There are times when certain bands come along and captivate in such a way that makes you sit up and pay attention. Quite a few years back, my friend Adam, told me about this band he had been digging for a while. He passed along one song to check out and I was definitely hooked. The song was called “Polarizer” and it made me feel like that guy sitting in that chair in a very old commercial, and getting completely swept away by the sheer sonic intensity. Fast forward many years later, and here I am at The Roxy on Sunset, and oh man did the decibels rattle the spot!

As the clock struck 10:00pm and the curtain lifted, the sonic assault began. For the next hour, The Armed tore through song after song with a punk rock fury that could get a paralyzed person walking again. Ok well maybe not exactly that but, you can picture the intensity in which this show had. Playing the majority of songs from their very awesome new album, The Future Is Here And Everything Needs To Be Destroyed, there was no letting up for this band. Even when you thought, oh this will take a more mellow turn, NOPE, right back into the pummeling. The musicianship of all members was top notch throughout the set. There is a reckless abandon to an Armed show live. Their energy from the stage is beyond infectious and really makes you want to move. Then you throw in their punk/hardcore style mixed with some electronics and its a recipe for a barrage of excitement. There were a couple moments during the set that were genuine highlights for me. One being their cover of my all time favorite Nine Inch Nails song “Somewhat Damaged.” They stripped it down a bit and delivered a very convincing version. Then to close out the night, they played “Forever Scum” from their “Untitled” album, which happens to be my favorite album of The Armed’s.

If you get the chance to see The Armed, you definitely should. This band is one of those super fun, high energy bands that takes the best of punk and hardcore and makes it quite fun. It’s all serious but, there is an element of fun and danger to The Armed that makes it unhinged and slightly volatile. The Armed are a force of nature and should be on all your radars! Go check out what The Armed has in store for you!

Overall Rating: B+ (needed a better opener and more songs from Untitled)

Review and Photos By: Brian Lacy

Photos: