There are some interviews that hit differently before you even press record.
Sitting down with Andy La Rocque was absolutely one of those moments for me.
For so many of us, Andy’s guitar work is woven deep into the DNA of King Diamond. Those riffs. Those solos. That atmosphere. That unmistakable melodic darkness that can turn a heavy metal song into something theatrical, haunting and timeless.
But this chat was not just about looking back.
The big focus was Lex Legion, a brand new band with a serious heavy metal pedigree, bringing together Andy La Rocque, Mikkey Dee, Pete Blakk, Hal Patino and Nils K. Rue. On paper, that line up alone is enough to make fans stop and pay attention. Four fifths of that classic late 1980s King Diamond line up, with Nils from Pagan’s Mind bringing in those jaw dropping vocals, is a massive thing.
But the thing I loved hearing from Andy was that Lex Legion was never meant to be a nostalgia project.
This is not leftover King Diamond material. It is not a Motörhead style throwback. It is old friends with decades of history, trust and experience coming together to make something fresh.
The self titled Lex Legion debut album arrives June 12 through MNRK Music Group, with the first single Sleep Eternally out now and Gypsy Tears coming as the next taste of the album.
When I asked Andy when Lex Legion started feeling like a real band rather than just a cool idea between old friends, he took it right back to 2008.
“It all started back in 2008 when me and Pete got together in my studio,” Andy told me. “We started to work on some riffs and songs and stuff like that, for a few sessions. And then nothing really happened with that. We just kept in touch and I was busy with things and everyone else was busy with things.”
The spark would eventually return during the pandemic years, when Pete Blakk started writing again and played some material to Mikkey Dee.
“Mikkey was like, ‘Yeah, this is really good, man. I want to be a part of this. I want to be involved in this,’” Andy said.
From there, Mikkey reached out to Andy. What I found really cool was that Andy did not even need to hear the songs first to know the chemistry would be there.
“Me and Pete work well in the studio,” Andy said. “We know exactly what to do and we get along cool. I didn’t even hear Pete’s songs. I knew it was going to be good.”
Hal Patino soon came into the picture as well, and the band began writing and searching for the right direction. That was a really important part of the conversation for me, because with a line up like this, people are naturally going to bring their own expectations.
Andy made it clear that Lex Legion had to become its own thing.
“After a few songs, we kind of went, ‘Wow, this is it. This is how it should sound. This is the way we should do it,’” Andy said. “Not some leftover King Diamond stuff or Motörhead songs. This is completely new, written new songs and with your unique style. Just trying to be a new fresh thing.”
That is the heart of Lex Legion right there.
Yes, the history is huge. Yes, the names carry weight. But the band sounds like it wanted to earn its own place rather than just lean on what everyone has already done.
Once the first couple of songs came together, Mikkey sent them to MNRK, and the response was immediate.
“They were totally freaking out from the first two songs we had,” Andy said. “They said, ‘Doesn’t matter how long this takes, we want this.’”
The album was finished in late 2025, with Sleep Eternally landing as the first single. When I asked Andy about that track coming out swinging as the first statement, he explained that the choice came from the label, and the band trusted them with it.
“They thought Sleep Eternally should be the first one, and then Gypsy Tears will be the next one,” Andy said. “I think all the songs on the album are good. Different, but still equally good.”
I have been lucky enough to hear Gypsy Tears already, and it is a killer second single choice. It shows another side of the band while still keeping that heavy metal punch.
Andy was careful not to call it laid back, because as he put it, “nothing is really laid back with this project,” but he did describe it as having a cool, groovy 80s kind of feel.
“You will definitely hear some really cool 80s influences in the riffs and the melodies and everything that’s going on,” he said. “It still has some great melodic elements in it, some crazy stuff of course too. Even though we try to keep it a little more accessible than we maybe did back in the late 80s. It’s a little more like a good flow of things.”
That is one of the things that stood out to me with the whole album. It has that classic hard rock and heavy metal spirit running through it, but it is not trying to sound like a museum piece.
