The Armed – “AN ITERATION”

Trevor Naud

The Armed – “AN ITERATION”

Trevor Naud

In a couple of weeks, the Armed, the conceptual collective of hardcore-adjacent Detroit rockers, will release the new album ULTRAPOP. It features contributions from rock elders like Mark Lanegan and Queens Of The Stone Age member Troy Van Leeuwen, and it rules. we’ve posted the early tracks “ALL FUTURES” and “AVERAGE DEATH,” both of which showcase the album’s strange combination of heart-tugging melody and hyperactive noise splatter. Today, the band has shared one last track before the album heads out into the world, and it’s another ripper.

The new song “AN ITERATION” is a fiery explosion of hooks and processed thunder, and it’s one more song that could only come from this particular combination of people. The video features a quick voiceover performance from David Hayter, the actor who plays Solid Snake in the Metal Gear Solid games. According to a press release, the video follows Armed member Dan Greene “as he comes to terms with the fact that The Armed may only exist in his head.” You might not get any of that from the video itself, which mostly works as an assaultive montage, but here’s what Greene has to say about it:

The story of Metal Gear Solid 2 — which seemed like convoluted, impenetrable nonsense when we were kids — has turned out to be disturbingly prescient of society in 2021. I would argue that this video game raised more interesting artistic and philosophical questions than a lot of “higher art,” and much earlier too. We are beyond honored to see David Hayter take on the role of Dan Greene within The Armed Cinematic Universe.

Here’s that video:

ULTRAPOP is out 4/16 on Sargent House. Also, the Armed’s Tony Wolski is the singer for the new lineup of Genghis Tron, which put out a great album last week.

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