There has always been an element of camp to Saviour Machine. Ever since their first record, when vocalist Eric Clayton sang menacingly about wicked windows and carnivals of souls, there was an odd 50's horror-film of spook about their music that prevented the listener from taking them too seriously. When their "Live in Deutschland" video was released last year, complete with a black robed Clayton drinking mock blood from a chalice, it was obvious that this was a band who tread the fine line between allegory and overkill. When word got out that the band was working on a "soundtrack to the end of the world", a three-album compendium with one volume to be released every January from now until 1999, it didn't sound so much like a courageous undertaking as it did more spooky campfire music. Now that the first installment of Legend is upon us, Saviour Machine has proven quite the opposite to be true. In short, Legend is Saviour Machine without the camp: a gripping, brilliantly orchestrated, deeply disturbing work that could well reshape the face of popular music. Clayton, along with guitarist, brother Jeff Clayton, bassist Charles Cooper, drummer Jayson Heart and keyboardist Nathan Van Hala have made a record so vast in scope, so overwhelming in breadth, it is difficult to take it all in at once. The record focuses on the period leading up to the appearance of the Antichrist on the earth. Clayton's thorough research of the subject matter is obvious. Each song reads like a literal lifting of Biblical prophecy, though Clayton takes enough poetic license to make each topic musically and artistically viable. Not only does he display more range vocally on Legend than he ever has before, but he has taken this patchwork of Scripture and poetry and created a truly eerie and ominous collection of incantations and proclamations. His spoken word in "A Prophecy" signals the breaking of the first seal of Revelation, after which (as he sings in "Legend 1:1"), the process cannot be reversed; the world must face its inevitable demise. It is a foreboding declaration not only because it is true, but because Clayton sings it with such conviction that the listener feels that the apocalypse is actually underway. His is the voice of Bergman's Death, narrating the catastrophes, and ushering the world into its final stages. Clayton's lyrics are matched perfectly with some of the most haunting music ever written. Jeff Clayton's sparse guitar treatments lend a Middle Eastern vibe to "the Eyes of the Storm", and his thick riffs provide the solid foundation on which "Gog: Kings of the North" is built. While Clayton's texturing add shadow and nuance, it is Van Hala and Heart that rule the record. The former's string effects, woven together with readings from Revelation and various vocal samples, provide the bridge between each song, while the latter's death-march and military style percussion give each composition shape and thrust. All elements blend together for a combined effect that is nothing short of breathtaking. The music causes a great sense of unease in the listener, contributing to the record's apocalyptic feeling. This is a death requiem for the 90's. The first piece of Legend has all the earmarks of classic recording. It is proof that underneath the makeup and theatrics, Saviour Machine is one fine band. Legend is their crowning achievement.