FOR FANS OF: Converge, Harm’s Way, Nine Inch Nails, The Blood Brothers
FROM: Detroit, USA
RELEASE: Untitled (album, No Rest Until Ruin. Out now)
TOUR: Working on UK dates, but “it’ll be on our terms, so it takes a little longer”.
Detroit has a knack of producing bands a decade too soon. Just as The Stooges, MC5 and Death were punk before punk had a name, The Armed are a future hardcore doesn’t even know it needs.
They may number four in their latest photo, but with a revolving door policy on collaborators, don’t assume that’s the settled band. “Sometimes there’s fewer, sometimes there’s more. It’s like Fight Club. We’re not supposed to talk about it,” explains keyboardist Dan Stolarski, somewhat unhelpfully.
The Armed may not want you to know who they are, but they damn well want you to know what they sound like. Every release, including their latest Untitled album, is available for free download – “It allows us to be more selfish, art-wise” – and the internet is peppered with their extraordinary music videos, most notably Polarizer, built entirely of clips from other artists.
“Videos are instantly shareable, and as the album’s about cultural misappropriation, we did that in the most literal way possible. Kanye’s pissed!” He always is. In the meantime, better get on YouTube.
(this preview was originally published in rock sound magazine issue 204 Sept 2015)
GARETH PIERCE 