ARMORY
Echoes of the Astrolith LP BLACK

Like a meteor plunging through outer space with one target in mind – Planet Earth – Gothenburg’s ARMORY have been launching alien speed metal invasions across the globe since 2012. The fiery stars of Judas Priest, Agent Steel, and Slayer have been their guiding light, but ARMORY have magickally managed to make manifest their own unique, vast world across three albums and last year’s Black Star EP.

That EP, while still within the orbit of their characteristic sound, kicked things into overdrive – but with the imminent release of their fourth album, Echoes of the Astrolith, ARMORY truly kick things into an even higher gear. Fans will recognize the arrival of new turbo-laser vocalist C. Rostoff, who immediately makes his presence known. His dynamic & daring pipes rocket all across space here, narrating the dread tales of the album’s nine primary tracks (“Omens” is a suitably titled instrumental). But more than Rostoff’s vocal performance, arguably, the biggest change in ARMORY’s cosmic armory is a decidedly darker, heavier, and perhaps even eviler sound: speed metal, yes, but more blitzing, barraging, and RELENTLESS than ever. Indeed, with song structures touching the technical and the players utterly locked-in, Echoes of the Astrolith seemingly zooms from one end of the starry void to the other with obscene zeal. To call this record a “speed metal U.F.O.” would not be inaccurate. Enter ARMORY’s menacing, pitch-black parallel universe only if you dare!