Death Thrashers LEGION OF THE DAMNED Unleash Third Single, “Contamination”

“It can hardly get any better in this extreme genre”
– Metal Hammer –

“The band has not only expanded their line-up with a permanent second guitarist, but also enriched their musical direction with some fresh, absolutely distinctive nuances.”
– Rock Hard –

“A really powerful record.”
– Legacy –

Just in time for the release of their highly anticipated upcoming album, The Poison Chalice, Dutch death thrashers LEGION OF THE DAMNED unleash their third brutally infectious single, “Contamination”, together with a hauntingly oppressive official music video, produced by frontman Maurice Swinkels himself! The new full-length, The Poison Chalice, drops tomorrow, June 9, 2023 via Napalm Records.

“Contamination” takes no prisoners – the track attacks mercilessly and kills everything in its path. With this release, the band once again proves that they are at the top of the scene. As shown during the live premiere of the song at Rock Hard festival, fans can look forward to their furious sets at the biggest metal festivals this summer, such as Wacken, Summer Breeze and Graspop.

LEGION OF THE DAMNED on “Contamination”:
“Contamination deals with the appearance of a new plague, a manifestation of one of the horsemen of the apocalypse. A rapidly spreading, horribly lethal disease causes dilemmas and ruthless restrictions. Mass death occurs and societies collapse, deprived from their commodities. The title for this song was already floating around for previous albums, but never made it, so it was not directly inspired by the Corona pandemic. It is fair to assume more and perhaps more gruesome plagues will come and cause havoc on mankind. Remember the mass death during the ages of the black plague.”

Founded in 1990 as Occult, the thrash machine around founding members Maurice Swinkels and Erik Fleuren was reborn as LEGION OF THE DAMNED in 2005. Conquering the European charts for decades, the LEGION crowned itself at #17 in the Official German Album Charts with predecessor Slaves Of The Shadow Realms (2019). For almost 35 years, they have formed their aggressive signature sound from the most horrific ingredients of thrash and death metal, combined with brutal blackened influences, resulting in one of the most defined and unique sounds in the scene. On The Poison Chalice, the band unites with Fabian Verweij as second guitarist beside Twan van Geel, and conquers hell together with bassist Harold Gielen.

The Poison Chalice will be available in the following formats:

• 1 LP Gatefold Glow In The Dark Vinyl with Slipmat – strictly limited to 300 copies worldwide. Napalm Records Shop exclusive
• 1 LP Gatefold Light Green Transparent – strictly limited to 300 copies worldwide. EMP exclusive
• 1 LP Gatefold Black
• 2 CD Digipak incl Bonus CD containing live recordings from Eindhoven Metal Meeting 2022 and Dynamo Metal Fest 2020
• Music Cassette Green (strictly limited to 100 copies worldwide) – SOLD OUT!
• Digital Album

The Poison Chalice comes to life by spreading its eerily beautiful wings within the first few seconds, then dives headfirst into a hellishly furious storm. In classic LEGION OF THE DAMNED manner, there is no escape as the track relentlessly drives into the abyss.

The album spreads brutal and ice-cold thrash soundscapes through relentless, attacking drums and incredible guitar harmonies from both lead guitarists, underlined by angry bass lines. Infectious thrash treasures such as “Progressive Destructor”, and the almost seven-minute berserk “Behold The Beyond” break necks with hammering guitar riffs and bloody double bass infernos. “Beheading of The Godhead” delivers what the song title promises, before the past 48 minutes of hate closes with a final deep gulp from “The Poison Chalice” – leaving no one behind.

Together with producer Erwin Hermsen, the band closed the gates of the underworld in Toneshed Studio and demonstrate that they remain the unchallenged masters of brute and unrelenting death-thrash metal in 2023!

LEGION OF THE DAMNED are:
Maurice Swinkels – vocals
Twan Van Geel – guitars
Fabian Verweij – guitars
Harold Gielen – bass
Erik Fleuren – drums

LEGION OF THE DAMNED online:
FACEBOOK
INSTAGRAM
HOMEPAGE
NAPALM RECORDS