Armageddon was the only album released by British/American hard rock
group Armageddon in 1975. It features Keith Relf of Yardbirds and
Renaissance fame, Martin Pugh, lead guitarist on Rod Stewart's "An Old
Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down" and with Steamhammer, US-american Bobby
Caldwell who was the drummer of Captain Beyond and with Johnny Winter,
and Louis Cennamo who was the bass player for Renaissance and Steamhammer.
Armageddon sought to create a style unlike any other in rock.
Armageddon was the last band to feature ex-Yardbird Keith Relf. The former lead
singer and harmonica player of the band that launched Clapton, Beck and Page,
Relf had abandon his blues-guitar band roots when he founded Renaissance in the
late 1960s. Relf left Renaissance after two albums (actually half way through
the second album) due to frustrations with the music business and being tired of
touring. However, when he created Armageddon, he was involved with one of the
best guitar rock albums of the 70's.
After the dissolution of Steamhammer, Relf, and ex-Steamhammer members, Martin
Pugh (guitar) and Louis Cennamo (bass) came to L.A. and hooked up with
ex-Captain Beyond and Johnny Winter drummer Bobby Caldwell to form Armageddon.
This proved to be the last stand for Relf and Armageddon. Relf returned to
England due to poor health shortly after this was released. Relf's health and
reported drug use among some of the band lead to Armageddon failing to release
any more material. Relf died shortly after returning to England, when he was
electrocuted while playing guitar. He did record one more song "All the Falling
Angels" that is included on an album by Illusion called Echanted Caress.
(Illusion was the name the original members of Renaissance chose when they
reunited. This was because Anne Haslem and her crew had become Renaissance).
