Arma X burst onto the hardcore scene in 2019 with a demo that made people take notice from day one, seemingly coming out of nowhere, along with a whole host of new bands from Madrid. Taking the best of heavy hardcore styles, whether it’s Cleveland Straight Edge or NYHC Beatdown, Arma X are making it their own with tunes breathing new life into the genre in their debut album, Violento Ritual. Not for the faint of heart, the band are also redefining just how many dive bombs and breakdowns you can have in one song thanks to guitarists Yoshi and Rodri, and we are here for it! Vocalist Leo sings in Spanish, because there will be no appeasing to the English speaking hardcore masses here and rightly so.  The result is vocals that just get taken to another level, delivered with Leo’s huge rasping voice not too dissimilar to Integrity’s Dwid, commanding over what sounds like a straight up war zone. Lyrically Arma X rock about the Straight Edge, naturally, as a true form of outsider behaviour within punk and also dark moments of anger in one’s personal life through occult imagery. Meanwhile drummer Tania and bassist Iker waste no time in pummelling out beats you want to smash heads to in the pit.  

The group are all hard working members of the Madrid hardcore community keeping their local scene vibrant and inclusive for all, reflected in the band themselves. Thanks to that hard work, along with many others from this new generation, the Madrid scene has been growing from strength to strength for the past 3 years. Arma X are part of this new wave of bands and DIY ethic that is selling out local only shows and making a community that stands strong.  XXX

For Fans of Bulldoze, Confront, Integrity, Merauder

Our take: Violento Ritual is the debut vinyl release from this Spanish straight edge hardcore band. I’ll admit, the word “beatdown” in the label’s description was a red flag for me… I don’t think beating people down is cool, and I’m not generally interested in music that serves as the soundtrack for beating anyone down. However, if I put that out of my mind and just listen to Violent Ritual, I have to admit I like it. While my personal tastes have always leaned away from the heavier end of hardcore, I admit a fondness for Victory Records-era Integrity… I played those records a lot in the 90s, particularly Humanity Is the Devil, and it’s clear that Arma X takes a lot of influence from them, accentuating and amplifying many of the things I find distinctive and likable about those records. While Arma X’s mid-paced, Cro-Mags-influenced riffs are solid, I think the band’s real strengths are the vocals (which sound gruff and punk… they wouldn’t be out of place in a raw punk band) and the lead guitars. Arma X’s lead guitarist avoids the music school scales you hear on so many metal-influenced records in favor of unhinged whammy bar antics that dart across the songs’ rhythmic and melodic foundations with an avant-garde flair. It’s a great counterbalance to the rest of the band’s locked-in grooves, and the tension this dynamic generates is enough to interest even a wimp like me.