No, The Armed is still not such a normal band. Although the project with Tony Wolski now has an ofzial mouthpiece and also publishes lists of participants, you still don’t know exactly who or what is behind The Armed, what is lying, what is truth, and which of the countless self -presentations have a real core or just just staging. The irritation, the overwhelming, the media noise can be found in the music. Because it is also a beautiful radau on The Future is here and everything Needs to be Destroyed.
Recommendations of the editorial team
This time there are no spectacular new names, but above all old acquaintances such as singer Cara Drolshagen, Queens-of-the-Stone-Age-Age guitarist Troy van Leeuwen or the two producers Justin Meldal-Johnsen and Ben Chisholm. As usual, the spectrum ranges from extreme metal varieties such as Math or Thrash to surprisingly coherent punk rock in “I Steal What I Want”. But the immediately subsequent “Local Millionaire” is a prime example of the The Armed Prince: The song first follows the pattern of a threatening gothic rock song in order to suddenly turn into malignant noise sticks, to change its shape four and a half time and to move an alert will.
Or “HEATHEN”, which flashes electronically, but is then a lead-heavy industrial song with Dream-Pop chief. Wolski and his fellow campaigners hide the steadily mutating roar, between the apparently uncontrolled rhythms and tempos, under the whole shouting and sophisticated: also a social, media and consumer message. What exactly is it? Difficult to hear from the noise, but maybe there are no truths in the noise of life.
This review was first published in the MusikExpress 08/2025.