Armagh - Serpent Storm - CD

Formed in 2012, ARMAGH are a heavy metal force from Satanic City Warsaw. Mixing classic heavy metal from the '70s and '80s with proto-black metal, ARMAGH are the creators of First Wave Only movement, which unites several Polish bands delivering old-school metal – among them, labelmates GALLOWER and SEXMAG but also Torpor, Wielki Mrok, and R.I.P. – with primal severity in their sound and message.

Truly, ARMAGH are a maniac maniac’s band, idiosyncratic mainlining such noble influences as Thin Lizzy, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Motörhead, KISS, Manilla Road, early Slayer and Megadeth, W.A.S.P, Bathory, Dissection, Running Wild, KAT, and the NWOBHM in general into something authentically rustic and effortlessly unique. They delivered their first recording, the Venomous Frost EP, in 2016 and then followed it three years later with a split and then debut album, Cold Wrath of Mother Earth. The latter was exceptionally cult, but simply set the stage for their breakout record: Serpent Storm.

Wild and weird but never belabored, ARMAGH’s second album seemingly comes from an alien place – one where Battle Cry, Another Perfect Day, Haunting the Chapel, Chinatown, Under the Sign of the Black Mark, and Born Again all simultaneously play in perfect, hellish harmony. A true record collector’s record, Serpent Storm displays its power and personality at every turn, each of these ten songs offering its own canvas of darkness and mystery, ultimately making the album an epic of archaic splendor and true rivetheaded spirit. For as “old” as the album supposedly sounds (and by OLD, we mean ANCIENT), ARMAGH’s rumbling ‘n’ roiling attack feels remarkably fresh compared to so much nowadays “heavy metal” or especially “black metal”; from the warlocked clean tones of frontman Galin Soulreaper to his almost rock ‘n’ rollish guitar tones, there’s nothing trendy – only timeless – about that attack. The 45 minutes of Serpent Storm feel too short, so addicting is its alchemy.

Prepare for the sleeper hit of the year in ARMAGH’s Serpent Storm: FUCK MODERN METAL, FIRST WAVE ONLY!