An EP that, with two songs totalling under 9 minutes, I think of as more of a single, from Sweden's Armory while waiting for a full-length album, Black Star nevertheless packs some punch, and then some. Speed is once again king here, reminiscent of the more aggressive and dark '80s speed metal while still offering a melodic edge so as to draw in potential listeners who could be unsuspectingly brought over to the dark side. Armory's metal is more on the raw side than many of the speed metal we hear these days, and I really like that rough edge without which this would just be like a bunch of other bands out there. Same goes for the clean vocals that benefit from a rough delivery that matches the music's aggressiveness. Promising stuff, and I'm looking forward to the next album.
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