The Armed: “Heavy music is supposed to be about subversion… It’s become about finding a niche subgenre, then doing cosplay”
Ad agency alias? Tony Hawk side-project? Hardcore punk illuminati?! They’ve been one of the most fascinating forces in heavy music for over a decade now, but with new album ULTRAPOP, “anonymous” Detroit co-operative The Armed are out to reshape people’s perceptions of extreme music forever…
Words: Sam Law
Header photo: Aaron Jones
Who exactly are The Armed? It’s a question that’s bugged the hardcore scene since the anonymous, amorphous collective first emerged from the Michigan underground with 2009’s self-released debut LP, These Are Lights. Separating the artist from the art has, for better or worse, become a hot topic over the years since, but rarely has it been so integral to an outfit’s mission – or executed with such absurd, outlandish verve.