30/07/2024
Legions Of Doom the doom metal supergroup to release debut album on Tee P*e Records.
Where does The Skull end and Legions of Doom begin? The answer might be “right here.” Welcome to The Skull 3. The 2021 passing of revered doom metal legend Eric Wagner looms large over Legions of Doom’s debut.
“Eric had this file on his computer labelled ‘New Skull Record’,” explains close friend and former trouble bassist, Ron Holzner, who – alongside guitarist, Lothar Keller – picked up on the responsibility of shaping material that would’ve featured on Wagner’s third full-length with The Skull, completely anew.
“With his lyrics allotted to these songs. I was lucky that his family was able to access the computer and share it with me,” Holzner continues. “There were extra lyrics and verses that I used to finish them. I wrote most of the words to ‘Lost Soul,’ but I’m so happy that they were able to access the computer and pass along everything Eric did to me.”
With the blessing of Wagner’s family and the roots of his involvement uncovered, Legions of Doom shifted further into supergroup territory to fully celebrate Wagner’s life and creativity. Welcomed into the fold for The Skull 3 are drummer Henry Vasquez (Saint Vitus, Pentagram, Blood of The Sun), guitarist Scott Little (Leadfoot) and vocalists; Karl Agell (Lie Heavy, Leadfoot, Blind-era Corrosion of Conformity) and Scott Reagers (original frontman of Saint Vitus).
While featuring Wagner’s spirit, not to mention his vocals on the track ‘Heaven’, Legions of Doom is more than just a tribute. Just as The Skull built on the legacy of its component members – Keller’s contributions to song writing have always been the secret weapon, and one that remains as true as ever on The Skull 3. More of a debut than a lost album by The Skull, the persona of Legions of Doom is immediately distinguished through the vocal performances of Reagers and Agell. Yes, it’s classic doom by veterans who helped define the form, but Legions of Doom are vibrant in their revelry, and sound like a band with more to say.
“Lothar and I wrote eighty percent of the record with Eric prior to him passing away,” explains Holzner. “Karl, Henry and especially Scott Reagers wanted to finish it. Scott really didn’t want The Skull to end and insisted that we continue, as well as doing Legions of Doom. But the latter will be the new focus from here on out and The Skull will play once in a while. Lo and I finished the record with a collaboration from David Snyder (Trouble, Blackfinger) on our new single, ‘All Good Things’. And we wrote the newest song ‘Lost Soul’ with Henry. We also reworked Eric’s acoustic song ‘Heaven’ to go with his recorded vocals. The cover art was done by the legendary David V. D’Andrea at Samaritan Press. I told him I wanted something to represent moving on from The Skull and being reborn in Legions of Doom…”
The Skull 3 is released 13th September 2024 via Tee P*e Records.