Andy said that late 70s and 80s influence is simply part of who they are as players.
“When we write music, we’re totally influenced by the 80s and the late 70s, because that’s our school,” he said. “That’s how we write music. That’s how we play. So you will hear that.”
But once the band found the right direction, everything started flowing.
“In the beginning we tried a few different paths, but once we found that, it was laid out. It was way faster to write riffs and songs,” Andy said. “We try to make our own thing and not be a clone or a copy of anything that we have done before. That is really important.”
Bringing in Nils K. Rue was another huge piece of the puzzle.
Andy had worked with Nils before in X World/5, and Nils had actually told him years earlier that if Andy, Pete, Mikkey and Hal ever worked together again, he would love to be part of it.
When Andy sent Mikkey some Pagan’s Mind links, the reaction was instant.
“Mikkey was like, ‘Wow, this is the guy. He’s amazing,’” Andy said.
And I really loved this part of the conversation, because the band did not bring Nils in to copy anyone or live in anyone else’s shadow. They wanted him to bring himself into Lex Legion.
“Something we told him from the start was, don’t try to be someone else,” Andy said. “We want you to be you, because that’s what you’re best at. That combination of all five of us in the band doing what we’re best at, that’s what makes Lex Legion.”
That really sums up why this line up works. It is not about one person trying to recreate something from the past. It is five players bringing what they do best into one new band.
The writing and recording process was also interesting. Andy and Pete would work together in the studio, building riffs and ideas, while Mikkey helped arrange parts and bring songs into shape. Nils and Hal recorded from their own spaces, sending parts back and staying involved in the process.
“Everyone is equally involved in the songwriting, which I think is really cool,” Andy said.
The album flow is something I wanted to ask about too, because as someone who still loves sitting with a full album from start to finish, this one really does feel sequenced with care.
Andy said the track order was Mikkey’s suggestion, with the band knowing early that the opening track had to come in hard. Andy also wanted the final instrumental Far Away to close the record.
“That’s the only song that originates from the 2008 sessions,” Andy revealed.
For Andy, the album’s length and flow are a big part of why it works.
“It goes from fist in the face in the very beginning, to some melodic stuff in the middle, and then back to a unique kind of ending of the whole album,” he said. “It’s a pretty intense album, so I think the length of the whole thing is perfect. It’s under 40 minutes, which I think is perfect for an album.”
Of course, any conversation with Andy La Rocque is always going to come back to melody.
That is one of the things I have always loved about his playing. Whether the music is dark, aggressive, theatrical or heavy as hell, his solos still sing. They do not just flash past you. They stay with you.
When I asked Andy what makes a solo memorable now, he did not hesitate.
“Melody is the key,” he said.
He talked about the 80s being a time where speed often became a competition, but for him, that is not what gives a solo its life.
“I usually start out with the melody in the solo because I think the solo should be a song within the song,” Andy said. “Of course you can combine that with some fast runs to make it interesting too, but it should be something that you remember after the solo is finished. Something you can actually hum.”
That line says so much about Andy as a player.
A solo should be a song within the song.
That is why his playing has stayed with so many of us for so long. It is not just about technique. It is about feel, phrasing, melody and giving the song something that lasts.
Lex Legion arrives with a mountain of history behind it, but what came through most clearly in this interview was that Andy is excited about what this band is becoming now.
The debut album hits June 12 through MNRK Music Group, Sleep Eternally is out now, and Gypsy Tears is up next.
For fans of classic heavy metal, hard rock, huge vocals, ripping guitar work and songs that still understand the power of melody, Lex Legion is one to have locked in.
As Andy put it:
“We wanted it to be unique and something special.”
Album: Lex Legion
Release Date: June 12, 2026
Label: MNRK Music Group
Lex Legion Official: https://lexlegionofficial.com/
Line Up:
Nils K. Rue, vocals
Pete Blakk, guitar
Andy La Rocque, guitar
Mikkey Dee, drums
Hal Patino, bass
