Review: “Harbingers Of Death” by Grim Legion

After an original three year run from 1988-1991 that saw them drop an unholy trinity of demos, the corpse of New Jersey Old School Death Metal act Grim Legion was reanimated in 2011 with Mike “Blood” Keller of Sacrificial Blood fame on drums. Perhaps owing to the fact that they are comprised of a group of veteran musicians known for their work in Evoken, Condition Critical, Fatal Array, Godzero and Nucleus, their output might have been few and far between but their tales of Death, Pain, Darkness and Hell have always been quality over quantity. 2014 saw the arrival of a well received debut full length in “Unholy Resurrection” before 2018 was met with the fist of EP “Vile and Exhumed“. In 2023 the band announced Condition Critical drummer Ryan Donato had joined the fold. Three years further down the road, this collection offers eight new burnt offerings plus two reworked ones dating back to their 1990 self titled demo.

An old school black and white film style horror sample introduces the blood soaked “Mutilation Scream“, a nightmarish vision from mind of Devlin Bain that every horror movie director wishes they could tap into. The dark and malevolent atmosphere the band create places the song in the realm of works by Mortician and Frozen Soul, the ripper of a solo giving it that spark like the glint of the blade in the pale moon light. Galloping drums from Ryan Donato are accompanied by riffs as abrasive as wire wool as the narrative progresses into “Found Dead“, which lyrically at least could be the conjoined twin of the opening cut. Another face melting solo gets the blood pumping, the band a shoe in for Maryland Deathfest on this evidence.

Sounding like it was inspired by George A. Romero’s Day Of The Dead movie from 1985, “Planet Of The Dead” has a sinister undertow that is hard to escape, the raspy, dry throated vocal performance from Bain pure unadulterated evil. His storytelling abilities are as impressive as the lead licks on this one, the old school vibes making the record sound like the band are using the same equipment they did when they started out. It has that authenticity that modern over produced over polished works simply don’t possess, that raw edge that sounds so much better.

Having a similar drum sound to the one that Mauricio Marín had during his time in Twitch Of The Death Nerve makes “Seraphic Decay” intriguing listening, the cleaner vocals meaning that you get to hear all the lyrics during a tale of the dead, dying and damned still being very much alive. Simple but lethally effective, the groove laden riffs of “Sentenced To Oblivion” will make you want to snap your neck to the demonic pulse as Bane speaks of rotting carcasses in the bowels of hell. If death means having to listen to this record on repeat then that sounds pretty damn cool.

An old school Death Groove ripper, the down-tuned sinister and menacing “Descend Into Hell” is another one which could provide a script for Wes Craven to base a movie on as the protagonist is dragged kicking and screaming through the lake of blood into a dark world of flames. For the most part the quintet captivate by leaving you no place to hide, their tales of depravity enough to put an evil grin on the face of even the most hardened of Metal heads. Shorter and sharper title track “Harbingers Of Death” increases the intensity along with the tempo in order to incite mosh pit madness when they perform it live. A whirlwind of percussive battery with circle pit driving riffs and a whammy bar drop solo, it’s arguably the finest moment of the record as any title track should be.

The brutal thump of “Undead And Buried” brings to mind Bolt Thrower with its rumbling bass and punishing guitars but unfortunately there is a bit of vocal strain on this one as Bain seems to be trying to push his performance a bit harder when he doesn’t need to. Fortunately its something that you get used to after a couple of spins rather than being a nails on a chalk board moment. Taking us to ancient times “Slaughter Of Kings” rattles the bones in violent fashion as the red mist descends, the almost tribal drum patterns driving the cut into occult ritual territory. It should be more than enough to make Chad Green’s day, the savage vocals painting an equally savage picture. Last but by no means least a rendition of “Suicide Salvation” first heard on their 1990 self titled demo finishes the collection in style. It’s leaner and meaner than the original and feels like a chainsaw to the skull. What more could you possibly want? [7/10]

Track Listing

1. Mutilation Scream
2. Found Dead
3. Planet Of The Dead
4. Seraphic Decay
5. Sentenced To Oblivion
6. Descend Into Hell
7. Harbingers Of Death
8. Undead And Buried
9. Slaughter Of Kings
10. Suicide Salvation

“Harbingers Of Death” by Grim Legion is out 10th July 2026 via Horror Pain Gore Death Productions and is available over at bandcamp.