Lex Legion is a brand new band comprised of old friends with incredible heavy metal pedigree. Comprising of four-fifths of the classic late 1980s King Diamond line-up – drummer Mikkey Dee, guitarists Pete Blakk and Andy La Rocque, and bassist Hal Patino – the group is infused with the jaw-dropping vocals of Nils K. Rue (Pagan’s Mind). And let’s not overlook that their members also boast Motörhead, Scorpions, and Death on its collective resumes. 

Lex Legion’s eponymous debut album is a single-minded, future-facing throwback of world class hard rock/metal distinguished by tasteful, less-is-more arrangements, virtuoso musicianship, and relentless melody and harmony. 

“Lex Legion is totally written the way we thought in the ’80s,” said Mikkey Dee. “We wrote what we wanted, and if you liked it, that was a great bonus. If you didn’t like it, that was fine with us, too!” 

Lex Legion was formed by Blakk and Dee, and completed by Patino, alongside La Rocque (a King Diamond constant since 1985, who also played on Death’s seminal ‘Individual Thought Patterns’), and finally, Rue.

This is music for hard rock/metal fans, but also with a freshness and sense of excitement that only a debut album can capture. Lex Legion’s members find themselves more musically accomplished than ever before, but now free of the egos of youth; and with friendship that comes with careers spanning more than forty years. 

Despite their impressive resumes (Dee is also a Grammy winner and both La Rocque and Hal Patino are nominees) and busy individual schedules, Lex Legion is a serious passion project that’s been gestating for a quarter century, until the time was right. 

Lex Legion’s self-titled debut will be released by MNRK Music Group in June of 2026, with possible touring beginning the following year. And the band states its case within the first few seconds of its album opener and first single “Sleep Eternally,” which drops on March 31st. 

“It has elements of everything on the album,” said La Rocque. “The right tempo and the right kind of vocals, starting out like a fist in your face!” Rue’s soaring pipes and ominous harmonies are framed by Dee’s unmistakable powerhouse drumming, imaginative leads from both guitarists, Patino’s melodic basslines, and shifts of pace and tempo that will satiate fans of more progressive sub genres. 

The second track and follow-up single “Gypsy Tears” (which arrives in May) seals the deal – eerie, rapturous, otherworldly, propulsive and evocative, but also, straight-up driving, melodic metal. 

“This is totally unique. No one is writing this kind of music and there’s a big hole for us to fill,” Blakk concluded. “Welcome to our new journey of friendship and hard rock!”

LEX LEGION LINEUP: 

Nils K. Rue – vocals 
Pete Blakk – guitar 
Andy La Rocque – guitar 
Mikkey Dee – drums 
Hal Patino – bass 

‘LEX LEGION’ TRACK LISTING:

1) Sleep Eternally 3.56 
2) Gypsy Tears 3.57 
3) When The Stars Align 3.52 
4) (I Am) The Resurrected 4.27 
5) Lost Inside 3.33 
6) Dreams of Darkness 4.28 
7) Saviours 4.03 
8) Life Eternal 3.25 
9) Far Away 2.58

Sleep Eternally Music Video: https://youtu.be/8QhmkfLI1bA

Watch the  band members introduce themselves and talk about this exciting next chapter as Lex Legion:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4O6PzmCqJ4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDo8rONU2GY