Originally released Feb 11 2014 as 'Harder Times' by Stitches.
credits

CREDITS // 

Music and lyrics by John Paul Carroll 
Produced, recorded and mixed by Dave Johnston 
Engineering assistance by Matt Keller 
Mastered by Reuben Rowntree 

Armed In Advance are: 
Daniel Purchase 
Hugh Hokopaura 
John Paul Carroll

Blood On Your Harem

“CHANGE/EVOLVE” ALBUM RELEASE DATE: 07/10/2016

Songs written, performed and produced by Armed In Advance*, 
Songs produced, engineered and mixed by James Alexander Boyd With the exception of Shallow, produced, engineered and mixed by Zorran Mendonsa.
Armed in Advance are: JP Carroll, Hugh Hokopaura, Ryan Thomas.
Songs Mastered by Ermin Hamidovic.
ARMED IN ADVANCE are an incisive, direct and powerful culmination of guitars, drums and songwriting that delivers an uncompromising, vast rock sound that is straight to the point. On the back of the five track Stitches EP in 2014 which received rave reviews and support from the Rock FM, This power rock trio roared into life at the end of 2015, when the mantra became ‘bigger is better’. Two top 20 radioscope chart hits with ‘Stay’ (#12, January) and ‘Same Old Story’ (#17, May) serve as an indication of what this band is capable of from a song crafting perspective, with monstrous guitar riffs giving way to hook laden vocal lines and an unrelenting and robust rhythm section. Five national tours since their inception in 2013, as well as support slots with New Zealand’s top rock acts (I Am Giant, Villainy, These Four Walls, and more) have served as a catalyst for the band to constantly look to improve their performances, and 2016 has seen this attitude pay dividends, with outstanding live reviews as well as a support slot secured with state-side genre heavyweights Drowning Pool in July. 

"...catchy vocal melodies and a scream that could make a lion jealous, guitar riffs which hit harder than Mike Tyson, a rhythm section that drives like a trucker on a six day meth binge...” ­ NZ Musician magazine

“...they are an act that blasts a set of loud grooves, big hits, rumbling tones and without fail has the audience jumping around, moshing, and singing along.” Muzic.net.nz 

Now, Armed In Advance are excited to introduce their Debut full length album Change/Evolve; 10 tracks - including their most recent singles ‘Stay’, ‘Same Old Story’ and the brand new track ‘Running You Down’ - that have been painstakingly crafted with one goal in mind; to create and showcase the absolute pinnacle of what this band has to offer. Set for release on 07/10/2016 These songs are the best from over 80 ideas, created and moulded in the two years since the release of the Stitches EP; and the end result is a devastating combination of thunderous grooves and churning rock riffs, anthemic choruses and energy to burn. 

Expect more touring; expect to hear more about Change/Evolve; and above all, expect Armed In Advance to stop at nothing in the pursuit of delivering the very best live show that they are capable of. 

“Two solid angry looking men, playing solid angry rock standing on their foldbacks high above the crowd to a packed floor at the Kings Arms and a drummer absolutely smashing his kit is enough to make any music lover take notice of Armed In Advance.”

*Drums performed by Daniel Purchase. 


10. Banquet

09. Shallow

08. Stay

07. Wasted On Me

06. Silhouette Aftermath

05. Change Evolve

04. Mistakes And Memories

03. Hope From The Hopeless

02. Same Old Story

01. Running You Down

Armed In Advance (formerly Stitches) are a hard rock trio known for their heavy hitting riffs, soaring melodies and purposeful songwriting. Hailing from Auckland New Zealand, the band is made up of JP Carroll (guitar and vocals), Hugh Hokopaura (bass) and Daniel Purchase (drums).

On February 11, 2014 the band released their debut five-track Stitches EP. Produced, engineered and mixed by Dave Johnston of Tui-award-winning rock band Villainy with assistance from engineer Matt Keller, ‘Harder Times’ is a solid showcase of work that garnered a promising response from the local media. 

"…music that is well performed, well-written, and (most importantly) well done…" - Spiderhands

"..it's hard for me to write words to describe how much I enjoy Stitches EP as a creative masterpiece…its one you will be listening to for years to come.." - Music.net.nz

"…catchy vocal melodies and a scream that could make a lion jealous, guitar riffs which hit harder than Mike Tyson, a rhythm section that drives like a trucker on a six day meth binge…” - NZ Musician magazine

Armed In Advance’s first single, Blood on Your Harem, received prominent airplay on The Rock FM's esteemed Off The Record segment, as did follow up single Light. In support of the release, Armed In Advance (Stitches) completed a headline tour of the country in March 2014, then again hit the road in October in support of Villainy on the six date ‘Ammunition’ tour. The following 6 months saw the band take their immersive live performance to the stage alongside the likes of These Four Walls, Ekko Park, Black River Drive and I Am Giant. 

May 2015 saw the band release Shallow, A single which was again met warmly by the critics. 

“...Edgy rock guitar and bass riffs, great vocals and powerful drums… brilliant, and I am now a fan of this Auckland trio.” (Muzic.net.nz). 

In June, Armed In Advance undertook a national Dual Headline tour in support of the single, which included a sold out Auckland show. 

The band is now focused on following up the Stitches EP, and have set their sights on an early 2016 release date. 


Armed In Advance

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