That the ’90s had a major impact on the Black Metal scene was, of course, already well known. But what has evolved within the scene since then? As far as I’m concerned: a lot. What stands out most are the bands that regularly step out of their comfort zone, away from the “safety” of Black Metal, and experiment with new elements. There are, of course, plenty of examples of this.
Legião Oculta from Portugal is, however, not such a band. They belong to the groups that passionately embrace the ’90s and are absolutely not ashamed of it. This is proven by this first release from the band via the Portuguese War Productions, limited to thirty copies and available in three colours (as far as the cover is concerned).
We get an intro and four tracks that clearly reach back to the Black Metal of the mid-’90s. Fairly simple riffs that, every now and then, seem to lag slightly behind the tempo – but of course, that does nothing to spoil the fun, as this is, after all, a demo.
In terms of production, they could, in my opinion, have spent an extra hour tweaking. Again, it is a demo, but the vocals could have been a bit louder and the guitars a bit lower in the mix, as they dominate quite a lot.
As for the rest of the songs, there is absolutely nothing wrong with them: solid Black Metal with some Death Metal influences that take you thirty years back in time. Especially “Legions of Death” stood out to me because of its nostalgic build-up and execution; I thought I even heard a bit of old Celtic Frost in there.
All in all, a fine release, and I’m curious to see what these Portuguese gentlemen still have in store for us.
