A fairly new troop emerge on Metal Blade but further examination of this alleged “one of the most rumored bands in underground metal,” as the record label would like you to believe, proves that there is some experience at command central. For a start the group were founded by Cataract’s Simon Füllemann in 2006 and he spent 3 years writing three dozen songs before getting Ché Snelting, previous founding member of Born From Pain out of retirement and recruiting him to their ranks. The question being, are they just more cannon fodder on the wasteland of metallic hardcore?
Well yes and no. Although they are not particularly bringing anything new to the battlefield, these 13 songs are competently executed and an enjoyable enough way to spend a brief 36 minutes listening to. Ché had already proved himself as great front-man in BFP before his sudden departure and had done a good enough job to make me sit up and take notice in a genre I am, at best, indifferent about. On the very first listen to this album I was nodding my head and rocking around to the solid groove-heavy numbers and when it went out and was unclaimed on the reviews list I was more than happy to pick it up for myself.
A nice, lone doom-laden guitar chord sets up atmosphere on brooding intro ‘Antagonist’ and like a mortar shell hitting, ‘The Rise And Fall’ explodes in on the back of a massive vocal roar. A good production and solid riffing backbone are instantly noted as the twin guitarists build up a rampant melody. Vocally there are hard angry parts and anthem etched backing croons at play and this literally bombs along at a fair old whack. One song finishes, the next begins; there is no time for slacking, no prisoners are taken and the field of war is a bloody one. ‘Losing Hope’ has an uncoiling boinging guitar loop flexing its muscles and giving this song some identity and there are little nuances to pick out on the album as you go along, keeping you on your toes. There’s some pit monsters littered around just waiting to cause carnage. The solid chug of ‘Depopulation’ is one for banging heads to before bursting into life with limb-flailing, bruising determination. One of those unexpected parts is a symphonic segment coming into play on ‘New Saviour;’ it’s hard to describe unless you hear it yourself but just in case it’s a step too far from the norm the bustling heavy plough of next song ‘Generation Doom’ is there taking us back to basics.
So all in all a very solid debut and one that clearly illustrates the time and passion that’s been put into it. If you like Hatebreed, BFP and Pro-Pain, this will deliver the shit as well as add a few ideas and elements of its own.
http://www.myspace.com/armagathas
