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The Final War Approaching (2001)
The Final War Approaching is the first full-length album from Sweden's Armagedda, released in 2001 through Breath of Night Records. To just come out and state the obvious, this band is one of the countless Darkthrone clones that sprang up around the end of the last century. The influence of Transilvanian Hunger is obvious in the raw production and general approach. With this in mind, the album is inconsistent and rarely comes close to what it is trying to emulate.
The production is raw, with the drumming too loud and the vocals also too high in the mix. A few of the songs sound as if they were not recorded during the same session, which breaks whatever continuity the album had going for it. The overall sound has a rather amateurish quality. The vocals in particular are difficult to take seriously, coming off strained and, at times, almost comical.
There are a few decent ideas here. The first track, "Deathminded", features a handful of nice riffs, but it comes off as trying too hard to recreate the past and drags a bit. Even the shorter songs feel longer than they are, as the arrangements are not all that engaging. "Skogens mörka djup" is one of the exceptions, where the slower, mournful pace works better than the rest of the material.
The musicianship is solid enough. The drumming shows an understanding of minimalist playing and rarely goes overboard with unnecessary fills. The weaknesses are mostly apparent when the songs slow down. The same is true for the guitar playing, which only comes off as sloppy during the slower parts. When things are moving at a fast tempo, everything sounds as it should.
Overall, there is competence here, but little that separates it from the large number of bands operating in the same style at the time. They would have done better to work on the material longer, getting rid of weaker riffs and putting more effort into developing their own identity instead of trying so hard to pick up where Darkthrone left off. The album is decent for what it is, but it could have used a lot of improvement.
The production is raw, with the drumming too loud and the vocals also too high in the mix. A few of the songs sound as if they were not recorded during the same session, which breaks whatever continuity the album had going for it. The overall sound has a rather amateurish quality. The vocals in particular are difficult to take seriously, coming off strained and, at times, almost comical.
There are a few decent ideas here. The first track, "Deathminded", features a handful of nice riffs, but it comes off as trying too hard to recreate the past and drags a bit. Even the shorter songs feel longer than they are, as the arrangements are not all that engaging. "Skogens mörka djup" is one of the exceptions, where the slower, mournful pace works better than the rest of the material.
The musicianship is solid enough. The drumming shows an understanding of minimalist playing and rarely goes overboard with unnecessary fills. The weaknesses are mostly apparent when the songs slow down. The same is true for the guitar playing, which only comes off as sloppy during the slower parts. When things are moving at a fast tempo, everything sounds as it should.
Overall, there is competence here, but little that separates it from the large number of bands operating in the same style at the time. They would have done better to work on the material longer, getting rid of weaker riffs and putting more effort into developing their own identity instead of trying so hard to pick up where Darkthrone left off. The album is decent for what it is, but it could have used a lot of improvement.
(12 Sept. 2011)
Only True Believers (2003)
Released in January 2003, Only True Believers is the second full-length from Sweden's Armagedda. After a rather inconsistent and flawed debut, these guys seemed to learn from their mistakes and show considerable improvement here.
The songwriting is more concise and less derivative. Of course, the influences are still apparent, but the sense of outright plagiarism is absent this time around. The playing is tighter and the overall feeling is that Armagedda is a serious band rather than children imitating their idols. As well, one can get a sense that Graav has finally come into his own as a vocalist. It is not totally different from his sound on The Final War Approaching, but it comes off as less comical and it no longer feels that he is trying too hard to sound evil.
The production is a lot stronger, not overdone in the slightest, but more full and possessing more of a punch. Somehow, it is more reminiscent of Darkthrone's A Blaze in the Northern Sky, whereas its predecessor was going for the more necro sound of Transilvanian Hunger. That said, the modern recording techniques place this firmly in the 21st century no matter how badly it tries to turn back the clock.
