CoC : Armageddon - Three : Review

Armageddon - _Three_
(Toy's Factory, 2002)
by: Xander Hoose (6.5 out of 10)

I remember my amazement when I first listened to Armageddon's _Crossing the Rubicon_ album back in 1997; the perfect mix between death metal and the Gothenburg sound, consisting of the masters of Sweden (Chris and Michael Amott, Peter Wildoer, Fredrik Nordstrom and Jonas Nyren). As this was supposed to be a one-off project, I never paid much attention to them anymore apart from the occasional listen to the album. My surprise was great when I discovered this Armageddon album, the third already. Curiously, it has been released in Japan only, with no plans for release in other parts of the world. Even stranger is that almost all the original members are gone, so that Armageddon now functions as a trio: Christopher Amott, Tobias Gustaffson and Daniel Erlandsson. Christopher has taken over the vocals, and with his high-pitched vocal style turned the band from death metal to a definitely heavy metallish course. Perhaps Japanese people are really eager for this kind of Blind Guardian / Helloween style of music, and I reckon that _Three_ will do really well with fans of those bands, but for me Armageddon has lost its appeal. Don't buy this if you're expecting something in the vein of the first album; instead, try to give the new Darkane a shot.

(article published 1/9/2002)