Armed For Apocalypse

Armed for Apocalypse are the type of band that don't easily fit into one category; their mix of slow and sludgy, furious pace and metal riffs constantly contradict each other throughout this album. Although Defeat does mainly come across as stoner metal, it's the times when AFA go outside of their boundaries that they're at their most visceral. "Fists of God" is their claim to pounding two-step hardcore with a ton of fist slamming rhythms. Meanwhile, "A Failure" is the haste-riddled anthem of the album, marbled with sharp guitar riffs and scathing, slow bass lines. The band's conglomeration of sounds and styles is found throughout Defeat. Tracks like "Hero Complex," "Torch Light Search For The Dead" and "A Collapse" are all chunky, heavy, groove-infested tracks. Defeat is a strong culmination of heavy music styles that has its moments of greatness followed by a lack of structure; this album shows a lot of promise for a band that just need a little more focus. But this isn't the soundtrack for the end of days, yet.