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Les Légions Noires

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Les Légions Noires
OriginFrance
Genres
Years active1993–1997, 2015–present
LabelsDrakkar
End All Life
Full Moon
Past membersLord Aäkon Këëtrëh
Lord Beleth'Rim
Vordb Bathor Ecsed
Vorlok Drakksteim
Wlad Drakksteim
Dark Wizzard of Silence
Krissagrazabeth
Lord Meyhna'ch
Lord Ogvdreb
Lord Urvdrem
Mørdrëd / Belinda

Les Légions Noires (also known as The Black Legions in English, or simply abbreviated to LLN) was a movement of French underground black metal musicians and their bands, centered mostly around the city of Brest, in Brittany. The bands involved limited their releases to very small numbers (often just enough to get to the other circle members), and distributed them among friends and close workers.

History

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Possibly the circle was formed in the late 1980s, early 1990s, in response to the supposed Norwegian "Black Metal Inner Circle". According to a 2005 series in Terrorizer magazine on the history of black metal, "A bunch of corpsepainted characters, rumoured to be drawn from such acts as Mütiilation, Torgeist and Vlad Tepes named themselves the 'Black Legions' as a tribute to the so-called 'Black Mafia' Norwegian BM heroes Darkthrone and Burzum, who were supposedly ready to terrorize Christians a couple of years before."[1] The first recordings of LLN members came about in the early 1990s, and their influence was acknowledged in the same issue of Terrorizer: "One should never count out France, primarily as the home of the inscrutably influential Black Legions of ridiculous rawness during the mid-90s."[2]

Regarding their influences, Wlad Drakksteim of Vlad Tepes referred, in an interview with Petrified magazine, to Hellhammer and especially Bathory: "Every True Black Metal Horde should play in old Bathory style."[3] When asked about the "Norwegian Black Metal Mafia", he said, "Norwegian mafia did lots of 'bad' things to this world. With Euronymous death MAYHEM is definitely dead and it's better like that as it will help Black Metal to return to darkness. [Euronymous] must be in peace now so I don't complain [lament?] him. And about Varg Vikernes (BURZUM) I don't have any opinion. WE have OUR opinions and he certainly knows them so..."[4]

The best-known bands of the LLN are Mütiilation (the one-man band formed by William Roussel, also known as Meyhna'ch), Belketre, Torgeist, and Vlad Tepes.

Vlad Tepes have been outspoken in the goals of their black metal: "We are Black Legions of Satan, we are the immortal warriors of Black imperial blood. We are here to pervert christian worms and they shall face the Black holocaust. It's near!"[4]

While none of the bands involved in Les Légions Noires released any new material from 1998 to 2014, Belketre released a new EP entitled Ryan Èvn-A in 2015. It is unclear if the bands were inactive during that time or simply preferred not to release their material to the public.

Discography

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Bands and projects

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Personnel:
AäK = Lord Aäkon Këëtrëh
BLT = Lord Beleth'Rim
VRD = Vordb Bathor Ecsed (a.k.a. Vordb Dreagvor Uezeerb)
WOR = Worlok Drakksteim (a.k.a. Vorlok Drakkstein)
WLD = Wlad Drakksteim (a.k.a. Vlad Drakkstein)
NFL = Nifleim
NAI = Naimlambre
KRS = Krissagrazabeth
MYH = Meyhna'ch
ADS = A Dark Soul

            

Function:
= member
(┿) = former/past member
all = all instruments
dr = drums
vo = vocals
gt = guitar
ba = bass guitar

Project name AäK BLT VRD WOR WLD NFL NAI D.K. MYH KRS ADS Releases
Aäkon Këëtrëh 3 demos
Amaka Hahina 3 demos, 1 CD
Belathuzur 2 demos
Belkètre 4 demos, 1 CD
Black Murder 2 demos
Brenoritvrezorkre (vo,gt,dr) dr 4 demos
Dvnaèbkre 1 demo
Dzlvarv 1 demo
Moëvöt 7 demos
Mütiilation (dr) 6 CDs, 3 EPs, 6 demos
Satanicum Tenebrae all 3 demos
Seviss 2 demos
Susvourtre dr vo,ba 1 demo
Torgeist gt gt,vo ba dr 3 demos, 1 CD
Uatrb Vélèpr 1 demo
Vagézaryavtre gt,vo,ba vo 1 demo
Vérmyapre Kommando ba gt,vo,dr (dr) 1 demo
Vlad Tepes ba,vo vo,gt,dr (dr) (dr) 10 demos, 2 CDs
Vzaeurvbtre 3 demos

Notes

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  1. ^ Strachan, Guy (2005). "Overview of the French scene". Terrorizer. 128: 38.
  2. ^ Birk, Nathan T. (2005). "Overview of the French scene". Terrorizer. 128: 44.
  3. ^ "Vlad Tepes: Interview with Wlad [Drakksteim]". Petrified. 3. 1994. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
  4. ^ a b "Vlad Tepes: Awaiting the Forthcoming Black Holocaust..." Kill Yourself. 2: 15–16. 1995. Retrieved 2009-03-03.

References

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