Saviour Machine – Legend Part III:II

which track was it that had "Yah, Giddyup Satan!" in it?

All drama aside - this is fantastic record, it gives a glimpse of what could've been... sadly SM never managed to return to it and finish.

You got right... This is not unofficial! The should be allowed in the marketplace..!

This is not unofficial and should be allowed in the marketplace. This is an official release by Massacre Records. The fact that the band did not approve of the release does not make it unofficial...

Epic close to the LEGEND series – even in an unfinished state it’s still great

Released in 2011, LEGEND III:II is the sixth and most recent studio album by the epic Goth rock/metal band Saviour Machine, from Riverside, California (it’s their seventh album if you count their 1990 self-titled demo).

Finally, after a whole decade of waiting we get the conclusion to the LEGEND quadrilogy. Saviour Machine’s previous album, LEGEND III:I (2001), was a masterpiece and easily their best release. This left listeners anticipating the climax of the “trilogy” (which, as just noted, is a quadrilogy in actual execution).

This version of LEGEND III:II is an unofficial release, however, and not acknowledged by singer/visionary Eric Clayton (Huckaby) & Saviour Machine. Despite high advances, Eric & the band dragged their butts in completing LEGEND III:II, apparently due to Eric’s health issues, and so Massacre Records finally made the decision to take the original tracks recorded in Sweden in the spring of 2004, fix ‘em up as best they could, and release them. I’ve heard both sides of the story and stand with the record company. After all, what should a company do that pays huge amounts of money in advance and the band takes it and fails to deliver anything, not to mention publicly proclaiming that they will not pay back the monies?

Bottom line: The band has had 10 years to release their version, which they failed to do. Thanks to Massacre for giving the fans an ending to the quadrilogy. No, it’s not as good as it would have been – Eric called it “GROSSLY incomplete & misrepresentative of what LEGEND III:II actually sounds like” – but, if this is all we can get, I’ll take it.

The good news is that this version of LEGEND III:II – which runs a whopping 77 minutes – doesn’t sound unfinished. True, the production is flat with too much of a samey-sounding vibe; certain parts should’ve been beefed up in the mix with the addition of more power chords & riffs (as was done in III:I). Yet none of this takes away that this is still a nigh stunning album just as it is. In other words, this may be the skeleton version of LEGEND III:II, but it’s still remarkable and well worth owning. For now, it’s the only closure we’ll have to the LEGEND series. If you’re a fan of the other LEGEND albums, getting this album is mandatory, whether it’s unofficial or not.

Thankfully, Saviour Machine reformed in 2017, so maybe we’ll get THEIR version of this album someday – the official version – but I wouldn’t bank on it anytime soon.

Lastly, I hope Eric learned a few lessons from this ordeal: (1.) Finish what you start, (2.) don’t drag your axx and make excuses, and (3.) deliver the goods when you’ve been paid.

GRADE: A-