Armed For Apocalypse is a Sludge Metal Band from Chico, California, USA
The members are
Kirk Williams - guitar, vocals
Cayle Hunter - guitar, vocals
Corey Vaspra - bass, vocals
Nick Harris - drums, charisma
ARMED FOR APOCALYPSE - THE ROAD WILL END
I was batshit head over heels for the first AforA record. I had a full on fling with that thing. Then not much was heard for a while, until recently when the Boss casually asked me if I wanted to review 'The Road Will End'.
He has no hand left. I bit that sonofabitch off.
It's business as usual in camp Apocalypse. They have this knack for churning out giant, low-end, throbbing sludge noise like very few others can. It still sounds like a herd of dying Mammoths learnt how to use amps to relate their grievances with the world that failed them. True story.
We begin with the terrifically monickered 'The Starting Line Is A Trip Wire'. It ploughs into existence like a truck through a wall, pounding and galloping and not giving even the slightest of a single fuck. This track is IMMENSE, fast and slow, but with the constant of always being completely crushing. As far as statements of intent go, there is little comparison. Put a seatbelt on.
'The Well' made my insides dissolve. It's drenched in bile and is heavy enough to break your spine at 50 feet. Morose and slow, the way to go. The drone on the riffage here is positively backwards. It almost goes in reverse. MY EARS ARE BLEEDING AND I DON'T CARE. I'm shouting because of the volume. Sorry about that.
'Built To Kill' harnesses sheer brute force, crams it into a blender and then forces it down your throat. The vocals are drowning in vitriol. The drums crash down like tactical nukes. Ahab could spend his life hunting the bass, and they just will not stop with them endtime riffs. This might just be the sound of the Horsemen coming over the hill. And that bit at the end is not a breakdown, it's an actual molestation of sound. Un-fucking-real.
'Worth The Weight' will fuck you up, son. I'm not even kidding. This album is ridiculously heavy. I'm pretty sure mortal men weren't supposed to hear this. Maybe the illuminati leaked it by accident, before they were ready to ignite the apocalypse. My brain can't handle it. It's dribbling out of my gaping mouth.
I cannot stress enough just how essential 'The Road Will End' really is. Possibly the outright most aggressive and just plain overwhelmingly pig-headedly heavy release of the year. It has one setting, and that setting is DESTROY. this is actually better than 'Defeat', and that was incredible. They've progressed to a point of pure weight and hatred. And I love them for it. Grab this the moment it becomes available in your area, and wave goodbye to your sanity with a smile on your face.
Written By Matt Fitton
Thanks to Darren and Candlelight Records for sending us a promo copy to review. Much appreciated.
The Road Will End will be available from July 25th 2013 on Candlelight Records
Check The Band From The Links Below.
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