Saviour Machine next turned to the "Legend" trilogy. "Legend" was advertised as "the unofficial soundtrack to the end of the world" in promotional materials owing to its study of end-time Biblical prophecy. The "Legend" trilogy comprises four full-length CDs totaling more than five hours of music. "Legend I" and "Legend II" were released in 1997 and 1998, respectively. The studio composition of the band stayed the same through "Legend II" after which Jeff Clayton and Jayson Heart left the band. "" was released in 2001. The long-awaited final disc, "Legend III:II", was scheduled to be released July 7, 2007. "Legend" parts "I" through "III:I" were released by MCM Music and Massacre Records; however, "Legend III:II" was released independently. On May 27, 2007, Eric Clayton released a statement on the Saviour Machine MySpace blog saying that, due to health problems, he would not be able to finish "Legend III:II" in time to make the July 7 release date. He released samples of rough mixes of each song on "Legend III:II" on SeventhCircle.net throughout July.