To demonstrate that human beings need idols to venerate in order to feel psychologically at ease, it is worth analyzing what was the phenomenon twenty years ago ArmaggedonFrench duo composed of Grimvald (also his Aktion T4) and SSatan (hurrah), formed in 2002 and immediately protagonist of a myriad of releases including demos, splits, EPs for a total of thirteen titles released between 2002 and 2004 , including the full house whose twentieth anniversary is celebrated today, Kill Yourself or Dietheir long-distance debut.
In fact, Armaggedon filled a void that in those times had been created due to the partial or total abandonment of various characters who had acted as charismatic figures for the followers of black metal scattered around the world: Akhenathen had closed i Judas Iscariotmany exponents of the Norwegian/Scandinavian scene were dedicating themselves to other things, the French Legiones Noires themselves were disappearing, Moonblood had no longer existed for a while… New idols were needed and these were found Also in the French duo, who, having smelled the air, took a very extreme and intransigent attitude towards everything and everyone; they also entered into controversy with the Legiones Noires themselves, describing them as a mass of useless depressed people with neither art nor part and incapable of playing an instrument properly, they imbued their lyrics with a brisk anticlericalism that ends and does not commit, other favorite topics were the ‘anti-Semitism, National Socialism (French… well), the classic hatred for the whole human race and similar amenities.
The public, especially the new recruits, threw themselves into it headlong and the band became legendary almost on the spot; after all, it is something that happens with increasing frequency, even and above all nowadays, just think of the so-called influencers who get huge incomes just because they have gods followers who start following them on the internet 1) because they are beautiful girls who will also advertise the brands of the clothes they wear but they get the most feedback when what they wear is of reduced 2) because, as introduced earlier, human beings need idols to venerate and behavioral models to follow if they want to live peacefully in a “civilized” society. Naturally, factions are created about how coolest of pussies she is, discussions start, the level of insults grows and finally blossoms into a typical scenario of internet wars (are like Paraolympics, even if you win you’re still retardedwhoever wrote it is a GENIUS) which these days are a classic that will go down in history, if it hasn’t already.
The same thing happened with Armaggedon. On the forums that thrived in those days we witnessed debates that degenerated after about ten posts to be generous; Insulting sentences worthy of a Renaissance literary masterpiece were syntactically constructed, neologisms were sought in order to make the inappropriateness more colorful and satisfying, always keeping in mind that the average metalhead can easily insult his mother in the most vulgar of ways without him batting frown but, if you dare to discuss his favorite band, he will become worse than a Marseille longshoreman who has overindulged.
In all this panorama I hear a murmur rising: “Yes, okay, but what about the music?”. Yes, the music. The one who should be the main protagonist but increasingly often isn’t. Orthodox black metal, essential, minimal. Well written too, eh! Their songs are effective and well played, but they were never anything revolutionary or never-heard-before. Nothing done so extraordinarily well as to justify all the hubbub that accompanied the name Armaggedon in their moment of greatest splendor. Brilliance that inevitably lost its brilliance with the passing of the years and the succession of records that were always of a good standard but without major variations between one and the other. I myself followed them until around 2010 (it being understood that obtaining all their titles was impossible, given the limited limitation of some and the amount of excited fans who were losing their money just to have the complete discography) and then lost interest given that, all things considered, their jobs are very similar. But it couldn’t be otherwise: when you play black metal so inspired by the past and its sacred monsters, to faithfully reproduce it you only have one way of writing and playing the songs, that is. Yes, you can do the arpeggio or add the keyboard arrangement, but the patterns are rigid and there isn’t much to do, especially if you want to keep a loyal audience that adores you precisely because you offer them what the sacred monsters have stopped composing, and that’s why they idolize you. Kill Yourself or Die it’s a good record. If it came out today I don’t know how many people would notice it, moreover certain things no longer impress anyone, but History is beautiful for that too. The CD contains 10 songs, 9 originals and the cover of Funeral Fog by Mayhem, while on vinyl there are 11 songs, the cover of Mayhem leaves the set list and those of Transylvanian Hunger and of 13 Candles of the Bathorys. Already from the covers I imagine you understood what type of black metal Armaggedon plays. I don’t think it’s necessary to add anything else on this subject.
The band is still active, we must give them credit for not being a flash in the pan and for having managed to resist the passage of time also thanks to the radicalization of certain political themes of the lyrics, which makes them very welcome to all followers of NS black metal that populate a dark but fairly dense underground. Many of their releases are blocked-for-sale on Discogs, finding them – if you want to try – isn’t very easy but I think that, nowadays if someone really wants to buy something on the internet, they always find a way. (Griffar)
