Interview with the Band Legion (New Jersey)

July 29, 2024

Interview with the Band Legion (New Jersey)

By Mad T

Cosmick View: Thank you guys for joining us today. First question: how did you come to find that you wanted to be a guitarist or bassist? What drew you to your respective instruments?
Frank Adamo: Oh wow, I’m one of those disciples from the 1975/1976 era who got into KISS and went down that rabbit hole. That was it for me. I had older sisters, and Joe and I both had older sisters whose boyfriends would come around with albums from Queen, Aerosmith, and Alice Cooper. I got into those bands and started following the music. Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley, and Joe Perry really influenced me to pick up the guitar. Later on, bands like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and artists like Yngwie Malmsteen started kicking in.

Cosmick View: Wow, that's that is really awesome…especially starting with KISS.
Frank Adamo: Yeah, man. I got pictures of me in grade school, dressing up for KISS for Halloween.

Joe Adamo: Yeah, I would agree with Frank. For me and the kids, it all started with KISS. They're pretty much the Beatles of our generation. I remember seeing them on the Paul Lynde Halloween Special, which was in the mid to late '70s. I picked up a guitar when I was about 13, but I put it down for a year. Once the new wave of British metal started, my interest reignited. Ritchie Blackmore, Jimmy Page, and Tony Iommi were my primary influences. Soon after, I got into Michael Schenker, Uli John Roth, and Yngwie Malmsteen, as well as blues guys like Robin Trower. It was a steady progression to where I am today.

Artie Maglio: For me, what really got me wanting to play bass was listening to Led Zeppelin as a kid. Hearing John Paul Jones, I thought, "Wow, that sounds pretty cool." I started getting into it and following him a lot. That turned me on to playing bass. What really kicked it up for me was getting into Iron Maiden. Steve Harris definitely influenced most of my playing. As I started playing more, I delved deeper into other styles, getting into funk players like Victor Wooten, who are just phenomenal. But yeah, Zeppelin and Iron Maiden were what did it for me.

Cosmick View: Steve Harris really makes it known that he is the bass player for Iron Maiden, especially through most, if not all their songs.
Artie Maglio: John Paul Jones, to me, was the most underrated bass player out there. But he's just a phenomenal player.

Cosmick View: Once you guys found your instruments how did you start playing in bands in the Jersey Scene?
Artie Maglio: I started playing when I was twelve, so that had to be around 1981. About a year later, I was in a band. I met a bunch of kids, and we just started playing and getting into the scene. I grew up in the scene with bands like Attacker. I've known Mike Sabatini since the early '80s, and we played shows together back then, including escapades in Jersey City. Bands like Gothic Slam were also part of the day. Once I got into the scene, it just never stopped.

Frank Adam: I pretty much just practiced at home a lot, going from not a good player to a good player over one summer. I played with local guys from school, nothing serious. My first serious project was probably Legion. I decided I wanted to put something cool together, so I went to my brother Joe and said, "Hey, man, you want to do something?" We started writing demos and focused on that. I didn't play out much, just some gigs here and there, but nothing significant. Joe and I were both like students, just studying and honing our skills.

Joe Adamo: Once we got the band, it took us a while to get a full band of excellent musicians on every instrument and by probably by the late 90s we started doing demos and playing out.

Cosmick View: You went from KISS to Queen to Judas Priest and you transformed into Legion, which is this epic sounding power metal band. How did you come to the conclusion that you wanted to play power metal as opposed to Judas Priest or Iron Maiden?
Frank Adamo: Well, when you look at our influences, especially Joe's and mine, we dig the same stuff. We really got into players like Blackmore, Uli Roth, and Michael Schenker. We've always loved that European sound. Nothing against Metallica and the like—they were more hard-driving—but we wanted to explore different movements and sounds. That's where we get the European influence, and it's why we're tied in with power metal. But I'll take it, you know.

Cosmick View: When you did start playing in the Jersey Scene in the mid to late 1990s, did you notice that the metal scene change from when you first joined it a decade before?
Joe Adamo: When we started playing, it was completely grunge and alternative, so it was very hard to get gig as a metal band, let alone a power metal band. It was really tough in those days. We would just take any gig we could get, you know.

Artie Maglio: Yeah, I went from playing metal in the '80s and performing at numerous clubs to a different scene in the '90s. When the band I was in broke up, the guitarist and I formed a cover band with a couple of other guys. We started playing cover music and performing at bars in Hoboken, just to get paid. Like Joe said, with the rise of grunge, if you weren't playing that new in-thing, you were out of luck. So, we jumped into playing covers and performed everything just to make some money.

