Armageddon

Armageddon were an English hard-rock band that released a self-titled album on A&M in 1975. The band featured ex-Yardbirds/Renaissance vocalist Keith Relf alongside former members of Steamhammer and Captain Beyond.

Members: Keith Relf (vocals, harmonica), Martin Pugh (guitar), Bobby Caldwell (drums), Louis Cennamo (bass)

Armageddon formed in late 1974 when Keith Relf teamed with guitarist Martin Pugh and bassist Louis Cennamo, both formerly of Steamhammer, and ex-Captain Beyond drummer Bobby Caldwell (not to be confused with the U.S. soul-pop singer). Relf and Cennamo first played together in the original lineup of Renaissance.

Armageddon was recorded in the autumn of 1974 and released in 1975. The album features five songs: the spiky fuzz-torcher “Buzzard,” the harmony-laden slow-burner “Silver Tightrope,” the windmill riff-rocker “Paths and Planes and Future Gains,” the bluesy slide-fest “Last Stand Before,” and the smoldering four-part epic “Basking In the White of the Midnight Sun.”

Just as the album was gaining traction, the band was beset with drug addiction and Relf’s developing asthmatic conditions. In May 1976, he died from electrocution. Armageddon purportedly disbanded several months beforehand. The tragedy occurred just as the original lineup of Renaissance, Cennamo included, was reforming under the name Illusion.

Discography:

• Armageddon (1975)