“Conceived, constructed and assembled in the anno domini of MMXII by the demented minds of -M- (axe/machinery) and -R- (vokills) and lurking within the inhuman megalopolis of Tokyo, Legion Of Andromeda is blessed by the will of total war.
Sculpted in reiteration, repetition and cyclical rotation, Legion Of Andromeda impenetrable cacophony outbursts the breath of cosmic frost. Raw, minimal, brutal. Primitive, obtuse, barbaric.
The first Legion Of Andromeda offering is a 4 tracks, 32 minutes demo compound of total aural disintegration. Recorded, mixed and mastered by Shigenori Kobayashi (Coffins) at Noise Room Studio for maximum audial displeasure.”
Judging by the minimal detail on the above press release from mysterious Japanese newcomers Legion Of Andromeda we can be certain of two things:
(1) They own a thesaurus and are not afraid to use it.
(2) They don’t expect (or possibly want) you to like what they have to offer
What they probably didn’t expect was this writer to be chuckling away to himself out of enjoyment, not because it’s terrible – far from it – but because the techniques they employ to be anti-social actually make it an enjoyable slice of sludged up death-doom (Yes that is a ’thing’).
‘Cosmo Hammer’ begins proceedings with a squall of feedback before the song ‘happens’ I say happens because the basic components of the song itself is a mid-paced 4 chord progression played on repeat with what’s best described as a blacksmiths hammer hitting an anvil at the beginning of each cycle, topped off with low end undecipherable growling.
This is repeated for 6 minutes, and the sheer relentlessness of it becomes enjoyably hypnotic ‘Overlord of Thunder’ starts with another mid paced 4 chord progression but higher in harmonic and just when you’ve been lulled into security that rhythmic hammer and anvil re-appears at the exact same tempo, although the chord progressions do actually vary in style slightly (not in tempo obviously).
Yes this is also repeated for 7 minutes before abruptly ending and leading into ‘Sociapathic Infestation’, which is a Slayer cover continues where ‘Overlord…’ left off but slowly increasing the tempo into a mid-paced death metal chug, that hammer and anvil is still in the same tempo as from the start.
*Stop Press* the hammer and anvil rhythm doubles in pace on final track ‘Fist Of The Galaxy’ and unsurprisingly the tempo of the chord progression retaliates to this slowing down to funeral doom pace. For all my light-heartedness, the sheer bravado and confidence that is instilled in the relentlessly cycled rhythms and unforgiving tempos make for an enjoyable experience which in their own words you should:
“Listen to (at) maximum volume and fuck off”
