LPCDreissues: Looking forward to the past

• Edition: Limited-edition orange vinyl

Originally released by A&M Records in 1975, Armageddon was the only album by the formidable British-American hard-rock group assembled around former Yardbirds and Renaissance vocalist Keith Relf. He was joined by guitarist Martin Pugh and bassist Louis Cennamo, both formerly of Steamhammer, together with ex-Captain Beyond drummer Bobby Caldwell.

The group combined the weight and aggression of mid-1970s hard rock with progressive structures, blues-based improvisation and extended instrumental passages. Martin Pugh’s distorted guitar dominates much of the album, moving from heavy riffs and wah-wah leads to more restrained acoustic textures, while Cennamo’s bass and Caldwell’s forceful drumming give the lengthy compositions unusual momentum.

“Buzzard” opens the album with an urgent riff, Keith Relf’s commanding vocals and a sequence of explosive guitar passages. The more atmospheric “Silver Tightrope” provides a striking contrast, developing slowly through acoustic guitar, layered vocals and a spacious progressive arrangement. “Paths and Planes and Future Gains” is the album’s shortest and most direct performance, driven by fast guitar figures and Caldwell’s powerful percussion.

The second side begins with the blues-heavy “Last Stand Before,” featuring some of Pugh’s most intense slide-guitar playing. The record then concludes with the four-part suite “Basking in the White of the Midnight Sun,” which moves from the brief introduction “Warning Comin’ On” into heavy riffs, quieter psychedelic passages and the extended “Brother Ego” section before returning to its central theme.

Armageddon’s brief existence and Keith Relf’s death the following year prevented the group from recording a second album, but their sole release gradually became a cult favourite among collectors of progressive hard rock and early heavy metal. This Klimt edition presents the complete original album on limited orange vinyl.

Track listing:

Side A
A1. Buzzard – 8:16
A2. Silver Tightrope – 8:23
A3. Paths and Planes and Future Gains – 4:30

Side B
B1. Last Stand Before – 8:23
B2. Basking in the White of the Midnight Sun – 11:30
    a) Warning Comin’ On
    b) Basking in the White of the Midnight Sun
    c) Brother Ego
    d) Basking in the White of the Midnight Sun (Reprise)