Cosmick View: Did you enjoy playing covers as opposed to originals or was it something you had to do in order to play?
Artie Maglio: Yeah, I mean I enjoyed playing it because I'm a player. I like to play, and I like to perform live. I'd rather play originals if I could. So that's why I try to focus on that.

Joe Adamo: You can learn a lot from doing covers, and it's a good exercise for writing songs too. A lot of times, we’d have rehearsals without a singer and while playing the songs, you realize where the hooks come in and how the verses and music simplify. This helps you develop a pattern or formula for writing your own music. It's really educational. So, from that point of view, I’d say it's pretty good.

Frank Adamo: It's instant gratification because people know the song and you get the cheers. It's pretty cool sometimes. But when a crowd doesn't know your stuff, there's silence. When you rock out a Maiden tune, people get into it right away, and that boosts you. You learn your craft on stage. I think it's important for any musician to get out there and play as much as you can in front of people.

Artie Maglio: Yeah, playing covers also makes you a better player. Especially if you're doing stuff like Frank said, playing Maiden or more technical metal music. It definitely improves your skills to learn somebody else's songs.

Cosmick View: The band started in the 1990s facing the grunge era and here we are thirty years later. How have you seen the Jersey Metal Scene change or evolve in those thirty-odd years?
Frank Adamo: Well, there are definitely more bands embracing metal these days…. It's not a bad word anymore to say "metal," you know what I mean? Back in the '90s, when we were auditioning guys, some would react like, "Oh, you play heavy metal, man?" It felt like we already had one strike against us. But nowadays, there are a lot of good bands out there, and they're tearing it up in the clubs. It's a positive thing. I'd like to see more bands coming together for bigger shows and maybe even doing little tours. Some bands might think touring isn't worth it or they're too old for it, but for us, playing music is about connecting with people. Overall, I think the metal scene is strong. There are so many talented bands out there. Just recently, we played at Dingbatz with Attacker, the Donner Party, and Blood Feast—all rocking hard. It was a diverse night of metal, from melodic bands like ours to heavier acts like Attacker, which represents fresh US metal. We have a history with Attacker; they gave us some of our first gigs and have always been supportive. It's a good vibe, but I'd love to see more big shows happening. That would be fantastic.

Artie Maglio: We need more places to play. We need more Dingbatz; that’s what we need. That's what's killing the scene right now. Everything is closing down. It's horrible. So, we definitely need more venues.

Frank Adamo: It’s hard too. I mean, don't get us started with the pay to play stuff and selling tickets and all of that.

Artie Maglio: Right.

Frank Adamo: I always thought that promoters or club owners should handle ticket sales while bands focus on entertaining. Nowadays, though, they often expect bands to sell a bunch of tickets just to play with bigger acts. I think Dingbatz is one of the cooler clubs around here. We've ventured out to Detroit and found some cool venues there too, but I'd like to see more clubs popping up as well.

Joe Adamo: It is not like everybody’s just concentrated in one area.

Frank Adamo: If there was something like, say, in South Jersey, or even here in Central Jersey near the shore like the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, those clubs have their own rules and requirements, especially in terms of drawing in crowds. It's tough nowadays. The days when club promoters invested in bands, giving them residencies, are pretty much gone. Back in the day, our local hero Zakk Wylde lived just five minutes away from me growing up. Bands like his Zyris and PT Quick played regularly, like TT Quick at the Stone Pony every Friday and Saturday night. Those were good times, with clubs packed and bouncing. Nowadays, I wonder if people prefer staying home, maybe the future of music is doing podcasts or concerts streamed straight to your living room.

Cosmick View: Maybe moving to VR.
Frank Adamo: I don't know man. But we're doing what we're doing, so we love doing it so. Just trying to keep it alive.

Cosmick View: With many of the younger metal musicians into the hardcore, metalcore, and death metal variety, how did you find a younger singer that is into power metal and can actually sing power metal?
Artie Maglio: It's funny, I went up to Dingbatz to see a friend's band play, and originally, I was just there for them. But then a friend of mine convinced me to stay for the next band—a Queensrÿche tribute. I was intrigued, as Queensrÿche is one of my favorite bands. So, I stuck around, and when Eddie started singing for the tribute band, I was blown away. I knew immediately I had to ask him if he was interested in joining an original band; we were looking for a singer at the time.

Frank Adamo: Yeah, our singer was having vocal problems, and we were using other guys like Will Shaw from Dead Risen to do shows that we had booked, and we had some nice shows booked for.

