Armatage Shanks are a melodic Norwegian punk rock band who release their first album `Story Untold` in twelve years and their message is loud and clear: “Telling stories, challenging what has been, reconnecting and moving forward. The future’s fucking bright!”
The instrumental `U6-To-Nowhere` leads us in and is a brief piano led intro with guitar and drums. There appears to be a reflection on past times and a relationship that seems to have gone astray with the narrator not understanding why in the anthemic `Leave the Lights On`.
`Here We Go Again` is faster paced and may be a nod towards repeating the mistakes of the past, a metaphor for life or society in general. We initially have a slight reggae tinge with title track `Story-Untold` before a punk like contemplation of past times with a shouted chorus with will have you singing along which reaffirms that there`s still a future out there to be had.
`Hurricane` is a scorching melodic punk-tinged offering, another thoughtful and introspective musing. There was more of a rhythmic rock vibe to `Rejects`, an anthem for those that don’t seem to fit in.
`Fade Away` hints at trying to do too much in too short a time and not being rewarded despite your hard work. All hopes and dreams vanishing on this tuneful foot tapper. A meditation on society`s lack of conviction and faith follows with `No Belief` which veers from a blistering pace to a more measured reflection before speeding up at the end.
`Room 11` in numerology is associated with creativity, innovation, and high ideals. But with this melodic earworm with its cracking guitar solo, it seems to be a realisation that the narrator needs to get his life together. We have in `Sad Song` a number that moves along at pace and is a tale of a broken romance that stills leaves the subject lonely and desolate years later.
This release closes out with `Broken Record` a contemplative rumination on loneliness and isolation aligned with a glimmer of hope.
`Story Untold` came out of original members Kristofer and Joakim reuniting and discovering they still had some unfinished business. The album explores themes of loneliness and lost connections, confronts the past, and looks forward with hope.
A melodic punk-tinged submission with an optimistic message, what more could you ask for.
Rating 8.5/10
