Sacred Legion – The Silent Lineage (Bat-Cave Productions, 2020)

We rescue a release from 2020 that shouldn’t go unnoticed. Chants of Maldoror, deathrock, dirty guitars… Enough to set off your alarm bells? Let’s step inside.

Sacred Legion, concert at Traffic Club, Roma (June 2th, 2021)

Sacred Legion is a new band with some years already behind them (2017), more if we count the experience of its members. Fabiano (singer, lead guitar) comes from the renowned Italian deathrockers Chants of Maldoror. Mirko (drums) maintains that connection with the Italian scene through Human Disease, another good deathrock band that shared a member with Chants of Maldoror. The line-up is complemented by Tony (bass, backing vocals), who comes from the punk band Idol Lips and the untraceable The Delinquents.

The Silent Lineage is Sacred Legion’s first album, preceded only by a two-track demo. Thus, this album becomes the calling card for most of the public, a card with very clear objectives: dark rock in the tradition of Christian Death, The Damned, True Sounds Of Liberty (TSOL)… And they certainly achieve it. The Silent Lineage sounds classic and direct, without arrangements or keyboards that deviate from the path and at the same time seasoned with arrangements and compositions that catch the attention.

Sacred Legion’s sound is fundamentally analogue: acoustic drums, a thick bass quite present and a guitar with that combination of soft distortion and delay that sounds 100% rock. Sometimes we find sounds of bells (Back to Nowhere) or bar chimes (Black Sun Ritual), which give a nod to the projects that Rozz Williams had. A reference to which Fabiano’s voice also resorts, using the glam and sinister tones that made Rozz’s voice so recognisable.

Among the eight songs that make up the album, you can find tracks balanced in intensity (Flower Phantoms, Black Sun Ritual) and others more moving and powerful (Dig Me No Grave or A taste of Turmoil, for example). Although the latter is more energetic, my favourite without a doubt is Dig Me No Grave, with a very cool chorus. In addition, Fabiano and co. manage not to get bogged down in the most clichéd parts of rock, with quite a few songs that play to break and surprise (Back to Nowhere, Black Sun Ritual, Purify), including the way they end them.

Add to all this the brevity of most of the tracks (between 2 and 3.5 minutes), and the overall result is an album that goes down well if you like your rock and punk straight for the jugular, but with enough mystery and elegance to increase interest.

The Silent Lineage can be heard and purchased on Bandcamp in digital format. For the CD version (digipack), go to the Bat-Cave Productions website.

Many thanks to Emilio Cordero (conspirator at La Calle Morgue and member of Frank the Baptist and Naturata Brutalismus) for inviting me to discover Silent Legion, it is appreciated! 🙂