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{{Infobox album
| name = Legion of Boom
| type = [[Album]]
| artist = [[the Crystal Method]]
| cover = TheCrystalMethod-LegionOfBoom.jpg
| alt =
| released = January 13, 2004
| recorded = 2003
| studio =
| genre = {{hlist|[[Big beat]]|[[electronic rock]]}}
| length = 59:17
| label = [[V2 Records|V2]]
| producer = The Crystal Method
| prev_title = [[Community Service (album)|Community Service]]
| prev_year = 2002
| next_title = [[Community Service II]]
| next_year = 2005
| misc = {{Extra chronology
| artist = [[The Crystal Method]] studio album
| type = studio
| prev_title = [[Tweekend]]
| prev_year = 2001
| title = Legion of Boom
| year = 2004
| next_title = [[Divided by Night]]
| next_year = 2009
}}{{Singles
| name = Legion of Boom
| type = studio
| single1 = Starting Over
| single1date = September 10, 2003
| single2 = [[Born Too Slow]]
| single2date = November 25, 2003
}}
}}
'''''Legion of Boom''''' is the third studio album by American [[electronic music]] duo [[the Crystal Method]]. It was released on January 13, 2004, by [[V2 Records]]. The album features contributions from [[Milla Jovovich]] and [[Kyuss]] lead singer [[John Garcia (singer)|John Garcia]], and also contains guitar riffs courtesy of [[Limp Bizkit]] guitarist [[Wes Borland]] (who also co-produced three tracks) and vocal talents by beatboxer [[Rahzel]]. Its title is likely a reference to the [[supervillain]] team [[Legion of Doom]].
==Background==
The album was nominated for a [[Grammy Award|Grammy]] in the "[[Grammy Award for Best Electronic/Dance Album|Best Electronica/Dance Album]]" category in 2005, the first year that any award was given out for that category.
An edited version of "Born Too Slow" was featured in the soundtrack for the video games ''[[Need for Speed: Underground]]'' and ''[[Donkey Konga 2]]''. The song "I Know It's You" was used in the pilot episode of the TV show ''[[Numbers (TV series)|Numbers]]''. Also, the song "Bound Too Long" was featured on the soundtrack to the movie ''[[Cursed (2005 film)|Cursed]]'', and "Starting Over" was used in an episode of the TV show ''[[Alias (TV series)|Alias]]'' and an episode of ''[[CSI: Crime Scene Investigation]]''. "Weapons of Mass Distortion" was featured in the teaser and theatrical trailers of ''[[The Bourne Ultimatum (film)|The Bourne Ultimatum]]'' and a different version of the same song, renamed "Weapons of Mad Distortion" was used in the film ''[[Blade: Trinity]]''.
The album also contains the only known time either members of the Crystal Method have provided vocals for a song. The song that features this is "I Know It's You", which has Ken Jordan singing through a [[vocoder]].
==Critical reception==
{{Music ratings
| MC = 58/100<ref name=meta>[http://www.metacritic.com/music/legion-of-boom/the-crystal-method/critic-reviews Critic reviews at Metacritic]</ref>
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1Score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref>{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r672054}}</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[Alternative Press (music magazine)|Alternative Press]]''
| rev2Score = {{Rating|2|5}}<ref name=meta/>
| rev3 = ''[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]''
| rev3Score = {{Rating|1.5|5}}<ref name=meta/>
| rev4 = [[E!|E! Online]]
| rev4Score = B<ref name=meta/>
| rev5 = ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''
| rev5Score = B−<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090426031815/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,573825,00.html Entertainment Weekly review]</ref>
| rev6 = ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''
| rev6Score = {{Rating|3|4}}<ref>[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-jan-18-ca-rack18-story.html Los Angeles Times review]</ref>
| rev7 = ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]''
| rev7Score = {{rating|3.5|5}}<ref>Masterfully crafted and shot through with outlaw energy. [May 2004, p.101]</ref>
| rev8 = ''[[Resident Advisor]]''
| rev8Score = {{rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite web |author=Pisces |url=https://www.residentadvisor.net/reviews/1809 |title=Crystal Method - Legion of Boom |publisher=[[Resident Advisor]] |accessdate=19 August 2019}}</ref>
| rev9 = ''[[Rolling Stone]]''
| rev9Score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/thecrystalmethod/albums/album/299516/review/5945580/legion_of_boom |title=Rolling Stone review |accessdate=2007-08-13 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071212131641/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/thecrystalmethod/albums/album/299516/review/5945580/legion_of_boom |archivedate=December 12, 2007 }}</ref>
