LEGION (Phil Vincent) - Resurrection (2012)

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LEGION, the Melodic Hard Rock band assembled by vocalist Phil Vincent and Bob Catley's guitarist Vince O’Regan have recorded three good albums (all presented here) so far.
The just released "Resurrection" is the fourth and final offering from the combo, as recently Vincent announced the end of the project due the lack of support from their label.

For those new to Legion, they blend classic Melodic Hard Rock sounds with some ballsy guitar-based Hard Rock.
The debut was really melodic with a style mixing the rocking side of Winger with Dokken melodies. The band hardened the output for the 2nd 'Code Of Honour', an approach even more increased in the third.
"Resurrection" is the perfect balance of all delivering some truly MHR goodies and a couple of strong hard rockers.

If you liked some of previous Legion CD's you won't be disappointed with "Resurrection", if fact, it's their best production.
A shame the band is no more together as with this album Legion has really tweaked all the knobs sounding tight as never. The songwriting is quite awesome and musically they rock big time.
Besides, "Resurrection" sports the more dynamic, bouncing production and mix of their entire discography resulting in a crisp collection of melodic yet powerful killer songs.
Very Recommended.


01. On The Outside
02. All Your Love
03. Woman
04. Back For More
05. Crucified
06. Can't Get You Out Of My Head
07. Time After Time
08. Halfway Home
09. You Are The Fire
10. The Hunger
11. Free Yourself

Vocals, Keyboards – Phil Vincent
Guitars – Vince O’Regan (Bob Catley / Eden / Pulse)
Irvin Parrot – Keyboards
Bass – Gavin Cooper (Lionsheart)
Drums – Steve Hopgood (Jagged Edge)


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LEGION (Phil Vincent) - Nemesis (2012)

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The prolific songwriting partnership of guitarist Vince O’Regan and vocalist Phil Vincent return with their band LEGION’s third album "Nemesis".
Believe it or not this is actually the third Legion album in less than a year and a half.

"Nemesis" may not be as immediate as the debut but is a lot fresher and adventurous than the follow up. It’s dark and aggressive with plenty of old school metal guitar riffs, many times putting me in mind British classic bands.
I do think this album takes a few spins to truly appreciate but as a body of work I think this is Vince and Phil’s most accomplished piece yet.
O’Regan seems to revel in these huge bombastic riffs, while Vincent vocals contributes to fit perfectly the dark nature of the band.

The instrumental opener "Nemesis" utilises O’Regans trademark guitar sound before kicking straight into "Seems Like Yesterday" which is a full force rocker with a big chunky guitar riff. It may not have an instant chorus but it does grow on you although the groove laden guitar is instant.
"Lay It On The Line" has '80s metal riffage akin to Judas Priest and a powerful memorable chorus, one of the more instant songs here. Impactful and direct.
"Sea Of Sorrow" is an effective brooding hard rocker with a nice break, followed by the midtempo paced "Never Enough" which features a wonderfully atmospheric chorus. I love the driving guitar riff in fact I love the overall feel of this very dark song.

The ballad "Lost In Love" has a thick groove, listen out for some really cool intricate guitar licks on this track.
"Just Because" is driven by a huge bombastic guitar riff and the chorus is powerful and epic. Vocally this is one of Vincent’s standout performances.
There is more classic riffage on "Walk Through The Fire" which is a high energy hard rocker with a pounding back beat and a massive chorus.
"Make Some Noise" is a swaggering catchy hard rock blast, with Vincent sounding particularly strong and impressive, and contains a gripping main riff from O’Regan. The album closer "Obsession" is another good, dark brooding powerful track that reminds me some melodic '80s US metal acts where the melody was the rule.


"Nemesis" offers a ballsy slab of hard driving rock, combining powerful riffs, thunderous beats and brooding vocals.
Legion is a band with a sound and style placed at the harder end of the Melodic Rock scale, with bite but still hugely melodic, bringing to mind many '80s US acts (most noticeably Dokken) but they will also appeal to fans of the likes of Pretty Maids and the more edged MR bands.
Phil Vincent’s vocal style has grown, delivering a powerhouse performance throughout the recording, and O’Regan provides tons of big rocking George Lynch-like riffs with energy.
Legion have come up with a release that is strong from start to finish and even eclipses their solid previous recordings.
A Rockin' Goodie.


01 - Nemesis
02 - Seems Like Yesterday
03 - Lay It On the Line
04 - Sea of Sorrow
05 - Never Enough
06 - Lost in Love
07 - Just Because
08 - Walk Through Fire
09 - Make Some Noise
10 - Obsession


Phil Vincent (vocals, guitar)
Vince O'Regan (guitar)
Gavin Cooper (bass)
Steve Hopgood (drums)
Irvin Parrot (keyboards)



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www.nehrecords.com/SHOP/LegionNemesis.htm

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LEGION (Phil Vincent) - Code Of Honour (2011)

Barely five months after the well received self-titled debut (already presented here on 0day), LEGION have returned with a follow up that, incredibly, does not seem to have suffered at all from the relatively short gestation period.
The pairing of Phil Vincent and Vince O’Regan is certainly coming up trumps, with the band set to repeat their studio success.
Whilst everything Vincent has been involved with has had definite Dokken influences in there somewhere, Legion have even more.

The dense George Lynch-like riffs and arrangements from O'Regan are definitely more 'Tooth And Nail' than 'In My Dreams', the hard rocking guitars of songs like opener "Steal The Show", "Long Way Down" and "Hard Times" taking them more in a hard 'n heavy direction than the melodic hard rock you would expect.
However, Vincent's trademark vocal melodies are all over the choruses, giving most of the songs more melodic parts than the heavier verses.
That's not to say there isn't any variation, the stop-start riffs and Dokken-esque chorus of "Riding In The Wind" is another highlight, as are the classy power ballad "Love Ain't The Same" and the highly commercial "Take Your Time", which is probably the catchiest tune here.
There are other notable tracks in the excellent rockers "Down In Flames" and "All Is Forgiven".


