ArmaHeaven
Smash Into Pieces
Smash Into Pieces have built quite a world around their music. ArmaHeaven continues its story of digital conflict and survival, but the songs don't require homework. The band make their immediate intentions clear through large choruses, electronic layers and guitars that arrive with plenty of weight.
Villain puts the album's main approach in focus. Chris Adam Hedman Sörbye's rough voice gives the clean arrangement a recognisable centre, and the hook establishes the album's scale quickly. The song could push its idea further, but it gives the early sequence some momentum.
Devil in My Head is stronger. The industrial edge gives the rhythm a firm shape, while the chorus keeps the melody easy to follow. This is where the band's mixture of rock and electronic production makes the most sense. The different elements help the song make its point rather than simply making it sound larger.
The guests add useful changes in voice. Elize Ryd fits particularly well on Paradise, bringing power and clarity alongside Sörbye. Flame, with LIAMOO, leans further towards melodic pop, and its steady movement makes that change feel natural. The band are happy to let the chorus decide how heavy a song needs to be.
Hurricane supplies a firmer attack and a sizeable breakdown, while Man or Machine puts another strong melody at the front. Those songs give the album some of its clearest individual moments. The production keeps the many layers distinct, which is essential for music with this much happening at once.
Fifteen tracks is a lot of material, though. Wildfire doesn't have the same identity as the better songs, and some vocal effects add less than the voice could provide on its own. The record also relies on similar dramatic rises often enough that the later choruses have a harder job standing apart.
Still, ArmaHeaven has plenty of effective songs inside its larger story. It is strongest when the electronic detail supports a clear hook and a committed vocal. There is enough of both to make the ambitious setting worth entering.
