Legion of the Damned do play faster parts on the album too.
I guess I don´t detect much innovation or development between "Malevolent Rapture" and "Sons of the Jackal" and for some that might be an issue. Personally I really enjoy the style of music that Legion of the Damned produce allthough it´s a bit one-dimensional (the quality is high throughout but the tracks don´t differ much from each other). It´s obvious that the band play exactly the style of music that they want, and therefore the delivery is intense and honest. It´s one of those cases were less than inventing the wheel is enough. Somewhere between a 3.5 and a 4 star rating is deserved.