Indominus – Legion Within

There’s nothing that excites a reviewer more than when a new band appears on the music scene with some fresh material. That can be said about Indominus, a death metal band hailing from Northern Ireland, forming at the beginning of 2016 and features members of the late ForChristSake. With such a lineup this reviewer sure was expecting to hear something heavy with their debut EP, “Legion Within.”

Right from the get go the listener will be introduced to “Leeches” that featured the thunderous six string bass sounds of bassist Mark Payne and the clean, snapback, blast beats of drummer Nathan Glasgow. While this was an outstanding introduction the only downside was that this was released on an album by the band’s previous incarnation. However the difference in quality (mix and performance) was second to none this time, especially with crystal clear screams from lead vocalist Alan Duddy.

The following track “Backbone” was this reviewers favourite track of this EP. Moving away from the death metal sound there was more a Pantera influence present with Alan unleashing his inner Phil Anselmo. The listener will come to find that Alan was one of, if not the highlight of this EP as he was not afraid to change between screams and growls without straining his voice.

Going back to what I said about “Leeches” with the song being from the band’s previous incarnation, this was also present in the tracks “Shadow” and “Fragile Existence” (which was once called “Death Is But A Breath Away.”) While I think it was pretty ballsy for Indominus to recreate these tracks on a fresh EP, there was still a big difference in both mix and performance (especially in the drums and vocals) from the band compared their originals versions.

The final track “Legion Within” was a phenomenal closure to this ball buster of an EP and it was here where the chemistry between guitarists Simon Cochrane and Logan McKee is the strongest, especially from Simon who threw in a collection blistering guitar riffs and solos along the way.

I have to say I went into this EP with an open mind, especially since I was never really a fan of the ForChristSake work. However, Indominus took a huge stand with this well mixed and earth pounding collection of work. Next time I think more new material should be used rather than reusing old tracks, even if they were made so much better than before.

Track Listing: Leeches / Backbone / Shadow / Fragile Existence / Legion Within

“Legion Within” is available worldwide via Roxx Records.