Uncompromising sludge juggernaut
Armed for Apocalypse have announced that their third album,
Ritual Violence, is set for release on October 7 via
Candlelight Records.
Serving as a punishingly heavy taster for the new album, the band has released first single “Full of Phlegm,” a blistering track that embodies the feeling of guilt and shame brought on by the decisions we make when we are in an intoxicated state.
Listen to the song + pre-save the album here.
“Ritual Violence was written in a time where everything seemed to be hopeless,” the band says. “A lot of the songs on the album revolve around an overall theme of being stuck in an inescapable self destructive rabbit hole, and the struggle to break free of those habits.”
Ritual Violence, which sees the band at its most aggressive and unrelenting, is both a product and expression of their never-die attitude. It’s the album Armed for Apocalypse always wanted to make, with the engineer they wanted to make it with — Kurt Ballou of God City (Converge, High On Fire, Every Time I Die) — and the label they wanted to partner with — Candlelight Records. Featuring guest appearances from Andreas Kisser (Sepultura) on track “Foredoomed” and Trevor Phipps (Unearth) on “Suffer for a Living,” it is Armed for Apocalypse refined to its purest form: 0 percent frills, 100 percent heavy riffs.
Forming in California in the aughts, Armed for Apocalypse quickly released 2009’s Defeat (Ironclad Recordings). That’s where they laid out their mission statement: we are going to tune low, play riffs, and make heavy metal that makes you bang your fucking head. Real amps turned up, real drums hit hard, no bullshit. 2013’s The Road Will End (Ironclad) complicated their thesis, the band experimenting with new structures and incorporating a broader sonic palette. But member changes and new life directions led to a challenging five years before their next release, 2018’s Palm Reader EP. Now, in 2022, they return more focused than ever with their most potent and unwavering album to date. Ritual Violence is 11 tracks of bludgeoning skullfuckery; a record from a band who are confident in who they are, and what they want to do. And who won’t let anything get in the way of that. Not the years. Not the heartache. Not an industry that devalues its creators. Nothing.
Armed for Apocalypse has never done it the easy way. But on this latest record is a statement and a promise: They will do it their way.
ARMED FOR APOCALYPSE ARE:
Nate Burman — Vocals + Guitar
Cayle Hunter — Guitar
Charlie Fischer — Bass
Nick Harris — Drums
