I recently received the cassette version of the album Armageddon Overlord by the Spanish black metal band Edenkaiser. This version was released by Vicious Witch Records on 10 April 2025. It’s worth noting that the album was originally released in 2024 by WP and RO Productions on CD and vinyl. Edenkaiser are a band formed in 2008 who had released four albums and an EP before Armageddon Overlord. This is my first time listening to this Madrid-based band.
Armageddon Overlord is a short album that features fast-paced black metal, as demonstrated in the very first few seconds of the opening track. The atmosphere is chaotic and hate-filled, and the band incorporates a recognisable thrash metal style in several passages. There are also a few acoustic moments, such as the one at the end of the track The Slaughter Empire. The band takes its chaotic approach even further on tracks such as Symphony of Agony, which delivers a ceremonial and intense composition.
The guitars race along at full speed while also featuring a few more measured, mid-tempo passages. I feel their performance reaches its peak on tracks such as Blacksteel Legions (2023 A.D.), which delivers a memorable composition. The bass features prominently in the soundscape and is particularly dominant at the start of the track With Iron Hand.
The drums pound relentlessly, with a dynamic and martial approach in several passages. I think the drumming is at its best on tracks like With Iron Hand. The vocals are strident and screaming, exuding a suffocating aura. I find the vocal performance particularly memorable on A Hidden Torment and Hi-Tech Warlord.
Among the moments and tracks that stood out to me and that I enjoyed are With Iron Hand, for its energy and frenetic pace, and Unnatural Unknown Force, a short but powerful track. What I loved most about the latter was its atmosphere and repetitive riffs. I particularly enjoyed the section from 2:02 onwards, which brings the track to a close. My favourite track is Symphony of Agony, the most intense on the album, both in terms of its atmosphere and its raw composition.
With Armageddon Overlord, the Spanish band Edenkaiser deliver a short but powerful album, blending the intensity and aggression of black metal with thrash metal rhythms, while introducing chaotic and ceremonial atmospheres. It’s an album well worth exploring, and one that has made me want to discover the rest of the band’s discography.
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