Arms and Armour, Slugg

Arms & Armour is a collaboration between Lauren Voss (vocals, guitar,

synth) and John Panza (acoustic and electronic drums, programming,

synth). Celebrating their thirteenth year as Arms & Armour, the

musically betrothed Lauren and John continue to expand Arms & Armour’s

repertoire, challenging themselves with new technologies and new

musical approaches. Recorded in their own Cleveland-based studio —

Dark Current — using a combination of live recording, loops, and

samples, The Winds EP represents the most recent iteration of the

band’s sound, a movement building on Voss’s sincere vocals with, at

times, crushing guitar and bombastic percussion reflecting the

industrial setting of their studio home — a former drill bit factory —

all filtered through the dark forests of their imagination. Their new

album, The Hunted, is due out Sept 4th.

Slugg moves in disorienting spirals. Sludgy, reptilian electronics, manipulated vocals, and caustic percussion make up tracks that are perfectly-arranged but instantly overpowering. Nothing is obvious.