While the album is solid for the most part, three songs stand out more than the rest. “Emperor from the Eternal Dark” opens with an almost upbeat rhythm before an eerie tone creeps in, slowly corrupting the sounds. The main tremolo riff, backed by Hor’s skilled drumming, changes enough to stay engaging. A brief, morbid lead solo adds to the atmosphere. The song never fully descends into darkness but offers a glimpse of those horrors. It’s fast-paced and straightforward yet compelling.
“Poetry from a Poisoned Mind” might be the album’s best track. It bursts out at full speed with wicked vocals and unsettling riffs, clearly surpassing anything from their debut. The middle section shines, with eerie riffs and ghastly vocals creating a morbid atmosphere black metal should aim for. A mournful tremolo riff follows, black as night. Every element guitars, drums, vocals blends into a bleak vision of misery and death, feeding a dark urge beneath the empty night sky.
“Endless Fields of Sorrow” closes the album with slow, sorrowful riffs that recall early Darkthrone, Burzum, and old Mütiilation. Its droning, depressive atmosphere persists despite faster moments. Like filthy rats, these sounds lure us from shadowed dwellings toward the endless graveyard atop hell’s mouth. Epic melodies make this track stand out, draining the listener’s life as the album fades.
While their influences are still easily detected, the band did something very important that they failed to do the first time around: they infused their tribute with a few original ideas and ended up with a much more impressive record for their efforts. Only True Believers is not a classic, but it a decent album that is worth checking out. Unfortunately, they completely lost their way with the next one and polluted the scene with an uninspired, sloppy mess that wasted all the momentum they had. Consider the band dead after this point.
The songwriting is more concise and less derivative. Of course, the influences are still apparent, but the sense of outright plagiarism is absent this time around. The playing is tighter and the overall feeling is that Armagedda is a serious band rather than children imitating their idols. As well, one can get a sense that Graav has finally come into his own as a vocalist. It is not totally different from his sound on The Final War Approaching, but it comes off as less comical and it no longer feels that he is trying too hard to sound evil.
The production is a lot stronger, not overdone in the slightest, but more full and possessing more of a punch. Somehow, it is more reminiscent of Darkthrone's A Blaze in the Northern Sky, whereas its predecessor was going for the more necro sound of Transilvanian Hunger. That said, the modern recording techniques place this firmly in the 21st century no matter how badly it tries to turn back the clock.
While the album is solid for the most part, three songs stand out more than the rest. “Emperor from the Eternal Dark” opens with an almost upbeat rhythm before an eerie tone creeps in, slowly corrupting the sounds. The main tremolo riff, backed by Hor’s skilled drumming, changes enough to stay engaging. A brief, morbid lead solo adds to the atmosphere. The song never fully descends into darkness but offers a glimpse of those horrors. It’s fast-paced and straightforward yet compelling.
“Poetry from a Poisoned Mind” might be the album’s best track. It bursts out at full speed with wicked vocals and unsettling riffs, clearly surpassing anything from their debut. The middle section shines, with eerie riffs and ghastly vocals creating a morbid atmosphere black metal should aim for. A mournful tremolo riff follows, black as night. Every element guitars, drums, vocals blends into a bleak vision of misery and death, feeding a dark urge beneath the empty night sky.
“Endless Fields of Sorrow” closes the album with slow, sorrowful riffs that recall early Darkthrone, Burzum, and old Mütiilation. Its droning, depressive atmosphere persists despite faster moments. Like filthy rats, these sounds lure us from shadowed dwellings toward the endless graveyard atop hell’s mouth. Epic melodies make this track stand out, draining the listener’s life as the album fades.
While their influences are still easily detected, the band did something very important that they failed to do the first time around: they infused their tribute with a few original ideas and ended up with a much more impressive record for their efforts. Only True Believers is not a classic, but it a decent album that is worth checking out. Unfortunately, they completely lost their way with the next one and polluted the scene with an uninspired, sloppy mess that wasted all the momentum they had. Consider the band dead after this point.
(13 Sept. 2011)
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