SPARE THE LEGION Band preview Article
By JAKE RYAN
Very rarely does the opportunity arise to interview and give insight on a band that has yet to hit the local metal scene with a live show. However, given this particular band's jaw-dropping music, as well as their uncontainable drive and outlook on music in general, giving local metal fans an advance look at Spare the Legion (
myspace.com/sparethelegion) is a no-brainer.
Anticipation, eagerness or buzz, call it what you will, the feeling has been continuously expressed by local metal fans and musicians alike towards the minute Spare the Legion hits the stage and unveils their music live on Colorado for the first time. They have only just given metal fans a taste of what they have to offer by posting three songs on their
Myspace page on Halloween, along with more band promotional shots and a preview of merchandise. And, right away, their comments section of the site lit up with praises from the listeners.
This is only the beginning.
Officially formed in June 2008, the band is composed of Chadd (vocals), Kenny (guitar), Sean (guitar), James (bass) and Clint (drums). In what could arguably be considered as a non-side project local supergroup, something that has scarcely been seen even in bands on a national level as of late, Spare the Legion is a collection of musicians from several of Colorado's past top-drawing and popular bands. In fact, one of these past bands is where the roots of this group began to grow.
"James, Kenny and I were all in another band together, and near the end of it we started bringing in people to do guest vocals," Clint says. "Chadd got on stage with us, and it became a totally different style. It was the way he commanded the crowd and their reaction to it. When we broke up, we got together with Chadd, and that's basically how it started."
"We started auditioning for a second guitarist, and Sean was it," Chadd adds. "We loved the way he and Kenny talked to each other on the strings."
The name Spare the Legion is a play on the biblical passage of Mark 5:1-20 entitled
The Demon-Possessed Man, of which almost identical stories can be found in Luke 8:26-37 and Matthew 8:28-34.
The story is of Jesus arriving on the shore of the land of the Gerasenes, and being approached by a man possessed by demons. The demons recognized Jesus, and pleaded with him to momentarily spare them by not sending them to the abyss. When Jesus asked the possessed man what his name was, he replied, "Legion, for we are many."
The members of the band see the name as a metaphor of a multitude of ideas.
"With this band, Legion means the street team and our supporters," Clint says. "That's why we've used the slogan, 'I am Legion, for we are many.' Our logo is the handprint, which is five, and there are five of us. This is a brotherhood."
"The man possessed by demons is a metaphor of people being possessed by their own demons, their problems," Chadd says. "We all have problems, and people are fast to relate to that. Anymore, most of these bands are all about a negative message, bringing people down. I'm sick of it. I've got a lot to say that people can relate to."
James adds, "We want to let people know that they're not the only ones going through what they are."
Though Spare the Legion is not a devil-worshiping death metal band, one thing is very clear: they are defiantly not a Christian metal band, either.
They describe their music as simply metal, but go on to elaborate on it by calling it powerfully aggressive with melodic sections. However, this is only scratching the surface of what Spare the Legion brings forth.
The first area of their music you notice is the fantastic technical guitar work. Utilizing sweeps, taps, dual harmonies and alternating leads and solos, both Sean and Kenny show that they fully understand their instruments and how far they can push them. They also feature a rhythm section that isn't content with just keeping the beat. James and Clint are constantly on the move, never staying stagnant. Instead, they are continuously showcasing the immense talent they have without undermining their musical integrity. Chadd's vocals still contain his characteristically powerful qualities, but he is also adding a new dimension to his repertoire, as well.
"The lyrics are really powerful, and I don't just mean the sound," Chadd says. "They're not the, 'I hate myself,' kind of songs. They probably have the strongest lyrical content I've ever written. I had to really think to write them. Before, I would slam out lyrics in a day. Now, it sometimes takes a few weeks to get them just right."
When you hear the songs, you'll pick up on several other aspects of Spare the Legion's music. Some techniques have been used, but rarely, if ever, have
all of these techniques been used in the same song before. Don't get too comfortable and settled in with one particular beat, rhythm or feel, because they take you on a rollercoaster ride of metal music. Just when you adapt to one style, be prepared to be yanked, not gently pulled, into an entirely different area of heavy metal. That is, just before you get annihilated by their face-melting breakdowns.
Spare the Legion made Halloween 2008 the day they debuted their tracks, fulfilling the metal community's need to hear what they have created. Halloween itself actually didn't have any special meaning for being the date, with James saying, "It just worked out that way."
"We wanted to be patient with the writing and recording, not rush it," Sean says, to which Clint adds, "It gave us enough time to get everything ready. We were able to get our merch ready, clothing lines, the music, all of it."
"We didn't want to trickle out; we wanted to come out hard all at once," Chadd says, punching his hand. "Halloween just helped out because it is an easy day to remember."
The three songs released,
Drowning,
Severed Wings and
A Rose For The Wicked, are currently available to listen to via their
Myspace page. The tracks were recorded by Dave Otero at Flatline Audio over the course of about a week-and-a-half. The band is now working on a couple of ways to get their music physically into the fans hands.
"We're working on making the tracks available on iTunes and Rhapsody, and we'll keep everyone updated when that happens," Chadd says. "At our first show, we'll have a demo CD that people can buy. We'll also probably do a combo deal for buying a shirt and a CD, or something along those lines."
One aspect of the business side of Spare the Legion makes its members very proud: being self managed and maintained. They also have their own silk screen press, so they are able to make all of their own shirts. Every area of the band's promotion, from shows to photography, is coming from the band's hard work, determination, tight-knit family and the absence of managerial representation.
"Look around, everything you see comes from us," Clint says, indicating the rest of the band. "We're self-generated and handling all of our marketing."
"It feels a lot better to do this yourself," Chadd adds. "You have control of your band."
Through all of this, they have created a promotional monster in getting the word out on their band. But, they also held off on getting the word out until they were ready, knowing that they had a sound that would both satisfy the fans and themselves.
"We didn't even tell people we were a band until about three months into it," Kenny says, to which Clint adds, "We quit jobs and rearranged our lives for this band. We have fun, but we still take this very serious. We've created a lot of high-energy music, and it's very original. I mean, it's easy to play metal and sound just like the guy next to you, but that's not what we wanted."
"There's a lot of heaviness to it, and a lot of skill in the guitars," Chadd says. "We're all professionals here; there are no amateurs in this band."
This professional attitude, coupled with the promotional machine they've been running, leading up to the official launching of their music to the community, has created an unexplainable stir amongst metal fans. James says that the resulting effect is one of the advantages of not rushing your music.
"(The buzz) is a lot bigger than we thought it would be. People who have heard our tracks have been blown away, and word of mouth has spread like crazy," Chadd says, with Clint adding, "It makes us excited that they're excited."
As an early Christmas present, Spare the Legion will debut their live show at the Marquis Theater in Denver on December 13. They will also be performing right after the New Year at the Bluebird Theater on January 3, 2009 alongside several great Colorado bands, including Arcanium, Allegaeon, thiC and Switchpin. And, if their practice sessions are any indication of what they're bringing to the stage, Colorado metal fans haven't the slightest clue what they're in store for.
The two shows will be the culmination of what the band has been working on for the past half year, and new fans, along with those already familiar with the band, will assimilate into the ever-growing numbers of the Legion. Their vast experience in the industry and music will be evident when concert-goers become exposed to Spare the Legion's prowess.
"We've been in this scene for a long time with other bands, so we know what to do, and what not to do," James says. "We're going to take the metal scene up a notch."