EP Review: Armagideon Time - Crime As Theatre
Reviewed by Dan Barnes
Crime as Theatre is the debut release from Armagideon Time, a new project featuring members of such bands as Apostles of Eris, Voarm and Glossing and with Richmond, VA, rapper, BlackLiq on vocals. Taking their name from the Willi Williams reggae classic – covered by The Clash for the b’side of London Calling – Crime as Theatre is five tracks of raw and hard-hitting hardcore that clocks in just shy of ten minutes.
The seeds of this project were planted in the Spring of 2019 and the events of the past two years have tempered the steel of the band’s ire. Stimulus Fuck and Breathe see BlackLiq delivering a spat vocal performance as his bandmates combine ripping d-beat with uncompromising hardcore to scream at the injustices of the world.
Subject matter such as mental health (Depressed) and the manipulation by the media (Foxed in the Head) along with fearmongering, misinformation and how they are used to deliberately exploit the population seem to set the collective blood pressure of the band on an ever-upward trajectory.
Even within the short run-time, Crime as Theatre does manage moments of respite: Foxed… opens with a groove-infused guitar, while For Lovers sees BlackLiq merging the heavy style of the music with his own Hip-Hop sensibilities.
As the world doesn’t appear to be changing course anytime soon, I would suspect the anger of the band will still he high by the time they are ready for to come together again for the debut full-length. I like to think I’m a positive kinda guy – but even I didn’t think I’d be able to find a silver lining out of the dumpster fire that has been the last couple of years. Just goes to show, though – don’t stop believing!
