Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
The legions of war must fall silent in order to assert peace in which to regroup and put the sword to the disciples of hatred; but first we must always send in those troops to who have the patience to appear when the world needs them most, those angels dressed in swathes of undisputed talent and raw emotions to whom the Legions Of Tomorrow hold no fear.
The back story to the Finnish Death Metal group, Messiah Paratroops is one that reads of perseverance and the refreshing notion that belief in one’s own destiny can attain a high level of integrity and legendary status.
Messiah Paratroops’ debut album, some 35 years after the first formation of the band, is one of aggressive overtones and luxurious albums of the year so far in the genre, a salute to the realm of dedication to the cause, and to the spirit of tireless grit, Aku Oksala, Jani Vartianinen, Pete Airaksinen, Vilho Kananen, and Jari Bäck have found a formula for vocal and musicianship war that breaks the silence and contributes accordingly to the drama of the genre.
From the depths of Out Of Reality, and through conscious insistence in Rats In The Walls, Morbid Prayer, Murders Of The Lake, the album title track of Legions Of Tomorrow, and the song taken from their own moniker, Messiah Paratroops, the countless demos and line-up changes, successful though they were, were a stepping stone to the undoubted greatness unleased with vitality and uncompromising purity of soul.
The Death Metal scene in Scandinavia has always been rampant, but the ferocity of Messiah Paratroops is that of a long thought dormant volcano, occasionally sending the rumblings of expectation, giving hope to the worshiper’s below, but now exploding with the fury and anger that serenity shakes and quivers in the face of extreme, and punishingly cool prejudice.
A fantastic album from the Finnish metal band, and one that must in itself pay tribute to all who along the way played their part in pushing the name and the sound onwards to glory.
Ian D. Hall