Finnish metal band RE-ARMED have released The Era of Precaritythrough Saarni Records. The band has pledged to donate 50 cents from the sale of every copy to Karma Ry, which supports elder people and young adults in the band's hometown area. Says the band, "The Era of Precarity is fully conceptual album where each track dives into a dystopian-world that you would never want to live in. The album reflects decadent elements of our society and challenges the listener to think what kind of world we want to live in now and in the future . All the major conflicts of the 21st century are still solved with warfare and the interesting question is; 'Do we really want to leave this perishing world as a legacy to our descendants?"
Re-Armed plays groove/modern thrash metal in the vein of Lamb of God. The insanely hooky riffs and even the specific vocal inflection definitely recall Morton, Adler, and Blythe respectively. The guitars are based heavily in alternating rapid palm muting with infectious bursts of picked melodies. These parts occasionally drift into melodeath territory as on "Lullabye of Obedience," which sounds somewhere between old Darkest Hour and In Flames when it hits thr chorus. But for the most part things are fast and furious a la LOG or The Haunted. Highlights also include "Through the Barricades," "Riot Act," and "Ivory Towers," and "Cursed Beyond Belief."
In addition to the plethora of killer solos and hooks, the songs frequently come together nicely in other areas. Aside from some cheesy/on-the-nose lyrics, the vocal delivery is very commanding. And even when the words get a little silly (see "Riot Act"), they manage to come across as fun to sing along with. The drumming and production are certainly strengths as well. The beats are full of energy and the mix does a nice job of creating a thick sound that retains a certain level of grit. I do argue that this release is a bit uneven when it comes to the quality of the songs. The second half in particular gets a little bogged down in average, forgettable tracks, but they are never what I would label as "bad."
Re-Armed deliver pretty much everything I come to expect from a band with that name. It's in-your-face speed and aggression with plenty for guitar-lovers to eat up. Overall I was impressed with what The Era of Precarity had to dish out; even if it is inconsistent. That said, the great tracks are GREAT. Like, Tony The Tiger "GREEEEAAAT!" So with that in mind, I encourage you to check out the highlights I mentioned and consider picking up a copy. I definitely played through it several times without getting bored and plan on jamming a number of these songs in a few metal playlists I've set up. Stream via Spotify.