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# And So Dear Friends, You Just Have to Carry On: An Interview with Karl Agell (Legions of Doom, ex-Corrosion of Conformity)
- URL: https://www.thisdayinmetal.com/and-so-dear-friends-you-just-have-to-carry-on-an-interview-with-karl-agell-legions-of-doom-ex-corrosion-of-conformity/
- Published: 2024-08-25T17:52:00.000Z
- Updated: 2024-11-05T17:55:44.000Z
- Author: Ed Hackimer
- Tags: Interviews, #interviews, Features, #features, Karl Agell, Corrosion of Conformity, Trouble, The Skull, Legions of Doom

When then-hardcore band **Corrosion of Conformity** was looking for a new lead singer in 1989, they placed an ad in the classified section of *The Village Voice*. It said the band wanted a vocalist who was a cross between **Ian Gillan** of **Deep Purple**, **H.R.** from **Bad Brains**, and **James Hetfield**. The man who responded to the ad, and ultimately won the job, was **Karl Agell**.

As **Karl** tells it, the band sent him three songs to work on prior to his audition. He came up with the vocal melody to *“Buried”* when he woke up one morning, nailed it in rehearsals, and the rest is history. **Corrosion of Conformity** would go on to record 1991’s *Blind* with him on the mic, and create a truly transitional and unique record that blended their hardcore roots with the **Deep Purple** and **Black Sabbath** influences all its members share.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/e2/dbe2ac7e-62ef-4b13-917a-63221a045127/content/images/2024/11/image-4.png)

The **Blind*\-era Corrosion of Conformity lineup in 1989, when Karl (center) joined the band.

On the back cover of that album, the band members are posed for a usual promotional photo. Drummer **Reed Mullin**, who tragically passed in 2020, is front and center, wearing a t-shirt from the genre-founding doom metal band **Trouble**. Nearly 30 years later, **Karl Agell** would find himself replacing and singing songs written by **Eric Wagner**, their iconic frontman, in a supergroup filled with important members of the early doom metal scene.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/e2/dbe2ac7e-62ef-4b13-917a-63221a045127/content/images/2024/11/image-5.png)

The back cover of **Blind;* Reed Mullin (center) rocking his Trouble longsleeve.

**Legions of Doom**, the aforementioned supergroup, traces its lineage back to the incarnation of **Trouble** in the 1980s. Their first two records, *Psalm 9* and *The Skull*, are revered as watershed records for doom metal. While they continued to put out records through the 1990s, ultimately, **Trouble** ceased to exist and morphed into T**he Skull** in 2012\. **Wagner**, bassist **Ron Holzner**, and drummer **Jeff Olson** remained from the original band. **The Skull** released two records and were working on a third when **Wagner** tragically passed away in 2021.

With the third **The Skull** record nearly 80% complete, the members of the group decided to complete the album with **Wagner’s** family’s blessing. This is when **Agell**, **Scott Reagers** and **Henry Vasquez** (both ex-Saint Vitus) joined the fold – forming the new group under the name **Legions of Doom,** who will release *The Skull 3* on September 13th through **Tee Pee Records**.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/e2/dbe2ac7e-62ef-4b13-917a-63221a045127/content/images/2024/11/image-6.png)

Present day Karl.

Ahead of the album’s release, I was able to speak with **Karl** about the formation of **Legions of Doom** and the process of taking **Wagner’s** work and bringing it to life after his death. We also talked about his time in **Corrosion of Conformity**, the inspiration behind the lyrics on *Blind*, and where the demo tapes of him singing the tracks to *Deliverance* are. Karl touches on what it was like to tour with **Iron Maiden**, **Testament**, and **Henry Rollins Band** as well, amongst a number of other topics.

You can view the entire interview **HERE**:

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The first single from *The Skull 3* is called *“All Good Things,”* which was written by **Wagner** and features **Agell** on lead vocals, contains the prophetic lyrics: “And so dear friends, you just have to carry on.” The members of **Legions of Doom** are doing just that – and honoring his legacy as a founding father of doom in the process. The B-side of the single, available [here](https://teepeerecords.com/products/legions-of-doom-all-good-things-7?ref=thisdayinmetal.com), fittingly features a cover of **Deep Purple’s** *“Into the Fire,”* a song that **Agell** recorded previously with **Reed Mullin**, his former bandmate, and **Ron Holzner**, his current bandmate, years ago before producing this updated version with **Legions of Doom.**

**Legions of Doom** have a number of tour dates coming up to support *The Skull 3*, including an appearance at **Desertfest NYC’s** pre-party at **The Meadows** on September 12th. Their sets consist of classic **Trouble**, **The Skull**, and *Blind*\-era **Corrosion of Conformity**, plus the eight songs from the new album. You can find ticket information about their upcoming **Desertfest** appearance [here](https://www.desertfestnewyork.com/information/ticketing/?ref=thisdayinmetal.com).

**Karl** is also involved in a number of other projects, including **Lie Heavy** and **Patriarchs in Black**. He says he is open to a reunion with his former bandmates from **Corrosion of Conformity** to commemorate *Blind*, and has no ill will from those days despite being unceremoniously and undeservingly asked to leave the band. Though we may never see that reunion, **Legions of Doom** plan to tour behind *The Skull 3* and record new music as a band, pushing the **Trouble** family tree into a third generation, while also paying tribute to those who came before them – listening to the eerily predictive words of their departed former frontman.