Feel The Blade is the third release in 3 years from Legion Of The Damned who actually already released this CD under their previous name Occult (but entitled Elegy For The Weak) and it sounds pretty much the same as the last two releases (that actually came after this was written) which is either good or bad depending on how much you like or dislike this band. The band currently plays Death/Thrash with a strong old-school feel to it bringing to memories bands like Slayer (Reign In Blood era) Dark Angel, Sodom, The Crown, and to an extent recent Destruction, and this the last official release from when they called themselves Occult is no different.

This type of Thrash has experienced somewhat of a revival over the past few years. Few bands still play the somewhat progressive and or technical Thrash with strong hints of melody and structure and instead the focus seems to be on the ultra-aggressive face pummeling style of Thrash. This is of course is not a bad thing since almost any self-respecting Thrash fan will profess to some degree of appreciation, or not-so-subtle interest, in Dark Angel’s catalogue. Alas I have always preferred the more technical and structured side of Thrash (although some would argue Dark Angel was both). Regardless, what we have here is a non-stop Thrash ‘till Death styled release that has constant riffs and brutal rhythm playing. Outside of, well Dark Angel’s Darkness Descends, I have not heard so much ultra fast double bass playing with various snare tempos. The band milks one huge riff with neck moving double bass with every song either as the theme or a break near the end. In between is the occasional mid-paced riff but by in large there is a healthy mix Death Metal riffs (in the vein of early Morbid Angel) with choppy brutal Thrash riffs. Meanwhile the vocals are a distinguishable, almost Black Metal style that sounds like a toned down Shagrath (Dimmu Borgir) doing vocals in a Thrash band. I for one enjoyed the vocals as the pacing of the vocals was very old-school sounding, similar in structure to older Exodus and Forbidden. The production also lends itself to a quality mix with the guitar tone being appropriately heavy and dirty and buzz-saw like (almost being more like a Death Metal band than say a nostalgic Thrash sound).

For the most part this release is successful; what the band does they do very well but there are a few issues I have. The first and most glaring is the complete lack of any lead or solo work. A large appeal of Metal for me is quality guitar playing and that goes for rhythm and leads. You’ll find most of the high scores I’ve given over the years have had especially impressive lead work. Thrash Metal is a genre that just begs for a ripping solo after a mid-paced mosh break, or during an increasingly intense riff; but they are nowhere to be found. This isn’t anything new as it’s noted in practically every review of the band (including recent releases). Some feel the riffs are strong enough to stand on their own but I don’t feel that’s the case and if anything it holds the songs back. Going hand in hand with the lack of solos is too many indistinguishable songs. Though an improvement is noted from two more recent releases the songs still sound a bit too samey (and one would argue worse now). Quality vocal work and more tempo variation helps this time around, but too many riffs and rhythms feel recycled from previous songs- thus after a few listens everything blends together. Melodic or explosive solos or lead work would really help in this regard but as it stands it’s hard to ignore. I should suggest that upon the original release of this it probably stood for more, but after the band releasing practically the same CD in 2006 and 2007, in retrospect, it hurts this re-release.

Fans of the other releases by Legion Of The Damned will like this a lot as it sounds the same just with slight vocal and minor variation improvement. However, the overall scope of the CD may be too basic for some but may be just aggressive enough for others. In the end I did enjoy this release as I have others by Legion Of The Damned, and while I’ll return to the CD as background music I can head-bang to on a regular basis (while driving, cleaning, working out etc), I won’t return to specific songs because they are all about the same quality with nothing really outstanding but nothing awful either. One hopes for some lead work or perhaps more riff and sudden tempo changes ala Dark Angel who always managed to meld constant aggression with extreme song variation.