Legions Of Doom – The Skull 3
On August 22nd, 2021, the doom and rock community mourned the loss of a true icon. Eric Wagner. He was one of doom metal’s most legendary singers. His vocals were unmistakable in Trouble and The Skull. I remember first hearing “At The End Of My Daze” on the 1990 Self Titled Trouble album and thinking, this singer is incredible. The album still holds a very special place in my heart and his work on the other Trouble recordings were also outstanding. I was also a big fan of his post Trouble band, The Skull. Both albums, 2014’s For Those Which Are Asleep and 2018’s The Endless Road Turns Black were both solid releases. One of my greatest show memories was seeing The Skull perform the Self Titled Trouble album in its entirety, at The Middle East, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I was shocked and numb when I heard about his death and was bummed out for quite some time.
After hearing about a tribute and dedication band for Eric Wagner, I was very intrigued. The Legions Of Doom was born! As stated by the band: “After the untimely passing of Eric Wagner (The Skull, Trouble), one of doom metal’s most notable and esteemed singers and songwriters, The Skull bassist and bandleader, Ron Holzner (Trouble) contemplated long and hard on whether it would be possible to carry on. Nine months and a lot of soul searching later, an idea was born. “I’m not in this boat alone” Recalls Holzner, “I decided I want to honor the memory of Eric by still playing some of the songs that he crafted, and ones that [guitarist] Lothar [Keller] and I wrote with him in The Skull. I want his spirit to become eternal through his words and melody. And I also want to play many songs from the catalogs of everyone involved. We want to honor Eric as well as Reed Mullin [Corrosion Of Conformity], Armando Acosta [Saint Vitus], and, most recently, Mark Adams from Saint Vitus. We have all lost someone close and special to us that we have spent much time making and playing music with over the years.”
Alongside Holzner and Keller is drummer Henry Vasquez (The Skull, Saint Vitus, Blood Of The Sun), vocalists Karl Agell (Corrosion Of Conformity, Blind, Leadfoot, Lie Heavy), and Scott Reagers (Saint Vitus), and recent recruit, guitarist Scott Little (Leadfoot, Blind). Legions Of Doom released their debut album on Friday, September 13th, 2024, on Tee Pee Records. The aptly titled, The Skull 3, contains 8 songs and is about forty two minutes long.
The opening track “Beyond The Shadow Of Doubt” is an excellent song. Karl Agell sings lead vocals on this one and sounds spectacular. The music reminds me of classic Trouble and The Skull with a heavy dose of doom and crunchy riffing. The band delivers a banger of a song with a chug stomp chorus and stellar guitar leads. Agell sings in a high melodic pitch which is a nod to Wagner’s vocal range. It’s a great introduction to Legions Of Doom and a memorable track. The second song called, “All Good Things” has more Trouble vibes throughout and is a more straightforward rocker than the opener. Agell also sings lead vocals on this one and nails it perfectly. The third and fourth songs feature Scott Reagers on lead vocals. His voice is more haunting than Agell’s but works very well with these songs. “Lost Soul” is excellent! It’s got a dark undertone about it with a gruesome vibe throughout. The nice metal riffing channels old St. Vitus. “A Voice Of Reason” conjures heavy, groove laden riffing that fits Reager’s ghoulish voice nicely.
The next track, “Between Darkness And Dawn” starts with bass and builds up from there. Agell returns on vocals and crushes it! His soulful voice when the song starts transitions into a captivating vocal performance. The drums sound massive on this record and Henry Vasquez displays some righteous fills on this song. “Insectiside” is a mid pace rocker and the last song on this recording to feature Agell on vocals. His voice is more aggressive on this one but still carries his dynamics. It’s more akin to his Corrosion Of Conformity era of singing. The overall production on The Skull 3 is amazing. The guitar playing of both Lothar Keller and Scott Little are exceptional throughout this whole record. They deliver heavy crushing riffs and spectacular leads on every song. Another notable mention goes out to Ron Holzner and his bass playing. He’s able to lock in tight with Vasquez and float between the guitars, dazzling the fretboard with interesting bass lines and melodies. A good example of this is on the song “Heaven”, which features Eric Wagner on vocals. This song is a gem and a nice surprise to have on this Legions Of Doom album. If I’m not mistaken, this is one of the last vocal recordings of Eric Wagner, along with his solo record entitled, In The Lonely Light Of Mourning. It’s a melodic number that starts with acoustic guitars and his iconic voice. It’s a nice tribute to him and a good place-mark on the record. The final song on The Skull 3 is the nine minute opus called “Hallow By All Means”. Reagers delivers the vocals on this track and it’s a monster. The heavy doom rhythms and tight musicianship are all present on this one. The long drawn ending is an epic finality to an incredible album.
I was very fortunate to see the band play live the same day that The Skull 3 was released (show review here). To witness some of these songs performed live while I was digesting these new tunes for the first few times, was awesome. It helped cement the songs into my subconscious and allowed me to quickly enjoy and appreciate the new Legions Of Doom. I look forward to hearing more from them in the future and I’m curious to see which direction they will travel, musically. The Skull 3 is a testament to the memory of Wagner, Mullin, Acosta, and Adams. It’s a heavy and powerful album which should find it’s way in the top spots for best debut release of 2024.
