We Are Legion
Will Maravelas (guitar, backing vocals)
Allan Towne (vocals)
Aaron Lanik (drums)
Paul Wallace Esch (guitars)
Neil Pruett (bass)
About
A band formed in friendship is a band guaranteed some measure of success. This was the goal of the band that would become We are Legion when forming in the winter of 2007. Will Maravelas opted to start a new true Death Metal band after leaving long time band And Hope to Die (Zerobudget Records 2001-2007). Enlisting the help of friends and accomplished musicians Allan Towne and Aaron Lanik to start the band it became clear the goals of all individuals were that of the collective. They went looking for a guitarist and bassist. Towne enlisted longtime friend Nick Vukelich to join on guitars and Maravelas asked new friend Kyle Rod to join the group on bass. In a bizarre turn of events, Lanik after only a few months had to leave for personal reasons. The band hosted “tryouts” and asked a few people to come down: one of those people was Chris Lemke.
This version of the lineup lasted almost three years, recording numerous projects, most notably “The Institution of Disharmony” (2009 Zerobudget Records) all while playing all over the upper Midwest with some of the world’s biggest modern metal and death metal acts (Chimaira, Vital Remains, Krisiun, Destruction, Into Eternity, Katakylsm, A Life Once Lost, Abysmal Dawn, to name just a few). During the writing and preproduction phase of working on their followup to “Institution” the album that would become “The Eclipse Eternal” the band individually discovered it wanted very different things musically. So much so that it prompted Vukelich and Lemke opting to leave the band. For the record, the members are all still friends today.
Not wanting to end the band, Rod, Maravelas and Towne opted to search for new members in hopes of rekindling how the band started: making brutal death metal with friends. In a twist of fate, Aaron Lanik (the band’s original drummer) wanted to rejoin the band, 3 years later, the same feeling it was like he never left. 1 very important piece of the puzzle filled.
Enter guitarist extraordinaire, Paul Wallace Esch. Maravelas and Esch clicked musically and as friends almost immediately. He was the perfect addition the group. But Legion was set to suffer another blow: Long time bassist Kyle Rod received a promotion at his day job which forced him to leave the band. Towne enlisted longtime friend Neil Pruett to come join the band, and there were 5 once more.
The band is currently writing new material and another new album is slated for release early 2012. With the core of the band and goals it was conceived with back in place, We are Legion continues to be a death metal force to be reckoned with. Look for a new album Spring 2012, until then pick up your copy of “Institution of Disharmony” at your local record store or at a show.
