Armageddon - Armageddon (CD)

All Music Guide

Cynics who perceive many supergroups as nothing more than bloated extrapolations of, at times, perfectly mundane musical components can back up their assumptions with Armageddon's eponymous debut from 1975. The first and final spawn of the wouldbesupergroup featuring former Yardbird vocalist Keith Relf, erstwhile Captain Beyond drummer Bobby Caldwell, exSteamhammer guitarist Martin Pugh and Relf's Renaissance partner, bassist Louis Cennamo, the album contains a meager five tracks four of which extend beyond the eight minute barrier due to bouts of arguably unnecessary, selfindulgent waffling. On the other hand, this was the ‘70s, people, and of course this sort of excess was par for the course, back then. What's more, these same dubious qualities actually contributed to the album's eventual adoption as a precursor to the stoner rock movement by dopefiends everywhere, most of whom rarely heard a lengthy jam session they couldn't nod approvingly to. Whatever one's opinion, the quartet's... admirable pedigree unquestionably yielded some inspired songwriting, and even memorable improvisational moments within driving opener "Buzzard," the gently whimsical postpsych ballad "Silver Tightrope," and the elevenminute, progrock smorgasbord of "Basking in the White of the Midnight Sun" (boasting four subtitled movements). Like the LP's sole, conventionallysized offering, the Pughdominated "Paths and Planes and Future Gains," as well as its bluesiest, loosest jam, "Last Stand Before" (where Relf finally whips out his famous harmonica), these songs all fall significantly short of their obvious objective, Led Zeppelin, but fare quite nicely in comparison to more downtoearth contemporaries like Budgie, Hawkwind or the interconnected Captain Beyond. Upon release, Armageddon was met with wildly polarized love/hate critical reviews and actually skimmed the lower reaches of the American Charts; but very infrequent live shows and Relf's shocking death by accidental electrocution the following year put an end to the band's hopes. A few, halfassed reunions took place in years to come but, thankfully, none proved serious enough to yield any Relfless Armageddon recordings, thus guaranteeing the enduring cult status of this far from perfect, but intriguing and understandably oneofakind LP. - Eduardo Rivadavia, All Music Guide Read more Less