Armagedda - The Final War Approaches (2019)

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This re-issue of the Black Metal classic “The Final War Approaches”, showcases Armagedda and their raw sound that inspired legions of BM bands to this day. Originally released in 2002, this release has aged very well as we still get 20-30 albums a year that try to capture the grittiness of such old-school albums. Armagedda has long split-up, but this debut release is a testament to their contributions to the early days of Black Metal.

Opening with the intense “Deathminded”, we instantly get that old-school European Black Metal rawness with its intense riffing and hellish vocals. The signature punk-ish drumming on tracks like “Sign of Evil” and “Skogens mörka djup” keeps the songs tight and engaging. The songs in this release perfectly combine speed and all-out destruction with more moderate melodic passages, similar to bands like Satyricon and Enslaved (early days). Vintage songs like “Unholy Sacrifice” are the types of tracks that got us into BM back in the day, and are still effective in delivering the genre’s aggressive message.

Never decreasing in intensity and raw power, tracks like “Undergång” and “Död & pina”, remind us that for traditional old-school BM, there is no need for more than three musicians to craft an effective and powerful musical core. We enjoy these kinds of releases were the band sounds raw and powerful, but still clear enough to not pop your sound system speakers.

Closing with the buzzsaw riffs of “My Eternal Journey”, Armagedda signs off with ravaging style. For those of us that witnessed these underground releases come out in the early 2000’s, it feels great to be able to revisit them as a re-release. For those younger fans of the genre, this album serves you are a primer to the origins of many band’s these days, so it is definitely worth checking out… you might find many familiar elements with your favorite ‘new’ bands.

Bands: Armagedda Album: The Final War Approaches

Label: Nordvis Produktion

Release: March 29th, 2019 (Re-issue)

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Genre: Black Metal

Country: Sweden

Rating: 91/100
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