Oh. My. God. Featuring former members of the now-defunct (I think) WILL HAVEN, and thereby having ties to THE ABOMINABLE IRON SLOTH, ARMED FOR APOCALYPSE have one mission only, and this is to crush you. Like a bug. Into sludge. Caked with mud.

All prose aside, ARMED FOR APOCALYPSE have come ready to do battle with every scene, every pirate, every person who for one iota thinks that modern Metal owes nothing to down tuned, slung low, so honest it hurts Heavy Metal, like Mom used to make, with steel. These men have come to remind us all that a good dose of mid tempo, throat shredding, headache inducing, jaw dropping sludge makes everyone smile. Quite simply, "Defeat" accurately encapsulates how you feel after listening: defeated, drained, wanting more but knowing it may well be your end, and then pressing play again. And again. And again. Never straying far from the almighty riff of ridiculous fortitude, ARMED FOR APOCALYPSE have created a musical stew that is thick and meaty, and occasionally Southern in flavor and aftertaste. Seriously, check out track five, "Hero Complex" and try to tell me the last minutes don't make you wanna throw down at the hoedown.

All nine tracks are an excellent example of what I guess would be Psuedo-Doom-Rawk-Metal, or something. All nine tracks are an excellent example, period. "Defeat" will likely stand as the best album of the year in terms of something that ain't fast because it's cool to be fast, ain't slow because the amps are orange, and is just plain honest and true to the spirit and tenor of Heavy Metal. Oh, and it's crushing.