Unholy Resurrection

Grim Legion are an older death metal act that never really made it past the demo stage in the heyday of the genre's existence, but came back several decades later to put out a full length. 2014 would see the outfit drop Unholy Resurrection, and they haven't done a whole lot since. A short, choppy release with a touch of hardcore projection in delivery makes this one pass by relatively quickly. The runtime being under thirty minutes certainly reinforces that.

Most notably, the bass presence is very punctual in this, taking as much prominence as the lead guitars. You can all but feel it in "Beyond The Grave," especially when you reach the breakdown with wailing guitar screeches and deep guttural howls. Much of this is omnipresent, taking a back seat for the faster passages that show the classic era roots in brighter form. Unfortunately, the songs themselves don't stick a whole lot, as the focus on these harsh elements take priority. A lot of the songs present fun riffs but do little outside of that to really catch me. A good example is "Dark Ritual," a nice tune when it focuses on rhythm, but the solo is far too whiny. Vocally, the entire disc is also hit or miss, though a pretty mild complaint.

It would be a mistake to call Unholy Resurrection bad. I just have tough time following it, and like some brands of this style, I don't think that was much of the intent. The album is over before I've even gotten much time to digest it, and there's little making me want to return. Worth a spin, at minimum, and there's certainly a market out there for this.