ALBUM REVIEW: Praise Armageddonism – Blood Command
“More of everything” – that’s what BLOOD COMMAND promise us in the press notes for their fourth album Praise Armageddonism. It may sound like a bit of a platitude – the kind of thing we’ve heard from bands just a few too many times before – but, for anyone who’s been paying attention to the Norwegian death-poppers over the past decade or so, it really is quite the prospect. With a discography touching on everything from punk and pop to disco and hardcore, the Bergen quintet truly defy categorisation. If anything, this album only makes that harder, and it’s definitely one of their best yet.
Given how much is in the melting pot, Praise Armageddonism is perhaps surprisingly digestible. Even on first listen, one of the overarching takeaways from the record is a sense of fierce and raucous exuberance. As proven by the slew of singles that have preceded it, its hooks and melodies are undeniable, with the band striking a wholly unique balance between the kind of furious punk that brings to mind sweat-soaked walls and beer flying everywhere, and a more accessible danceability that would work anywhere from your local rock club to a massive festival stage. The word rager gets thrown around a lot nowadays, but that really is Praise Armageddonism in a nutshell.
Joining BLOOD COMMAND in their pursuit of ‘more’ is new vocalist Nikki Brumen, formerly of PAGAN. On paper, it’s a perfect match, and in practice it doesn’t disappoint either. In fact, Brumen quickly carves herself out as something of the focal point for both record and band alike. Her screams and shouts are harsh and hawkish – arguably the most in your face aspect of the band’s entire sound – but she also balances this out with an impeccable command of hooks and melody. Examples of the latter are too many to number, but second track Saturday City may be the most obvious; it’s a guaranteed floor filler stuffed with bubbling synths and an easily accessible pop-punky chorus. A similar energy carries into The End Is Her too, this one even evoking the kind of feel-good dance-punk you might expect from self-titled era PARAMORE, for example.
Quite unsurprisingly, this record absolutely whizzes by. Prior to the aforementioned double header, the band set an ominous tone with opener Praise Armageddonism (Awake Theme), gradually building in intensity as someone quotes from the book of Revelation before launching full tilt into their wondrous mix of fury and anthemia. Highlights come thick and fast from there, again with far too many standouts to number. A Questionable Taste In Friends brings with it swaggering riffs, bouncy verses and a hefty middle breakdown, while Nuns, Guns & Cowboys sets possibly the highest standard of intensity for the entire record, which is no mean feat at all. Eighth track I Just Want That Movie Ending meanwhile delivers a kind of poppy post-hardcore – a well-worn combo that feels somehow both sad and stirring at the same time.
Perhaps the only shame here is that a lot of these have already been released as singles. Clearly BLOOD COMMAND know where their best stuff lies, and you can’t really blame them for that, but with five of the ten tracks already available, one wonders if a couple of these highlights might’ve been best saved for the full-length experience. That said, Praise Armageddonism isn’t exactly short on surprises, including not least in closer Last Call For Heaven’s Gate. At first, it feels pretty on trend with the rest of the record, but with a near-eight-minute runtime to play around with, the band soon start messing with their already messy formula even further. First introducing a saxophone, the track soon contorts into a kind of riff-driven jazz jam before ending on a final burst of driving intensity replete with another biblical monologue to provide a neat little bookend to a consistently mesmerising record.
Mesmerising really is the word here. BLOOD COMMAND remain an utterly unique proposition, and they make Praise Armageddonism very difficult to turn away from. Most impressive of all is that for an album that could’ve quite easily been completely and utterly bewildering, the band always find a way to sink their hooks in so that it doesn’t become an exercise in endurance. It makes for an easy summer soundtrack, but even after that this is a record that should keep listeners coming back for quite some time.
Rating: 8/10
Praise Armageddonism is set for release on July 1st via Hassle Records.
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