ALBUM REVIEW: Armada – Tales Of Treason (Pirates Press Records)
Armada are a street-punk band from Brazil, and although they’re a new name to me, they’ve been around the block a few times.
They were formed in 2017 by four members of seminal Brazilian punks Blind Pigs, whose story goes all the way back to the early ’90s.
Henrike Baliú (vocals), Mauro Tracco (bass), Alexandre Galindo (guitar) and Arnaldo Rogano (drums) added guitarist Ricardo Galano, and together they make a formidable unit.
Their 2018 debut LP Bandeira Negra and 2019’s follow-up EP Ditadura Assassina were both sung in Portuguese, so Tales of Treason is the band’s first full-length in English.
It’s nine slices of infectious and anthemic street-punk rock’n’ roll, with hooks, riffs and singalong choruses aplenty, and I was hooked right from the off.
Pre-release single Bullet Through the Heart, which is a look at Brazil’s troubled past, kicks things off, and it’s followed by Suburban Kids, which pays tribute to punk’s original flag bearers, “all the boys makin’ noise back in the day”.
Wrong Side of America, with its breakneck riff and anthemic chorus, reminds me of Street Dogs, I band I love, and it’s one of the standout tracks. Meanwhile, The Rebel Sound celebrates a love of playing rebellious rock ‘n’ roll.
Acoustic guitar heralds Battle Drums, a slower number which recalls latter-day Dropkick Murphys, while the accordion and banjo used on the catchy Last Of My Kind give it a folk-punk patina.
Kings of North Park is another celebration of the punk scene, while São Paulo City, another single, is an uplifting and heartfelt tribute to Armada’s home city,. Finally, Armada show their versatility on the closing A Nation Divided by introducing a hint of ska/reggae.
Tales Of Treason is packed full of rabble-rosuing fist-in-the-air choruses and the kind of tight musicianship you’d expect from players of this vintage. For their first English language album, you have to say Armada have knocked it out of the park. 8.5/10.
