LEGION (ЛЕГИОН) (RUS)

Legion (Легион) is one of the first Heavy Metal bands from Soviet and Russia. They are playing heavy metal, neoclassical metal, and power metal. The band was founded by Oleg Tsarev. In 1981, he was joined by Alexey Bulgakov, who became the band's primary composer and vocalist. The band's official founding year is considered to be 1982, when they performed there first concert.

"Legion" was founded back in 1978 by bassist Oleg Tsarev. It was a quintet that also included guitarists Oleg Gronin and Pavel Nikolas, drummer Alexey Koshkin, and vocalist Vladimir Gorelov. Tsarev's brother, Igor, and aspiring poet Alexander Afanasyev also participated in the band's musical experiments. During this period, the songs "Khudozhnik" (Artist) and "Glupy Chelovek" (Foolish Man) were recorded at home (featuring A. Afanasyev on vocals, guitar, and keyboards, and O. Tsarev on bass, with contributions from Yu. Pronin on guitar and P. Protasov on bass); these are considered the band's earliest surviving recordings. The original lineup disbanded in 1981. Subsequently, guitarist Alexander Tsvetkov got in touch with Oleg Tsarev. They decided to form a new lineup consisting of Alexey Bulgakov (vocals, bass), Alexander Tsvetkov (guitar), Oleg Tsarev (guitar), and Yuri Vinokurov (drums). Their first concert took place in the spring of 1982, marking the beginning of the band's history. In 1983, Sergey Komarov replaced Vinokurov. With this lineup, the band recorded its first "magnito-album" (an album distributed on magnetic tape), titled *Bitva* (Battle, 1984), which included five songs: "Skazhi, Razumny Chelovek" (Tell Me, Rational Man), "Zakruzhila Zemlyu Nepogoda" (Bad Weather Swirled Over the Earth), "Dyavol" (The Devil), "Svet v Okne" (Light in the Window), and "Volshebnik" (The Wizard)—though some sources claim this demo was actually recorded in 1982. In early 1984, Alexey Chernyshev replaced Alexander Tsvetkov, and Bulgakov handed over bass duties to Oleg Tsarev. Six months later, to beef up the sound, Chernyshev brought in a second guitarist, Sergey Stasilovich. The band began performing at venues such as the "Serp i Molot" (Hammer and Sickle) Factory Palace of Culture and the MLRZ Palace of Culture.

This is not a "best of" or "demo" compilation,
all material was totally re-recorded in 1996.

In January 1986, after successfully passing an audition, the band became the first musical group to join the Moscow Rock Laboratory. This gave the band official status, allowing them to perform more concerts legally. That same year, Legion recorded their second album, *Apocalypse*, featuring lyrics that focused primarily on themes of battle and warfare. In February 1987, the band participated in the "Festival of Hopes" organized by the Moscow Rock Laboratory, where they took second place. As a prize, the group earned the opportunity to record several songs at the House of Radio for subsequent broadcast in Denmark and the Netherlands. Shortly thereafter, they received an invitation to tour those countries; however, the band was facing its first major crisis at the time. Komarov and Chernyshev, who had become fans of bands like Accept and AC/DC, were no longer satisfied with Bulgakov’s operatic vocal style. They believed a vocalist "ought to scream" and wanted Bulgakov to sing that way as well. Bulgakov, however, maintained that his voice was unsuited to that style of singing. Amidst the conflict, Komarov and Chernyshev persuaded Stasilovich and Tsarev that a change of vocalist was necessary, leading to Alexei Bulgakov’s departure from the group. Ultimately, however, they failed to find a suitable replacement, and the band broke up.

In the autumn of 1987, Tsarev proposed that Bulgakov revive Legion. Alexei Arkhipov joined as the drummer, and Sergei Stasilovich returned as the guitarist. In early 1988, at Stasilovich's initiative, a second guitarist, Vladimir Lobanov, was invited to join the band. The band joined the Stas Namin Center and resumed active touring. For the first time, Legion traveled to the Russian Far East, performing in Khabarovsk and in settlements along the Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM). Several new songs were composed for the concert program—such as "Na Krayu" (On the Edge), "God 37-y" (The Year '37), and "Kak Zhe Ya Ustal" (How Tired I Am)—though most were never actually recorded in a studio. The song "I Zhiv, i Mertv" (Both Alive and Dead) was not released until 2003. The lyrics were penned by the poet Alexander Afanasyev, a friend of Oleg Tsarev. In early 1989, Vladimir Lobanov left the band and was replaced by Leonid Mozzhukhin. Almost immediately, the group parted ways with the Stas Namin Center to strike out on their own. Due to poor planning regarding their concert schedule, Tsarev and several other members got into a heated dispute with local promoters in Pyatigorsk. While intoxicated, the group members were arrested and sentenced to 15 days of detention for disorderly conduct; upon returning to Moscow, Tsarev refused to continue working with Bulgakov. From that point on, both men independently assembled lineups using the name "Legion."