{"id":5181,"date":"2018-05-07T14:58:19","date_gmt":"2018-05-07T14:58:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.surrealresolution.com\/?p=5181"},"modified":"2018-05-07T14:58:19","modified_gmt":"2018-05-07T14:58:19","slug":"review-the-armed-only-love","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.surrealresolution.com\/index.php\/2018\/05\/07\/review-the-armed-only-love\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: The Armed &#8211; Only Love"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s difficult to know where to start when discussing the existence of The Armed. The Detroit experimental hardcore collective has been on the fringes of the scene since the beginning of the decade, breaking in slowly but surely by cranking out some of the best hardcore music you\u2019ve maybe never heard of until recently. In particular, their 2015 full-length album <em>Untitled<\/em> is a masterwork that holds up as one of the best records not just of that year, but very much of the decade, helping bolster the band\u2019s profile following coverage from some more high-profile publications like MetalSucks, which is how I first heard of the group in the first place. Now, 3 years and one live album later, the group is back with their latest studio album, <em>Only Love<\/em>. The Armed is well known for maintaining a sense of anonymity with their line-up, to the point where even with music videos and online band photos to consider, it\u2019s never exactly clear who is in the band at any given time or what they\u2019ll bring.<\/p>\n<p>That being said, here\u2019s what\u2019s known for sure. As with all their releases, <em>Only Love<\/em> is once again produced by Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou (whose production catalog speaks for itself), and there\u2019s a special guest drummer filling in as always. This time around, Converge\u2019s own skin-beater Ben Koller is taking up the kit (and if certain statements are to be believed, apparently he had to be tricked into doing so). Right from the start, the album makes it clear that this is a wild left turn from where <em>Untitled<\/em> was. The album opener \u201cWitness\u201d opens with a second of analog synths before the full band kicks in, with a massive flurry of aggressive drum fills and walls of buzzy atmospheric guitars swelling together to assault the listener in a manner similar to bands like Sannhet. The aggressive tendencies give way to more melancholic vibes with as the vocals switch from hardened screams to dreary moaning, culminating in a particularly somber closer. It\u2019s an incredible piece of work, all at once familiar and different from where they had been just a few years before.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"747\" height=\"421\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/R5n_1FNWvaE?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>It becomes clear right away that the synthesizers help play a key role in their new direction. The following track \u201cRole Models\u201d has a driving, stomping drum beat with the synths almost functioning as a replacement for the guitars, with the actual guitars being somewhat buried in the mix. The song is an energetic, emotionally cathartic rager, especially with its satisfying sing-along chorus of \u201cNo Ins, No Outs.\u201d This one will surely be a mainstay at live shows, and it even has the Tommy Wiseau seal of approval. \u201cNowhere To Be Found\u201d brings the tempo and volume down a bit as the synths and drums adopt a low-key chiptune vibe before swelling things back to maximum intensity, and \u201cParody Warning\u201d has a particularly frenetic pace and energy to it. The verses feature buzzing loud guitars\/synths that are chopped up and bounce back and forth between the left and right audio channels, creating a uniquely disorienting vibe as they mesh together with the vocals and breakneck drumming.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"747\" height=\"421\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/pdT1CxS7DEE?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>In addition to instrumental expansions, the vocal dynamic has been greatly expanded from past releases. While moaning spoken-word vocals have been present in their sound in bits and pieces, <em>Only Love<\/em> pushes them to the forefront with greater prominence. \u201cLuxury Themes\u201d is driven solely by this kind of moody sing, creating a post-punk vibe of sorts when paired against the stuttering, stomping 5\/4 drum beat and howling, echoing guitar melodies as it melts into the squealing guitars and furious blastbeats of the chorus. This helps drive the emotional poetic nature of the song\u2019s lyrics, even if they seem a bit abstract at times:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>When the answers surround you<br \/>\nWait until the present surrounds the grave<br \/>\nYou don&#8217;t feel so sad<br \/>\nWith wool covered eyes, what did we expect you to see?