I couldn't help laughing at some of the other reviews of this album. Some people completely hated this album, then others spoke like this was the greatest album in the history of recorded music. Those extreme reviews, you have to take with a grain of salt; especially when the reviews with harsh vitriolic hatred are filled with numerous spelling and gramatical errors.

Anyone who is already a fan of TCM will tell you that "Vegas" is the best TCM album. It's a classic, and their new one doesn't come close to matching that level of greatness. That doesn't mean I don't like it, mind you; I do! I personally rank their albums the same way that they've been released - "Vegas" #1, "Tweekend" #2 and "Legion Of Boom" #3 (we're not going to talk about "Community Service"). "Tweekend" ranks higher in my book because there were individual songs that were stronger; "Name Of The Game", "You Know It's Hard" and especially "Roll It Up."

This album kicks off with "Starting Over", and then it kinda levels off after that. No stand out tracks like "High Roller" or "Trip Like I Do." Not to say that there's anything disappointing about this album; it's just pretty much what you expect from the group. They don't really bring anything new or fresh to the table this time around.

Maybe I'll enjoy this album more after I see them perform these songs live (like I did with "Tweekend"). But for now, it's a consistent, good album and I'm glad I have it. I just wasn't blown away by it.

This was my first Crystal Method album and I was a little concerned because I read that it didn't compare to the previous ones. Not true in my opinion. I subsequently purchased Tweekend but I think Legion of Boom is better. Worth a purchase thats for sure.

I am not a big Techno fan , nor do I claim to be. However I really do enjoy this disc. I know that for some of my friends that are really into the scene, this album was seen as only average, and I think I know why. It is accessible. The large amount of guitar work, the lack of strange sound effects and some actual singers make this album much more for a rock fan like myself. My review can be somed up like this. I don't worship this album, but I must say that it is something significant when a die hard rock and roll fan like myslef feels the desire again and again to put this album in. I enjoy it and I think most people will feel the same way.

Admission: I'm a huge Crystal Method fan, having collected all their albums and a large number of the remixes that have been done to their songs, in addition to the numerous remixes and collaborations they've done for and with other groups.

What made their "Vegas" debut so amazing was the freshness, the excitement, the feeling that we were experiencing something brand new in the world of music. Not just 'electronic' music, either - no, this was something that transcended genres, unlike so many of CM's electronic predecessors. Their follow-up effort - Tweekend - showed an evolution in style while continuing to maintain their trademark sound. The addition of guest vocalists worked really well, and Tweekend stood on its own rights.

"Legion of Boom" continues to showcase their evolving sound and contains a selection of great songs, along with a few clunkers. Their overall sound on this release is more subdued and refined than in previous efforts.

"Starting Over" is pure Method, with the driving beat and semi-obscured vocal sample. Good stuff. "Born Too Slow," featuring John Garcia of (former) Kyuss fame lending his voice to the track, is a rocking bit of music that I SHOULD have enjoyed, but I didn't. I never did like Kyuss, and the lead singer is the reason. Ah well - seems a lot of other folks think this is a good track, so maybe you'll like it more than I did. "True Grit" is an example of their more subdued songwriting techniques. Again, it's a good, subtle sort of track.

Then we reach "American Way" and "I Know It's You," which is by far the high point of the CD. I'm not a rap fan at all, but with Rahzel I can make an exception. On "American Way" he adds a well-done rap line, along with a few of his legendary "human beat box" sound effects, all of which complement the thudding beat. Milla Jovovich lends some artfully-done vocals to "I Know It's You," which, when paired with the progressive beat and pure evil vocal dubs, adds up to the best track on the CD.

From there, it's a mixed bag. "Realizer" is good, but it suffers from an almost boring beat, and I skip it sometimes. "Broken Glass," "Weapons of Mass Distortion," and "Bound Too Long" are pretty dull and monotonous, and I fast-forward past them ALL the time. But, for the final 3 tracks, it gets a bit better, with "Wide Open" finishing things up on a meditative, contemplative note. The spoken-word vocals on "Wide Open" add a nice accent to the looping music, even if the words being spoken are less than inspired ("I have been informed... that it's wide open" - repeat, repeat, repeat).

If you're a Crystal Method fan, you'll find much to like on this release. You won't find any real ground-breaking tracks, and you're liable to regularly skip a few of the lame tracks as you listen to the CD, but overall it's a good addition to the CM catalogue, and worth a listen.

The third studio album from The Crystal Method, LEGION OF BOOM, combines the spacey, ethereal techno of their 1997 debut, VEGAS, with the hard rock aesthetic of its 2001 follow-up, TWEEKEND, and adds a healthy dose of hip-hop to the mix, with mind-blowing results. Electronic music rarely gets this good. Like TWEEKEND, LEGION features a high-profile hard rock/heavy metal guitarist. This time, they've traded Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine/Audioslave) for former Limp Bizkit axeman Wes Borland. Borland complements TCM well; his swamp-rock riffs are superb on "Born Too Slow" (the obvious choice for the first single), and his other contributions (the metalesque "Broken Glass" and "Weapons of Mass Distortion") are just as entertaining. However, the most jaw-dropping collaborations are with MC/beatbox Rahzel (of the Roots). I always knew that Rahzel was a gifted beatbox, but when his considerable talents are enhanced by The Crystal Method's technological ability, the results ("Starting Over," "Acetone") are simply stunning. This isn't just dance music; this is art, and it's the first must-buy (as opposed to download and burn) album of 2004.