| rev10 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
| rev10score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref name="Cross">{{cite book|last=Cross|first=Charles R.|author-link=Charles R. Cross|editor1-last=Brackett|editor1-first=Nathan|editor2-last=Hoard|editor2-first=Christian|title=[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide|The New Rolling Stone Album Guide]]|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|edition=4th|year=2004|isbn=0-7432-0169-8|chapter=The Crystal Method|pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/203 203]}}</ref>
| rev11 = ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]''
| rev11Score = 5/10<ref name=meta/>
}}
Upon release, ''Legion of Boom'' received mixed reviews from critics. The album has a score of 58 out of 100 from [[Metacritic]] based on "mixed or average reviews".<ref name=meta/> ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' gave it a mixed review and stated that "Too many tracks get bogged down with a straight-ahead progressive trance formula, where zoning out feels more suitable than attempting to move your feet. Still, because the good stuff is so darn good (and it is), it is easy to brush aside any missteps."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/bb/reviews/album_article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=2065749 |title=Billboard review |accessdate=2013-07-02 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20040110164119/http://www.billboard.com/bb/reviews/album_article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=2065749 |archivedate=January 10, 2004 }}</ref> ''[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]'' gave it three stars out of five and said it was "more like the soundtrack to a horror movie than a night of DJ breaks and body shakes."<ref name=meta/> [[Playlouder]] gave it two stars out of five and said the album "resembles nothing more than a U.S. major label executive's idea of what dance music should sound like."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.playlouder.com/review/%2Blegionofboom/ |title=Playlouder review |accessdate=2017-05-13 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20040529140352/http://www.playlouder.com/review/%2Blegionofboom/ |archivedate=May 29, 2004 }}</ref> ''[[URB (magazine)|URB]]'' also gave it two stars and said that the band "has become utterly irrelevant."<ref name=meta/> ''[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]'' gave it one-and-a-half stars out of five and stated: "The problem is not the lumbering, mid-tempo beats or the terrible lyrics (“Synthesizer, crystallizer, realizer”), although neither help. It's the sense that you've heard every synthesized squelch and ambient breakdown before."<ref name=meta/>
== Track listing ==
{{Track listing
| all_writing =
| total_length = 59:17
| title1 = Starting Over
| length1 = 4:01
| title2 = [[Born Too Slow]]
| length2 = 2:59
| title3 = True Grit
| length3 = 5:06
| title4 = The American Way
| length4 = 4:26
| title5 = I Know It's You
| length5 = 5:48
| title6 = Realizer
| length6 = 3:48
| title7 = Broken Glass
| length7 = 3:55
| title8 = Weapons of Mass Distortion
| length8 = 4:50
| title9 = Bound Too Long
| length9 = 6:23
| title10 = Acetone
| length10 = 5:15
| title11 = High and Low
| length11 = 5:23
| title12 = Wide Open
| length12 = 7:23
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = DVD-A bonus tracks
| all_writing =
| total_length =
| title13 = Born Too Slow (EK's Spider in the Corner Alt. Dub)
| length13 = 6:15
| title14 = Born Too Slow (Deepsky's Green Absinthe Dub)
| length14 = 8:20
}}
== Personnel ==
===The Crystal Method===
* Scott Kirkland – Producer, keyboards, drum programming (all tracks), vocals (through a [[vocoder]]) (track 5)
* Ken Jordan – Producer, keyboards (all tracks)
===Musicians===
* Robin Goodridge (Bush) – drums
* [[Rahzel]] – vocals (tracks 1, 4, and 10)
* [[John Garcia (singer)|John Garcia]] – vocals (track 2)
* [[Milla Jovovich]] – vocals (track 5)
* [[Lisa Kekaula]] – vocals (tracks 6 and 11)
* [[Hanifah Walidah]] – vocals (tracks 9 and 12)
* [[Wes Borland]] – guitar (tracks 2, 7, and 8)
* [[Jon Brion]] – guitar (track 6)
* [[DJ Swamp]] – turntables (track 4)
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
== External links ==
* {{Metacritic album}}
{{The Crystal Method}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:The Crystal Method albums]]
[[Category:2004 albums]]
[[Category:V2 Records albums]]
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