Joe Adamo: Bobby from Attacker played with us in Cleveland.

Frank Adamo: Will Shaw played with Fates Warning and a lot of shows. We were starting to really just see who was out there and. And Artie just picked this kid out and said it's pretty good.

Artie Maglio: Yeah, I approached him that night after the show and talked to him about joining us for original songs. He mentioned he hadn't done originals much before but was definitely interested. After that chat, we didn't exchange numbers or contact info. About six or seven months later, I realized I needed to reach out to him. We were having no luck finding anyone else, and the guy who was filling in temporarily didn't end up joining the band permanently as we had hoped.

Frank Adamo: Usually when you when you lose this singer, you're thinking, “OK, we're going to be looking for a guy for about two years.” Right away you just know that this is going to take forever to find these guys.

Artie Maglio: Especially this type of singing and that type of music.

Frank Adamo: But I noticed a change as we grew bigger and became more involved in the scene, and as we've been playing live for longer, people could see that. We used to bring in guys quickly before, but when Eddie stepped in, it was perfect. He sounded great right from the start. I think with age, when you get in a room and start playing and jamming with someone, you just know if it feels right. It transcends any concerns about age or other factors. We sit around, have conversations, and it feels like we've known each other forever. The music really brings us together beyond all the other bullshit.

Artie Maglio: Yeah, for Eddie, his mom was a big influence on the music he got into, which is pretty cool – passing it down, so to speak. He's versatile, into a lot of new bands, but he's also very old school. It's great having a singer who can do both styles so well. He really has an old soul, and you can see that in the way he performs.

Frank Adamo: For example, we were discussing possibly doing a cover for a B-side on the new album, maybe something for Japan. Eddie suggested "Dark Lady" from the Scorpions, and I was like, "Wow, yeah, we could totally do that!" He's really into it. I've met his mother, and she's an old-school metalhead, into bands like KISS and everything from the '70s straight through the '80s. I think that influence rubbed off on him. He's such a phenomenal singer; he can handle anything with his voice. I'm glad it worked out because we were concerned. When we played with Will Shaw, he fit the band perfectly, but he was hesitant about joining full-time. We couldn't wait any longer, so we decided to reach out to Eddie, and we haven't looked back since.

Cosmick View: Speaking about not looking back, you guys are slated to go into the studio soon to work on a new album. What can fans expect to hear from you guys with this new release?
Frank Adamo: Well, I think our songwriting has really improved. The new songs we're working on for the album, like what you heard the other night, are more melodic and heavy. There's a lot of guitar work that stands out. With Eddie on board, his lyrical concepts are different—he leans towards real-life themes while I tend to write more in a Dungeons and Dragons style. I think this contrast works well; vague lyrics often resonate more than being too specific. Eddie brings a lot to the table, and I believe this album will be really strong. The transition from our first album to the second didn't change much except vocally, but with Eddie, I think we're poised to make something great.

Cosmick View: I definitely look forward to hearing it when you feel it's complete. You guys have any plans to like to go on tour or anything like that to support the album
Frank Adamo: Well, to speak for the three of us in here, definitely; we'll we would like to go on the road. I don’t know about the other guys; I'm not sure. I never really asked them. But like I said, if a show is available or if we can buy onto a tour or something, that'll work for us.

Joe Adamo: Just to just to clarify that there's no tour dates. As soon as the album comes out, that's when we want to take a look at that, and we'll address that.

Cosmick View: It sounds like it's going to be something worth listening to. I'm definitely looking forward to it.
Frank Adamo: Working with Mike Sabatini has been great. He knows our sound well, and I think he's a good engineer for us to collaborate with and really achieve a great sound. Our last two albums, sonically, weren't as strong because I handled them myself, and we lacked that objectivity needed to step back from the music. With Mike, I believe he'll bring out the best in our songs, which are already strong.

Joe Adamo: Yeah, what Frank's talking about is having another set of ears. When you're in a band and you're producing an album yourselves, it's hard to stay objective. You really need someone from outside to come in and offer suggestions. It's like having an additional perspective, not just another band member, but someone who can look at it from the outside and give us valuable advice on what we can improve or change.

Frank Adamo: Our first album, Shadow of the King, Joe mixed it, and it turned out really well. For War Beasts, JD from Black Label Society handled the mixing, and he did a fantastic job. It was a great experience being in the studio with someone of his pedigree and experience. We're open to working with different engineers and exploring new approaches. For us, it's about getting in there, hitting that first note, and starting the recording process—it's what it's all about.