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cUltraglass\u201d also uses sung vocals amazingly well, as the alternating 6\/4 and 4\/4 grooves mix with the vocals and grungy guitar atmosphere in a manner that almost calls to mind mid-2000s Queens of the Stone Age, especially the moodier songs on <em>Era Vulgaris<\/em>. \u201cFortune\u2019s Daughter\u201d expands on the vocal dynamic further by include some particularly intense female vocals that play off of a saturated bass rhythm and disco-like drum beat, uttering frenetic lyrics such as:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Directionless toilet chatter<br \/>\nThirsty girls and dinner burns<br \/>\nAn ostrich in ankle cords<br \/>\nYou touch the stove and never learn<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The bridge in particular is a hugely heavy segment that has some ripping, buzzing synthesizers with loud shrieks from both the male and female vocals. The chorus maintains the pacing and tempo but is more hauntingly beautiful, with the straightforward instrumental melodies and clean vocals playing off the aggression of the verses:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>We&#8217;ll find a place<br \/>\nTake arms<br \/>\nIt&#8217;ll all blow over<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"747\" height=\"421\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/UiVH5y03dVY?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>Only Love<\/em> is easily the most emotional release The Armed has done to date, and a big part of that is the excellent production work from Kurt Ballou and how it expands the band\u2019s sound. While previous records focused on punchy guitars and sharply saturated drums, the sound of <em>Only Love<\/em> is more atmospheric, with the guitars having a buzzing-but-wispy quality to them, which helps aid in the album\u2019s more emotive qualities. The drum work is similarly produced with an aim towards a more atmospheric quality, reflecting a more dynamic vibe across the whole record. The shifts between melody and fierce hardcore energy are incredibly masterful, as the production knows how to carry these shifts and weave between them with ease, aiding the complex songwriting further and giving every single track on the record its own unique vibe.<\/p>\n<p>How a band manages to release two consecutive game-changing records in a row can be mystifying, but The Armed have done it. <em>Only Love<\/em> is a consistent spectacle of frantic rhythmic feats, hauntingly beautiful vocals and guitar melodies, and vibrant production all swirling together into an experimental hardcore masterpiece that feels like as much of a potent musical statement for this decade as Converge\u2019s <em>Jane Doe<\/em> was for the 2000s. If you\u2019ve been sleeping on the band up until now, you owe it to yourself to check out this record. <em>Only Love<\/em> is, simply put, a masterpiece.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em><br \/>\nFinal Verdict:\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><em>buy it. Don&#8217;t sleep on this album like everyone else sleeps on Carly Rae Jepsen.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Only Love is available from No Rest Until Ruin on vinyl, digital download, and streaming services. Check out The Armed on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/thearmed\">Facebook<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.twitter.com\/thearmed\">Twitter<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/thearmed.bandcamp.com\/\">Bandcamp<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s difficult to know where to start when discussing the existence of The Armed. The Detroit experimental hardcore collective has been on the \n<a class=\"moretag\" href=\"https:\/\/www.surrealresolution.com\/index.php\/2018\/05\/07\/review-the-armed-only-love\/\"> [...]<\/a>","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":5184,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"yasr_overall_rating":5,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"Product","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[12],"tags":[631,918,908,914,917,913,919,915,912,916],"class_list":["post-5181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music","tag-album-review","tag-converge","tag-experimental","tag-hardcore-punk","tag-luxury-themes","tag-only-love","tag-only-love-review","tag-role-models","tag-the-armed","tag-tommy-wiseau"],"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":false,"span_bottom":false},"number_of_votes":0,"sum_votes":0},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.surrealresolution.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/only-love-review-thumbnail.png?fit=1152%2C720&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8GYHU-1lz","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.surrealresolution.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5181","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.surrealresolution.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.surrealresolution.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.surrealresolution.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.surrealresolution.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5181"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.surrealresolution.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5181\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5183,"href":"https:\/\/www.surrealresolution.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5181\/revisions\/5183"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.surrealresolution.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5184"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.surrealresolution.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.surrealresolution.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5181"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.surrealresolution.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}