Universal Order Of Armageddon – Visible Distance
Universal Order Of Armageddon – Stepping Softly Into
Universal Order Of Armageddon – No Longer Stranger
Since 95% of the music on this blog tends to be funky, soulful or soulfully psychedelic, this might seem like an odd choice. But longtime readers (and anyone who just happened to pay attention last year’s tribute to Double Nickels On The Dime) know that I have a deep love and appreciation for the punk rock. The Universal Order Of Armageddon, along with the Nation of Ulysses, is a band that I might have had a chance to see during my youth in Atlanta, but regrettably, I never saw live. Like Ulysses, the band was an elemental force in the studio and on stage. Switch Is Down is perhaps their finest moment, and for my money is the best example of post-hardcore music. Every single element of this band just killed. Tonie Joy’s massive walls of feedback on guitar, the booming thunder of Scott Malat’s bass, the esoteric ramblings and screams of Colin Seven and more than anything else, the hard as hell drums of Brooks Headley. “Stepping Softly Into” is one of my all-time favorite songs from this period of time and something that I’ve frankly surprised has never ended up in a film. Perhaps an even bigger surprise is that Brooks Headley eventually left the music scene all-together and became a pastry chef in NYC. Hearing this music, I’m not sure anyone would have seen that coming. The band got back together for some shows a couple of years ago with hopes that they might record, since it was clear they’d lost none of their power. For now that remains a dream, but no matter the future, the past was searingly bright and will never be forgotten.
Cheers,
Michael