Record Store Spotlight: Armageddon Shop in Providence, RI (DIY Hardcore)

Providence's DIY Hardcore Anchor

Armageddon Shop at 436 Broadway in Providence has been Rhode Island's anchor for metal, hardcore, and punk vinyl since 2001. The shop is co-owned by Ben Barnett, guitar player for the iconic Providence hardcore band Dropdead, and Chris Andries. The combination of a working hardcore musician running the shop and a 25-year tenure has built Armageddon into the kind of institution that defines a regional scene rather than just serving one.

The store is small at roughly 484 square feet, but the curation packs more specialty depth into that footprint than most metro-scale shops manage. Metal, hardcore, and punk are the primary lanes, but the inventory spreads across many genres and formats (vinyl, cassettes, CDs) when the titles match the curator's ear. Armageddon also runs Armageddon Label, a release imprint that has put out Dropdead-adjacent and Providence hardcore records for years.

Ben Barnett and Dropdead

Dropdead is one of the defining hardcore bands of the last 30 years, formed in Providence in 1991 and still active. Ben Barnett's guitar work defined the band's sound across multiple decades and international touring. That musician-ownership context is central to Armageddon's identity: the shop is run by someone who has lived the scene rather than someone who reports on it from outside.

For collectors, Ben's curatorial ear and the Armageddon Label catalog make the shop a pilgrimage destination for serious metal and hardcore diggers. Visitors from across the Northeast and internationally specifically route through Providence for the Armageddon experience.

Providence and Harvard Square

Armageddon's Providence location on Broadway has been the original flagship since 2001. The shop later opened a second location in historic Harvard Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts, bringing the Armageddon curatorial lane into the Boston metro. Both locations share the metal, hardcore, and punk focus; the Harvard Square shop serves the different audience of Cambridge students, academics, and Boston-area collectors.

For visitors, the two-location network means Northeastern collectors can hit Armageddon on both ends of a New England trip. Providence is 50 minutes south of Boston via I-95. Harvard Square is a T ride from downtown Boston.

Plan Your Visit

Armageddon Shop

Providence's DIY hardcore anchor since 2001. 484 sq ft of metal, hardcore, and punk vinyl curated by Dropdead's Ben Barnett and Chris Andries.

Address: 436 Broadway, Providence, RI 02909
Hours: Mon-Sat 12pm-6pm
Web: armageddonshop.com
Facebook: Armageddon Shop on Facebook

Armageddon Shop is at 436 Broadway in Providence, RI 02909. 15 minutes from downtown Providence. Street parking available. From Boston, 50 minutes south via I-95.

Broadway, Dropdead, and 25 years of New England hardcore curation. Armageddon is the shop that made Providence a destination.