ARMAGEDDON ORCHESTRA
“Armageddon Orchestra”
Album Review by Iron Mathew

8/10

Armageddon Orchestra are a heavy metal band from Germany formed in 2021 releasing their self titled debut album in 2023…

…featuring a sound that draws heavily from a number of metal genres – doom, thrash and traditional heavy metal to be precise, ‘Armageddon Orchestra’ an eight song and forty eight minute, genre spanning wander of diversity, atmosphere and intrigue! Founded by ex Disörder band members Adam W. Eishaupt (guitar) and Lac Unator (bass), the line-up is completed by D.D. (drums), JoF (vocals) and Bad Bobo (guitar). Armageddon Orchestra hit hard with their debut, offering listeners a wide array of songs that just don’t comply with the usual rules of etiquette within metal genres – the albums opener ‘Alpha & Omega’ however, does follow the rules…

…the rules of old school, galloping heavy metal – the band planting their feet firmly on the monitor to adopt the classic “metal” pose! ‘Alpha & Omega’ is a rumbling head banger of a tune guaranteed to get the head rocking back and forth – and if doesn’t, are you deaf? Dead? Or suffering neck problems? None of the above! Then get those neck muscles moving for fuck’s sake, and show ‘Alpha & Omega’ (and Armageddon Orchestra) how to correctly appreciate a good metal song. And dropping a gear or two, the band stroll toward doom metal territory for ‘Warless’, the iconic buzzing guitar sound of the legendary NWOBHM rising high in the air. Armageddon Orchestra are fairly aggressive here too, pounding the ground hard with an immense amount of menace, nearby walls and buildings shaking violently!

And at over eight minutes in length, ‘Without’ is by far and away the longest song on offer, the album entering fully, doom metal territory, echoes of Black Sabbath heaviness coming to the fore. The level of menace felt on the previous song remains very much front and centre, Armageddon Orchestra delivering a weighty barrage of in your face, bold and brash heavy metal. The album rolls on with ‘1st Thought’, the band getting deeper and deeper into doom metal, the slower paced heavy stomp shuddering the ground! And with touches of alternative metal and Grunge too, ‘1st Thought’ is a multi genre meander with a vast backdrop! A backdrop that dips a toe in rock territory for ‘Die Laughing’, the band heavying things up pretty quickly though, but not quick enough to prevent rockers taking an interest in what Armageddon Orchestra have to offer.

And let’s be honest here, musically we’re a long way from the album opener ‘Alpha & Omega’s galloping fury, the band wandering around metal territory visiting a different corner with each song that passes by – ‘Heroes Of The Village’ maintaining that wander at the slowest and eeriest pace heard so far. There’s still detectable ‘Sabbath traits here though, along with a little thrash metal menace to bring thrashers aboard the Armageddon Orchestra juggernaut! A juggernaut that’s loaded to the hilt with an unbroken cascade of heavy metal, ‘Armageddon Orchestra’ marching on with ‘Unbroken’, showcasing a strong old school flavour replete with a classic sounding gallop. The energy level has spiked here, the band replicating the way the album began…

…by bringing the sound of traditional heavy metal to the fore! The band end the album with the instrumental ‘Eternal Summer’, spliced with excerpts from the American adult orientated animated MTV series Beavis And Butt-Head. I’m not really sure about the bands motivation for this one, maybe one of the band members really likes Beavis And Butt-Head – I know I did when it first aired during the nineties, the adventures and mis-haps of the titular teenage characters Beavis and Butt-Head were so fucking funny! And the fact they were both heavily into metal and rock constantly wearing a Metallica and AC/DC tee shirt respectively, made it all the more watchable.

Overall, a measured, carefully planned and executed jaunt across a varied metal terrain, ‘Armageddon Orchestra’ is an intriguing listen.

TRACKLIST

Alpha & Omega
Warless
Without
1^st Thought
Die Laughing
Heroes Of The Village
Unbroken
Eternal Summer (instrumental)

https://armageddon-orchestra.bandcamp.com/album/armageddon-orchestra

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