Legion of Boom

The Crystal Method | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 13, 2004)
• Original Release Date: 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: V2 North America
• ASIN: B0000X7KD2
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (117 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #17,912 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #11 in Music > Dance & DJ > Big Beat

Track Listings

1. Starting Over - Rahzel (vocals)

2. Born Too Slow - Wes Borland (guitar) and John Garcia (vocals)

3. True Grit

4. American Way - Rahzel (vocal)

5. I know it’s You - Milla Jovovich (vocals)

6. Realizer - Lisa from the Bellrays (vocals) and Jon Brion (guitar)

7. Broken Glass - Wes Borland (guitar)

8. Weapons of Mass Distortion - Wes Borland (guitar)

9. Bound Too Long - Hanifah aka Sha-kay (vocals)

10. Acetone - Rahzel (vocals)

11. High and Low - Lisa from the Bellrays (vocals)

12. Wide Open - Hanifah aka Sha-kay (vocals)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Crystal Method's Legion of Boom lives up to its title, dropping blasts of thumping samples, catchy riffs, and dependable grooves. But as with previous records like 2001's Tweekend, a chaotic, industrial darkness lurks around the edges that has little in common with the sheen of commercial dance. Many still compare Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland to the Chemical Brothers and their Big Beat, arena-pleaser cousins. But Boom sounds more like Nitzer Ebb in a good mood, or an angst-free Front 242. The duo has invited another batch of touchy-feely artists to contribute, like those noted softies Wes Borland and John Garcia, formerly of Limp Bizkit and Kyuss, respectively. Don't think for a second they aren't all having a blast, mixing in big, dumb hair metal with abandon. Most fun of all is the boost singer/actress Milla Jovovich gives to "I Know It's You," weaving her tweaked voice through a forest of tangled keyboards. With its bombastic techno-jams, Legion of Boom definitely makes for a tasty party record. Just keep the lights down as low as the bass end if you really want to capture the mood. --Matthew Cooke

Product Description

Japanese edition of 2004 album with 2 bonus tracks 'Born Too Slow' (remix TBA) & 'Weapons Of Mad Distortion' (remix TBA). V2. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Real Review, January 19, 2004

By 

Justin (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Legion of Boom (Audio CD)

I couldn't help laughing at some of the other reviews of this album. Some people completely hated this album, then others spoke like this was the greatest album in the history of recorded music. Those extreme reviews, you have to take with a grain of salt; especially when the reviews with harsh vitriolic hatred are filled with numerous spelling and gramatical errors.

Anyone who is already a fan of TCM will tell you that "Vegas" is the best TCM album. It's a classic, and their new one doesn't come close to matching that level of greatness. That doesn't mean I don't like it, mind you; I do! I personally rank their albums the same way that they've been released - "Vegas" #1, "Tweekend" #2 and "Legion Of Boom" #3 (we're not going to talk about "Community Service"). "Tweekend" ranks higher in my book because there were individual songs that were stronger; "Name Of The Game", "You Know It's Hard" and especially "Roll It Up."

This album kicks off with "Starting Over", and then it kinda levels off after that. No stand out tracks like "High Roller" or "Trip Like I Do." Not to say that there's anything disappointing about this album; it's just pretty much what you expect from the group. They don't really bring anything new or fresh to the table this time around.

Maybe I'll enjoy this album more after I see them perform these songs live (like I did with "Tweekend"). But for now, it's a consistent, good album and I'm glad I have it. I just wasn't blown away by it.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Potent product of a rave generation, February 7, 2005

By 

TL Gabrielsen "Liquid chick" (Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Legion of Boom (Audio CD)

I found the reviews of this product very interesting because of the standard against which people judged this album. Contrary to what even positive reviews said, TCM is really not "club" music at it's core. It is rave music, and there is a sizeable difference between the two. The looping and repetition of the songs is a signature of trance, whereas the ethereal and offbeat characteristics of the music are reminiscent of ambient. Trance is designed to provide a lulling structure that removes all conscious barriers to a musical experience...in other words, it is designed to deliberately clear the mind. The ambient noise give the dancer something to weave him/herself in and around. TCM is not designed to be merely listened to. It is dancing music, and thus, must be judged by the manner in which it inspires dance specifically in the rave crowd that feeds off of energy and groove. This album does this very well. This album does very well, much better than Tweekend, which was energetic, but lacked the deep grooves of Legion of Boom, and was tasteless in its lyrics. This album is a maturation of Vegas, which was sheer tripped-out energy, and is closer to catching the deep grooves of British trip-hop. This movement in their music is not necessarrily a "step up," per se, but is rather a lateral movement towards a hybridization of genres, and is exceptionally done.

23 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing? No. Thrilling? No., May 31, 2005

By 

Justin Waters "Synth Pop Lover" (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Legion of Boom (Audio CD)

I couldn't help laughing at some of the other reviews of this album. Some people completely hated this album, then others spoke like this was the greatest album in the history of recorded music. With those extreme reviews, you have to take them with a grain of salt; especially when the reviews with harsh vitriolic hatred are filled with numerous spelling and grammatical errors.

Anyone who is already a fan of TCM will tell you that "Vegas" is their best album, hands down. It's a classic, and this one doesn't come close to matching that level of greatness. That doesn't mean I don't like it, mind you; I do! I personally rank their albums the same way that they've been released - "Vegas" #1, "Tweekend" #2 and "Legion Of Boom" #3 (I'm trying to keep this review as brief as possible, which is why I'm not going to go into why I'm not including the "Community Service" albums).

"Tweekend" ranked higher in my book because there were individual songs that were stronger - "Name Of The Game", "You Know It's Hard" and especially "Roll It Up."

This album kicks off with "Starting Over", and then it kinda levels off after that. No stand out tracks like "High Roller" or "Trip Like I Do." You're waiting for that one song to make you go, "Yeah - that's what I'm talkin' bout!!", but it never happens. Not to say that there's anything disappointing about this album; it's just that you walk away expecting more from an album that didn't seem like a lot of work went into it. They didn't really bring anything new or fresh to the table this time around.

Maybe I'd enjoy this album more if I saw them perform these songs live (like I did with "Tweekend"). But for now, it's a consistent, good album and I'm glad I have it. I just wasn't blown away by it.