Sometime around 2009, Last Legion was formed, and following a few demos released between 2011 and 2018, and an EP in 2021, their debut album, ‘Metal, Blood & Ashes’, saw the light of day in 2023. You get straightforward Black/Thrash Metal, with a nod towards Death/Thrash, where mid-tempo riffs are interspersed with up-tempo Teutonic and galloping riffs, all revolving around the theme of war, accompanied by the peripheral sounds of sirens and mortar impacts.
As far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t particularly stand out from the crowd, with the exception of the track ‘När kriget kommer’, which, in my opinion, features a delightful riff from the 2:12 mark, reminiscent of Soulburn’s ‘Feeding on Angels’ in the latter part of the track. For me, this sort of thing is distinctive, and I’ve given it a few repeat listens. For the rest, it’s not bad, but it will likely become neglected swiftly after purchase.
In the meantime, only vocalist Olle Olsson from this recording remains in the band, and the line-up has been joined by members from Envig and his bandmate from Nordkväde, among others. Who knows what their next album will sound like?