It would be entirely fair to say that if you enjoyed Legion’s self titled debut then you will enjoy "Code Of Honour" just as much.
This isn’t to say it lacks any spark or creativity, because once again it appears that Phil Vincent is a natural fit for O’Regan, who managed to work wonders with Bob Catley.
I guess you just have to find the right person, and although Vincent is no Bob Catley, he’s an accomplished vocalist in the tradition of 80’s and 90’s melodic hard rock, suiting O’Regan’s writing style nicely.
The rhythm section by bassist Gavin Cooper and drummer Steve Hopgood is tight and perfectly recorded, and the overall production / mix is perfect for this genre.
LEGION have come up with a release that's strong from start to finish and even eclipses their well-crafted debut.
If great hard rock anthems are your thing, don't miss this one.


01 - Steal The Show
02 - Long Way Down
03 - Riding On The Wind
04 - Down In Flames
05 - Living With The Past
06 - Love Ain't The Same
07 - All Is Forgiven
08 - Freight Train
09 - Taking Your Time
10 - Liar
11 - Hard Times


Vocals, Keyboards – Phil Vincent
Guitars – Vince O’Regan (Kooga, No Sweat, Bob Catley, Eden)
Bass – Gavin Cooper (Lionsheart)
Drums – Steve Hopgood (Jagged Edge)



tinyurl.com/LEGION-CodeOfHonour
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LEGION (Phil Vincent) - ST (2010)

This band seems to have come out of nowhere, with their debut album published at the end of October and they are already causing enough of a stir to get a five album deal with an european label.
The principal songwriters are Wolverhampton based guitarist Vince O’Regan (Bob Catley / Eden / Pulse) and American vocalist Phil Vincent (Solo / D’ercole). Joining them to fill the band are Dianno rhythm section Gavin Cooper (Lionsheart) on bass and Steve Hopgood (Jagged Edge) on drums.
Vince O’Regan can write and perform various styles from the softest AOR to the heaviest metal, a very versatile and talented guitarist. Phil Vincent is prolific a singer / guitarist with many solo albums and sIde projects.

Legion are a Melodic Hard Rock band who are at the heavier end of the scale but still hugely melodic, they put me in mind of some of the harder Hair Metal bands from back in the day like most noticeably Dokken but they will also appeal to fans of the likes of Pretty Maids and the more edged melodic bands.
Phil Vincent’s vocal style has grown and he delivers a powerhouse performance throughout the album.
Vince has created a big full guitar sound plenty of big hard rocking riffs full of energy and head banging groove. This is a real return to form for Vince and he has delivered probably his best performances since Bob Catley’s excellent 'When Empire’s Burn' album.
The pounding and hard hitting rhythm section backbone provided by Cooper & Hopgood is perfect for this genre.

“Leave Me Alone” has a killer riff from Vince which will embed itself on your eardrums; the song has lots of power and energy. It has a big chorus with great lyric’s from Phil.
“Trouble” has another monster in your face guitar riff with a real rockin' groove. A big memorable chorus which really puts me in mind of Dokken and will definitely get you head banging.
“Caught In The Madness” is a dark and brooding hard rocker with Phil’s vocal style blending effortlessly with Vince’s guitar work to form a really notable song.
“Coming For You” has a thumping rhythm section which gives the song some real bite. This probably has one of Phil’s finest vocal performances on the album and it has a killer chorus

Slow burning ballad “Someday” is very dark and some great intricate guitar playing from Vince makes the song shine.
“Never Be The Same” is instant and catchy as hell, if there was going to be a single this would be it. It has a fantastic riff and the song really grabs you with a great energy and flow which lead you to a big melodic chorus.
“Where Were You” has a big driving riff which surrounds some excellent guitar playing, most notably in the verses. That hook filled keyboard riff is unshakeable and delicious, coupled with a big shout it out loud chorus makes it a real winner.

“Too Late” has a great head banging riff, a full force rocker with another fantastic guitar performance from Vince.
“Deceiver” is a mid-tempo rocker which is very moody and atmospheric and Phil’s vocal’s fit perfectly with the vibe of the song.
“All The Way” has a strong catchy instant guitar riff. A big and melodic song which is very commercial. An absolutely fantastic song with great lyrics, hook filled guitars and killer melodic vocals.
Bonus track “Damage Done” is a mid-tempo rocker which see’s Phil’s vocals coming to the forefront again especially on the strong chorus.


"Legion" is a guitar lead melodic hard rock album with flavours of the past but with a firm ear to the future.
Strong vocals, a thunderous rhythm section, big riffs and choruses makes this album a winner with me and should impress and be enjoyed by everyone who likes good guitar driven melodic rock.
It’s an album full of power and energy, a thrill ride from beginning to end, a real hard rockin’ goodie.
I’m really looking forward to how this band progresses especially with album number two soon to be released.
Very Good.


01 - Leave Me Alone
02 - Trouble
03 - Caught In The Madness
04 - Coming For You
05 - Someday
06 - Do You Remember
07 - Where Were You
08 - Too Late
09 - Deceiver
10 - All The Way
11 - Damage Done (bonus track)


Guitars – Vince O’Regan (Bob Catley / Eden / Pulse)
Vocals, Keyboards – Phil Vincent
Bass – Gavin Cooper (Lionsheart)
Drums – Steve Hopgood (Jagged Edge)



http://tinyurl.com/LEGION-Phil-Vincent
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