The Detroit collective composed of god knows who – but most definitely vocalist Tony Wolski – have over the last decade spent their time constructing and deconstructing various concepts by way of ludicrously crushing hardcore, including sculpting themselves in the gym (2021's ULTRAPOP) and exposing the wires and warts (2023's Perfect Saviors). Now, they're presenting their chaotic statement on modernity.
THE FUTURE IS HERE AND EVERYTHING NEEDS TO BE DESTROYED is also The Armed turning back towards their past inhabiting of guttural, raw bents and emotions, lashing them with more distortion and thrilling explorations for maximum shock and awe.
The Armed have chucked the last decade into the mix – everything they’ve learned or experienced in the studio and on stage – and doused it in the endless exposure to the warped world. The ensuing combustion is an amalgamation of power and depth, plied with sonics that pummel you as much as they hold a well of societal and political offerings, culminating in their most impactful and resounding work to date.
Through the cacophony, led by a barrage of distorted guitars and
bass – with licks of saxophone courtesy of Patrick Shiroishi ("King
Breaker", "Heathen", "Well Made Play") – comes a slew of pertinent quips and slogans geared at
distilling the modern world's empathetic, apathetic – and generally
questionable – state. "Purity Drag"'s chorus hoists the crux of the present day best: "Purest of them all / Nothing is my fault / I am divine / Your privilege, my presence", and it's these ideals that FUTURE lambasts by many means.
"Grace Obscura" hits the punchbag repeatedly as a soaring harmony soars above its hardcore onslaught, bleeding into the bass-heavy, electro-smash maelstrom of "Broken Mirror" which snipes out the hypocrisies of the world before settling into "Sharp Teeth" and it's heartbreaking yet resolute realisation: "I'm far from heaven."
Each cut that makes up FUTURE builds a patchwork quilt of savagery and touching elevation. "I Steal What I Want" has a Queens of the Stone Age shadow to it (Queens' guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen has been a longtime collaborator), with a gloriously studious chorus. But penultimate track, "Heathen", brings things to a head. The calm before the brutal finale storm, it wraps itself around a body of distortion, building to a cacophonous yet peaceful end. Were it a perfect story, this would finish the album. But that's not how life works. "A More Perfect Design" pummels once more, reminding us that nothing's changed (and The Armed still rule).
For long-term appreciators of The Armed’s unhinged chaos, there’s plenty to dig into. It’s
a fleshed out return that takes from every iteration of the band, and
offers an insatiably wicked culmination of these experiences and sonic explorations. THE FUTURE IS HERE AND EVERYTHING NEEDS TO BE DESTROYED's unrelenting refusal to quit, like The Armed, makes it a sonic treat and proves the Detroit gang remain unstoppable.
