Armia - Triodante (1994)^{Release ID: 1999}

Armia is an odd band that have been all over the musical spectrum by the time they dropped their fourth album Triodante. Seeing the album tagged with Avant-Garde Metal, I really didn’t know what to expect this time.

Opening track Wyludniacz is a great metallic banger that brings back the French horn that helped them stand out. The track has double bass drumming, which I believe was a first for the band, and also slower groovier sections, leaning towards Progressive Metal in parts. Not very Avant-Garde, but I wasn’t complaining. The second track was even better; heavier, faster and straightforward.

After that, the album is hit or miss. I will admit this is more due to my taste rather than the actual quality of the album; about half the songs from here are slower, more Avant-Garde pieces that are experimental and progressive. I much prefer their speedy aggressive stuff, but most of these tracks are still skillfully composed. They just spend a bit too much time in slow, boring territory, and the tracks are quite overlong; shaving off some of those experimental bits would have helped this one for me.

The good thing about these long, everchanging tracks is that most of them still have really awesome parts, with great riffs and French horn. I really miss the darker atmosphere of the sophomore album, and this one is a bit more bouncy and tribal. The two tracks that are almost entirely tribal beats definitely bring this album down a lot for me. Regardless, it is full of tracks that can stand against their better material.