Prolific Swedish speed metal quintet Armory are flying the genre’s flag on their fourth album, Echoes of the Astrolith. Coming just a year after their Black Star EP, Echoes features Armory’s new singer, C. Rostoff, who has the pipes to match the band’s ’80s-style ambitions and swagger.
The album, which you can listen to below, doesn’t break new ground so much as it rips into familiar territory with fervor and glee. Guitarists N. Ingelman and A. Holmström are a ripping pair, utilizing a twin-guitar approach that lets the songs soar without giving up speed. On songs like “The Final Invention,” they slow things down into darker, brooding territory, which is a welcome juxtaposition to the solos of “Pillars of Fire” or the divebombs of “Cosmic Dreams.”
”After four long years in the making, we are finally ready to unveil our new album, Echoes of the Astrolith to the world!” Armory tell Decibel. “This one was a special album to make, as we had the first lineup change in the history of the band during the process when we got our new singer Chris Rostoff on board. The result is an album with catchier vocals, set against a backdrop of even darker riffs than usual. We hope that these new tunes of ours will bring much listening pleasure to Earth and mankind!”
Listen to an early stream below via Decibel. Echoes of the Astrolith is out on October 23 via Dying Victims Productions.
