Blood Command “Praise Armageddonism”

Norwegian metal tends to spring up various images. Church burnings, murders and extreme black metal. So when Blood Command’s new album Praise Armageddonism lands on my desk I’m open minded yet expectant of tales of Satan, sacrifices and snow.

I was completely wrong.

While the track Praise Armageddonism builds through an sinister introduction complete with spoken excerpt from the Book Of Revelations, that is about as bleak as the album gets before it’s all turned on it head with some pretty intense punk screamo. Once you have come up for breath the music bursts into a wonderful pop song, complete with melody’s and harmonies. This is just the opening track.

This is the first album featuring Australian vocalist Nikki Brumen and she brings an ‘spesiell kvalitet’ all of her own. She’s had enough of your shit and spits it at you while sounding like a diva songstress the next. A combustible rage dressed in a adidas tracksuit.

The music though is something else which underpins the manic vocals. Saturday City and The End Is Her are pop punk in its purest form. Full of hooks, upbeat and galloping to the end in infectious enthusiasm.

Everything You Love Will Burn and A Questionable Taste In Friends – how great are the song titles? – are angrier and chaotic matching the release of frustration this world brings while screaming ‘forget it!’

A Villian’s Monologue has a driving bass, sleazy riffing and punk screams while Nuns, Guns And Cowboys insane drumming and guitar harmonies all compliment Nikki’s vocals, reminiscent of X-Ray Spex yet with the quality to channel that rage into musical genius.

I Just Want A Move Ending is another slice of delicious pop glam metal while Burn The Blasphemer is a infuriated kick ass punk number before the album finishes with Last Call For Heaven’s Gate which introduces a saxophone to weave its way through the tapestry of the song into funky goodness.

The band have been termed Death Pop and I must agree. You want to dance, it’s here. You want to scream at the world, it’s here. Set fire to a car, it’s here. Fall for the wrong person, it’s here. It’s the soundtrack for the perfect weekend. Praise Armageddonism indeed.

Album Review By Iain McCallum