I thought Armagedda were back together but, as it turns out, this is a reissue of an album from 2002. Well, I hadn't heard it, so that'll do. It certainly is possible to sound more raw, darker, more evil, more basic than Armagedda do on The Final War Approaching, but the result would probably sound like a mess. Here the band delivers all those ingredients without crossing the fence into crap territory and the result is pretty damn effective and addictive. Fast headbanging material that can mess you up physically makes up most of the album, but they also throw a few curves with a couple of songs that are more meant to mess with the mind, tiptoeing between dark/haunting and depressing. The vocals are just as raw as the music and are surprisingly decipherable at times (if you listen very attentively).

If you're longing for '90s-style Swedish black metal, the pure, raw, barebones, evil-as-fuck, take-no-prisoners kind, then The Final War Approaching is a fine choice.