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Armageddon > Crossing the Rubicon > Reviews
Armageddon - Crossing the Rubicon

Cosmic Amott - 87%

OzzyApu, February 23rd, 2009

Armageddon, the pretty unknown melodic death / power metal band – wild child of Chris Amott. A band that has annihilates most of Arch Enemy’s library by this album alone. The cover art alone made me so hungry that I made myself a PB&J sandwich. Straight after this album, the band would completely go power metal on us, but even that was a damn good move.

Let’s see, the vocals are probably the worst thing about this debut, but even that’s hardly complaining. Nyrén sounds pissed off as hell, with a very clear scream / yell that doesn’t really aim to be a growl. Kind of like Liiva on Arch Enemy being a low yell; Nyrén is a high yell. The vocals are only on a few tracks, but you can understand most of what he’s saying and he definitely gives the album a unique sound. The drumming it ruthless, thanks to Wildoer doing what he does best. He’s intense, calm, rhythmic, and epic, all on the same album! Not only that, but they sound damn clear and crisp thanks to the quality production job. The bass fits well into the tracks as a background tool, giving the album more power and life. Nothing to fancy, but what do you expect, technical death?

The guitar work, dear lord, is where this album makes biting into this sandwich so damn tasty. They’re very Maiden-like, but that’s the par for Amott’s job. He’s fast, expressive, melodic, crunchy, and thrashy at that. No matter what, the solos will are the epitome of melodic death metal, making historical tracks out of “The Juggernaut Divine” (almost a whopping two minute solo), “Astral Adventure” (over a whopping two minute solo and my favorite track), “Faithless,” and “Into The Sun.”

Then we get the more unorthodox and instrumental tracks, which make this album that much more unique. “2022” is merely an intro to “Godforsaken” (a powerful one at that), while “Funeral In Space” is an oriental melody that sounds like it’s coming off of an epic Asian movie soundtrack (or some anime show, whichever sounds better). “Galaxies Away” is definitely the oddest one, with nothing but tribal drumming and impressive solo back up from Wildoer. An unusual track for a melodic death album, but somehow fitting for the theme. “Children Of The Sun” merely opens up for the following track, so you can count it as one grand closer. Can’t say much about the bonus track, since I haven’t heard it, but I can bet my money’s worth that it’s just as good as the original.