1 of 1 thought this review was well writtenThe Armed doesn't mess around any more. Gone are the pretty little interludes of their first two efforts in exchange for even heavier, brutal songs. The band has only been getting heavier and Spreading Joy is further proof of that, it also might be the best Ep of their career yet. What you're getting when you listen to this are 5 very angry, concise and to the point punk songs. The Ep opens up with a bit of feedback (as do most songs on here) and the band sends you into a barrage pounding drums, courtsy of Chris Pennie, and heavy guitar riffs. The band isn't going for anything original or something that completely blows your mind. Spreading Joy does do a pretty good job at what it is supposed to achieve, just being heavy, fast, and angry.
Because the songs are rather streamlined there isn't too much variety between them. After just one listen it may be hard to distinguish one song from another. It also doesn't help that there is barely 8 minutes of material on here. At the same time it's a good thing, because it's more to the point and as previously stated which is what exactly what the band wanted to do. The song countervictims is definitely a highlight. It has the best guitar riffs on the whole Ep and is exhilarating the whole way through. It exemplifies why this band is so good as it spasticlly weaves its way through different sections and all sorts of guitar riffs until it gets to the end, where it's the vocalists yelling "No!" between shots of guitar and ear piercing feedback. That pretty much sums up Spreading Joy.
Obviously it's length is a draw back, the Ep finishes just when you feel like it's just getting warmed up, (The longest song is just 2 minutes long.) and it makes the need for a new full length even greater, especially considering this is their third Ep in a row. At the end of the day though there isn't really much to complain about as their whole discography is free on their website, and this is a must listen for anyone who has liked their past work or even metalcore in general.
