Armageddon (Swedish band)
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1997 in Halmstad, Sweden |
| Founder | Christopher Amott |
| Headquarters | Halmstad , Sweden |
| Products | Melodic death metal music |
Armageddon is a melodic death metal group from Sweden, spearheaded by Christopher Amott of Arch Enemy fame.
History
Established in 1997 in Halmstad by Christopher Amott, Armageddon came into existence following Arch Enemy's contract with Toy's Factory in Japan after releasing their Black Earth album. Seizing this chance, Christopher initiated his solo endeavor by assembling drummer Peter Wildoer, bassist Martin Bengtsson, and vocalist Jonas Nyrén.
Their first record, Crossing the Rubicon (1997), was distributed through W.A.R. records in Europe and Toy's Factory in Japan. This album fused melodic death metal elements with instrumental passages. The European label's swift closure rendered the album scarce, and it was never issued beyond Europe and Japan.
Subsequently, Wildoer and Bengtsson joined Arch Enemy for the 1998 Stigmata release. Christopher devoted his efforts to Arch Enemy until he revived Armageddon in 2000 with Embrace the Mystery, which was launched exclusively in Japan via Toy's Factory. This lineup included musicians from Last Tribe and Arch Enemy, such as Rickard Bengtsson (vocals), Dick Lövgren (bass), and Daniel Erlandsson (drums).
In 2002, Armageddon unveiled Three, an album emphasizing power metal, featuring Christopher on vocals alongside bassist Tobias Gustafsson. This release was once again limited to the Japanese market through Toy's Factory.
On 16 November 2009, Century Media Records re-released Embrace the Mystery and Three as a combined 2-CD package with updated artwork and additional tracks for audiences in Europe and North America.
Christopher Amott departed from Arch Enemy again in 2012 to resurrect Armageddon with guitarist Matt Vicklund and drummer Van Williams. By January 2015, Antony Hämäläinen, formerly of Nightrage, took over vocal duties from Matt Hallquist.
The band revealed plans on 25 May 2016 to revisit and re-record their initial album under the title Crossing The Rubicon (Revisited).
Owing to Christopher Amott's restricted availability, former members Hämäläinen, Concepcion, Claudius, Pevny, along with drummer Yanni Sofianos, established Daughter Chaos in 2019 as a spiritual continuation of Armageddon.
Band members
- Current
- Christopher Amott – guitar, vocals
- Joey Concepcion – guitar
- Márton Veress – drums
- Antony Hämäläinen – vocals
- Andrew Pevny – bass
- Former
- Jonas Nyrén – vocals
- Martin Bengtsson – bass
- Peter Wildoer – drums
- Rickard Bengtsson – vocals
- Dick Lövgren – bass
- Daniel Erlandsson – drums
- Tobias Gustafsson – bass
- Matt Wicklund – guitar
- Van Williams – drums
- Matt Hallquist – vocals
- Sara Claudius – bass
Discography
- Studio albums
- Crossing the Rubicon (1997)
- Embrace the Mystery (2000)
- Three (2002)
- Captivity & Devourment (2015)
- Crossing the Rubicon (Revisited) (2016)