4/5 of King Diamond’s late 1980s solo band have joined forces for a new project named ‘Lex Legion’. The group comprises vocalist Nils K. Rue of the prog metal band Pagan’s Mind alongside ex-King members Mikkey Dee, Andy La Rocque, Pete Blakk and Hal Patino.
The band have announced that their debut album will arrive in June through the record company MNRK Music Group. Their first single, entitled ‘Sleep Eternally’, will be released tomorrow.
“Formed by Dee and Blakk”, according to their press release, “and completed by longtime collaborators and friends, Lex Legion is built on both legacy and longevity. What began as a long-discussed idea between close-knit musicians has evolved into a serious project, fueled by over 40 years of shared history and a renewed creative focus free from the constraints of their earlier careers.”
Drummer Dee and guitarist La Rocque were with King Diamond, also known as Kim Bendix Peterson, from around the time he split from his original band, the hugely influential Mercyful Fate in 1985. Both played on his debut solo album, ‘Fatal Portrait’, the following year. The first album to feature all the instrumentalists of this new band was the occult concept album ‘Them’, released in 1988. By 1990, Dee had left and that ‘classic’ lineup began to disintegrate. Only one member of the band remains with the metal singer, La Rocque.
The band’s experience would be vast even with the exception of their contributions to King Diamond’s highest rated albums. Dee spent over two decades in Motörhead and, since the band’s end in 2015, is now in the Scorpions. LaRocque played on arguably the most influential death metal album of all time, Death’s expansive and progressive ‘Individual Thought Patterns’, released in 1993. Guitarist Blakk has his own band, Blakk Totem, and bassist Patino was in traditional metal band Force of Evil among others.
Their newly recruited singer, the Norwegian Rue, has been in the aforementioned Pagan’s Mind since 2000 and engineered for power metal band Eidolon.
Speaking of the band’s musical direction, the supergroup have announced that “with a sound shaped by classic influences but sharpened by decades of experience, Lex Legion aim to fill a gap in modern metal—and signal that their long-awaited arrival has been worth the wait.” The self-titled album will be “built on lean arrangements, strong melodies, and virtuoso performances, the album reflects the band’s commitment to writing music on their own terms.”
With an announcement on YouTube, Blakk said that “we got the old crew back together… we’ve got ourselves a new singer, Nils, an awesome singer. So check out our website and there will be more information coming out soon”. Rue said that “it’s such an honour for me to able to present this band to you guys… I grew up with posters on my walls of these guys [his new bandmates], so again it’s such an honour, I’m really looking forward to the future with these guys.”
