Artist of the Day: The Legion of Doom

Duo Chad Blinman and Trever Keith spilled out into the punk rock and mashup scenes in 2004 when The Legion of Doom's Incorporated started to show up in P2P networks like Limewire. The duo's collaborative efforts birthed a new twist on pop punk fan-favorites in the mashed up tracks including Taking Back Sunday, Brand New, Saves The Day, and Armor For Sleep. Despite a mostly inactive career since their debut release, The Legion of Doom's music gives an infusion of life into the once-new songs  like "At Your Funeral" and "The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows" that have come become staples in the mid-2000's music scene of yesteryear.

The Legion of Doom's debut release follows an unconventional formula: take two notable tracks, layer them with occasional rapping and 1950's movie sound clips, and mash it all up to create something completely different. The mixing is straight up incredible, as exemplified on the Armor For Sleep and Hopesfall combo, "Icarus Underwater." The subtle beats added over the effected vocals and instruments gives the song a rounder definition and an inherent club feel. It's like you're hearing a completely new side of the two songs, and it's a welcomed change for those that you've heard time and time again. Taking Back Sunday's "You're So Last Summer" is reworked with Sense's Fail's hit single "Buried A Lie" that will make you wish Adam Lazzara and Buddy Nielsen would collaborate on some tracks.

"The Quiet Screaming" pits Dashboard Confessional and Brand New in a push-and-shove match over choruses and main riffs, proving to be one of the best tracks the duo has created. Occasionally, The Legion of Doom takes things heavier. The headbanging mashup of Every Time I Die's "Ebolarama" and Norma Jean's "Memphis Will Be Laid To Waste" takes the strongest parts of each song and weaves an intricately violent new metal masterpiece.

The band has contributed various remixes to soundtracks over the years. An electro-tweaked version of Senses Fail's "Bite To Break Skin" appeared on the Underworld: Evolution soundtrack, and a reworked version of Flyleaf's "I'm So Sick" appeared on the Resident Evil: Extinction OST. Since Incorporated, the duo's movement away from the pop punk and post-hardcore scenes has been apparent in his mashup of "Steady, As She Goes" by the Raconteurs and "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley. Some tracks even throw in Ghostface Killah and The Smiths for good measure.

If you grew up in listening to Taking Back Sunday and Saves The Day in your youth, you owe it to yourself to listen to The Legion of Doom's new take on many of these classic anthems. Incorporated remains the most unified work, though you should check out the duo's other remixes as well. Incorporated only saw a limited physical release, but you can stream most of their tracks on Youtube or on their website. If you want to download them, I'm sure they're readily available as long as you look for them.

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