Anteater

Long long ago in a galaxy far far away, there was a shrimpy high school freshman who had grown up with 90's grunge and 80's hair metal, but with the advent of ITunes and online music discovery had gotten into progressive rock. He quickly became fans of the usual suspects -- Pink Floyd, Yes, Camel, Moody Blues, and many others. But every once in awhile he'd come across a gem amidst these discoveries, discoveries which would open even more doors. This self-titled album by supergroup Armageddon was such a release, and even today it holds its own wonderful spot in my collection. I even owned it on vinyl at one point, lol!

In retrospect, I've always felt it was such a shame that Armageddon only managed to stay glued together long enough to record only one album, because it's basically a punchier, more spectacular take on the sound of drummer Bobby Caldwell's main band Captain Beyond. Or perhaps a spacier Led Zeppelin? The guy behind the mic on this particular outing, Keith Relf (of Renaissance and Yardbirds fame) sounds like he was born to be here, whilst former Steamhammer guitarist Martin Pugh serves as the infernal engine that drives the record: his fretwork ranges from a psychedelic roar to mystical acoustics at the drop of a hat.

All of this would be for naught if the songs themselves weren't interesting, but they really are. The first two cuts in particular, 'Buzzard' and 'Silver Tightrope' are a study in perfected contrast: the former is a spastic space-blues rocker that orbits around a meaty, circular little riff whilst 'Silver Tightrope' is a laidback epic of sorts, sporting a gorgeous arrangement and armed to the teeth with an atmosphere straight out of the Yes playbook. Both are masterpieces, but the last three tracks ain't half bad either: we get some of that mid-tempo grooviness so typical of the 70's hard rock world with 'Paths And Planes And Future Gains' and 'Last Stand Before', concluding with a twisty turvy space rock suite called 'Basking In The White Of The Midnight Sun' that comes across as Robin Trower meets Hawkwind, a sonic collision that yields excellent results if I do say so myself. Lots of time changes, guitar solos, Caldwell's cavernous drumming and topped off with some harmonica to boot!

In short, this is a fantastic, rather unique record that felt like a walk back down memory lane as I re-listened to it over the last week. It's reputation as one of the 70's great guitar albums is certainly deserved at the very least, and I appreciate it even more now than I did years ago. Two huge thumbs up!

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