Artie Maglio: We'll be heading in next weekend to start that. We don't plan on spending a long time in there. We plan on banging this out quick so we can release it and set up a release date and a release party.

Frank Adamo: We're traveling about an hour and a half up north to Jersey City to record, so ideally, I'd say let's channel some Black Sabbath vibes and knock it all out in eight hours. But we'll see how it goes. Once you're in the studio, you start to find your flow, maybe have a couple of drinks or a smoke to get inspired and really dive into it. When you're doing it yourself, behind the board, you start hearing little noises and think, "What the heck is that?" Then you have to backtrack and figure out where it's coming from. It's those small details that we won't have to worry about this time around.

Joe Adamo: That stifles creativity a little bit. When you're a guitar player or you're a bass player or drummer, you just want to worry about what you’re playing. Same thing with the singer too. You get into the technical stuff, it's good to do it on your own. You're not on the clock, but there's downfalls to it. It takes forever, actually.

Frank Adamo: Yeah, when we were mixing the first album, I noticed little squeaks and details that seemed huge to me at the time, but no one else really hears them. It's like that saying, you record a guitar part, and one moment you hate it, then the next morning, you listen again and suddenly love it. You need that space in between or that perspective shift.

Cosmick View: Why do you think power metal never really kind of took off here as some other genres of metal did?
Frank Adamo: How do you define power metal? When I think of power metal, I think of Rainbow. To me, Rainbow was the original power metal band. It's a tough question because I'm not sure how the American audience views power metal. Many of those bands have mystical or fantasy lyrics. So, it's hard to pin down exactly.

Artie Maglio: That is a tough one.

Joe Adamo: I think what categorizes power metal, and perhaps why American audiences might not like it as much, is that it's often seen as "happy." But it doesn't have to be happy just because it's up-tempo. For instance, we have a song on our album called "Blood," which has really deep lyrics, but the music is pretty up-tempo. Maybe American audiences just prefer darker themes and music.

Frank Adamo: With a lower tuning.

Artie Maglio: Maybe Americans want a more thrashy type of band like Metallica.

Joe Adamo: You have to be basically like a Bruce Dickinson type to really pull it off. I mean, there's not too many of those out there.

Frank Adamo: there are a lot of bands out there that have different types of lyrics than your usual Dungeons and Dragons types.

Joe Adamo: Even Helloween have a variety of songs – heavy, fast songs, thrashy songs, and then they'll have commercial songs. I don't think that would work over here.

Joe Adamo: Too much variety, maybe? I don't know.

Artie Maglio: Let's just blame it on rap and rap. [Laughs] I think one reason it could be messed up too is that is radio. Radio here just doesn't play it. They don't play it. They’re only gonna play the hits from certain bands and it's tough to get power metal on the radio.

Frank Adamo: Yeah, and even someone established like Eddie Trunk is just playing his greatest hits of what he likes. I mean, I have nothing against him playing UFO and stuff like that, but there are so many bands out there that deserve a break. Give them a spin, at least. We don't have to hear "Doctor Doctor" again. Play a newer band. But who knows what's going on? If you want to get on the Eddie Trunk show, you might have to come up with $250 for them to play your song. I've heard things like that, that he takes cash to listen to your demos and stuff, but I don't know if that's true. Everyone's just trying to make a buck and looking for what's easy to sell. It's a tough situation, man.

Joe Adamo: I think it's exposure. I think if people don't hear it, they can't make a judgment on it. Maybe if they hear it, they will like it. Maybe they don't like it, but if they don't hear it at all then…

Artie Maglio: We don’t have any radio stations that play it.

Cosmick View: Where can people find you?
Artie Maglio: Yeah, well, we were on Facebook. We're in the midst of trying to eliminate an old Facebook page, so it's a tough situation. If people look for us there, two pages will come up. One of them we don't use anymore. We got locked out of it, and Facebook has some weird thing where we can't get the password. We're trying to delete the page, but we can't even do that. It's crazy.

Joe Adamo: We’re on Instagram now ReverbNation.

Artie Maglio: We’re trying to be more present on social media. We’re probably going to look for a social media manager to handle all that – somebody that knows what they're doing because we don't have time for that. It's too much of a pain. It just adds one more task.

Cosmick View: Thank you for joining us today!

Check out Legion at:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083107483608&mibextid=ZbWKwL

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/legion_official_?igsh=MWkwMnM2MDg4eGJ0NQ==

About Mad T

Drummer to the traditional Heavy Metal band Corners of Sanctuary, Mad T has always had a knack for finding out what the word on the street is. With recently joining the Cosmick Krew, Mad T is refining his knack into a skill.