The international Death Metal group BERZERKER LEGION is back with another banger of an album! After releasing “Obliterate the Weak” in 2020, BERZERKER LEGION has announced their second album “Chaos Will Reign,” which is scheduled for release on October 27th via their current label Listenable Records. In case you don’t know, BERZERKER LEGION is a Death Metal band that currently consists of five members from different bands all over the globe, including the current bassist of the renowned Swedish Black Metal band DARK FUNERAL. If that’s enough to get your attention, then without further ado, I will give you my review on this group’s upcoming second full-length album. Hopefully, it’ll be enough to convince you that it’s worth a listen, which I strongly believe is the case.

“Chaos Will Reign” opens up with its title track, which is just under 6 minutes long. This song and the following track "Choirs of Anguish" – the only single from the album–maintain a heavy mid-tempo pace, but they are highlighted by the intense vocals of Jonny Pettersson and double bass patterns from James Stewart.

Things get really fast on the third track "Nihilism Over Empathy," however. The Death Metal music incorporates more Thrash Metal elements, and James Stewart uses some neck-breaking blast beats for the first time. BERZERKER LEGION slows down again with the next few tracks, which wasn't a bad thing but could have also benefited from some more speed. "Damnation" is one of the shortest songs on "Chaos Will Reign," standing at about 3 ½ minutes, but it packs a huge punch. Pettersson uses more high-pitched screams on this track than in the preceding tracks, in the midst of slow, heavy riffs from Alwin Zuhr and Tomas Elofsson. Besides, it's hard to dislike a Death Metal song about damnation and "the gates of Hell."

Stewart's drumming overall was amazing, but it definitely impressed me on "Eternal Void," which included a series of lengthy, precise blast beats. There was a point where Stewart seamlessly transitioned from blast beats to skank beats but didn't let up on the double bass drums, so bonus points to him for that one. "Worship All That Is Dead" and "Shepherds of War" are significantly faster than some of the previous songs.

"Worship All That Is Dead" even begins with a drum solo, an incredibly rare technique in Heavy Metal genres but nonetheless appreciated. Alwin Zuhr and Tomas Elofsson use a lot of tremolo picking on the ninth track "Shepherds of War," which adds to its harsh brutality. I'm sure you've noticed by now that I haven't mentioned BERZERKER LEGION's bassist Fredrik Isaksson. You'd be wrong if you're thinking that I believe his bass rhythms were not contributive to this album's heavy Death Metal. Rather, as the bassist, he contributed greatly in this field. It's not surprising given that Isaksson is also the bassist of a legendary Scandinavian Black Metal band, right?

A lot of Death Metal bands release their albums with two, or even one, year-long gaps in between. In BERZERKER LEGION's case, they took three years before coming out with their second record "Chaos Will Reign." It seems to have paid off, because it is a pretty good album. The band could have used less groovy, heavy songs and added more punishing speed to their Death Metal work, and I also feel that more guitar solos would have helped too. However, considering the areas where BERZERKER LEGION soars to new heights, I dare say the flaws can be overlooked this once. So, if you're looking for new Death Metal this fall, try out "Chaos Will Reign" by this international band.