Year : 2025 (Japan Edition)
Style : Melodic Death Metal , Female Vocals
Country : Sweden
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 144 mb
Bio:
Formed by ex-Carnage, Carcass, and Candlemass guitarist Michael Amott (concurrently of Spiritual Beggars) with his brother Christopher (Armageddon), Arch Enemy took a straight-ahead approach to death metal reminiscent of Entombed or late-period Carcass, blending catchy, classic-style metal riffs with crushing grooves for an intense yet accessible sound. The group's charter lineup was rounded out by bassist/vocalist Johan Liiva (Carnage, Furbowl) and drummer Daniel Erlandsson (Eucharist, session work for In Flames); they released their debut album, Black Earth, in 1996. For their second album, 1998's Stigmata, Armageddon bassist Martin Bengtsson took over those duties from vocalist Liiva, while Armageddon drummer Peter Wildoer sat in for Erlandsson. More personnel turnover ensued, as Mercyful Fate reunion bassist Sharlee D'Angelo (also formerly of Witchery and Dismember) joined up for 1999's Burning Bridges, which also featured the return of Erlandsson. Wages of Sin from 2001 found Johan Liiva departing and replaced by Angela Gossow.After touring extensively across Europe and Japan, the band returned to the studio and released Anthems of Rebellion in 2003. The EP Dead Eyes See No Future was released by the end of the year and featured a mix of cover versions and live tracks. The album Doomsday Machine landed in July of 2005 right as guitarist Christopher Amott announced he was leaving the band. Former Tiamat member Fredrik Åkesson replaced him, though the two would switch places again two years later with Åkesson leaving the band to join Opeth, and Amott taking back his spot on guitar. The band then released its seventh album, Rise of the Tyrant, in 2007. The album would be Arch Enemy's most successful album to date, and they followed up the release by heading out on tours with Swedish metal giants Opeth and Dark Tranquillity. In 2009 the band looked back to its older material with The Root of All Evil. The album featured tracks from the band's first three albums that were re-recorded with current singer Angela Gossow. Arch Enemy reported they were entering the studio at the end of 2010, planning to release their ninth album in mid-2011.
Album:
Japan edition with 3 bonus tracks !!Arch Enemy back in the day was one of my favorite melodic death metal bands, and I always considered Amott one of the most talented guitarists in this genre. I followed almost every band he was part of before forming Arch Enemy. In other words, I’ve always loved Amott’s melodic riffs. Yes, throughout his career he’s been criticized plenty of times for repeating the same riffs over and over, but let’s be honest—his riffs, especially in the early days, were top-notch. Why not stick to a winning formula? I’d do the same. But lately, especially their last two releases, they didn’t stick with me at all. I tried, but those albums felt quite mediocre—nothing memorable in general. So my expectations for this release weren’t high either. As the band seemed to go full force toward a mainstream audience, I was expecting a more metalcore-influenced recording. But after several spins already, this album is obviously a step forward, and I’d say it’s the best one with Alissa on vocals.The album opens with a very classic song, “Dream Stealer,” which was released as a single prior to the album and particularly piqued my interest in the upcoming release. The song is well-balanced, Alissa’s vocals are top-level, and Amott drops his trademark riffs and solos. But the more interesting stuff starts with the second song, “Illuminate the Path,” which is my favorite composition on the album. The sound and song really gave me vibes of Doomsday Machine. Time and again, I think Alissa’s vocal range is becoming very similar to Angela’s, and at some points in this song, I couldn’t even differentiate Alissa’s vocals from Angela’s. The second topic is the riffs, which in this song are plentiful—very melodic, very catchy, and at the same time aggressive. This track properly represents all of Arch Enemy’s skills. It’s followed up with another very catchy and melodic song, “March of the Miscreants,” repeating the same formula I discussed, while also featuring a very good dynamic buildup during the song. In general, the album is very well-composed and mixed. The sound is perfect for melodic death metal, the guitar tones are pleasant, and the same goes for the drums. There are even small drum solos in several songs, which add strength to the album. Basically, the first half of the album is very good. In the second half, we get a couple of filler tracks, “Presage” and “Vivre Libre.” This latter song is a ballad done with clean vocals and a somewhat cheesy solo—it feels a bit out of place with the concept the rest of the album carries. Besides these two tracks, almost every song on this album is very interesting and a nice piece of melodic death metal, which is rare these days. I love solos, so for that reason alone, this album is already one of my favorites from these guys. Almost every song has a very catchy solo that sticks with you. Sound-wise, the album is very similar to War Eternal, which was also a decent album and a good debut for Alissa. The same applies here, with a bit more of a Doomsday Machine style added in, resulting in a very good mix and a solid example of how tasty melodic death metal should be written in 2025.Overall, the album is very entertaining. I enjoyed it a lot and will definitely dig into it more in the future. And again, to the critics who say Amott is a bit of an egoist when it comes to composing songs and writing riffs—I’d never agree. Arch Enemy was always Amott’s project, and the fact is clear: if we don’t count a few mediocre albums, he’s always delivered a very high level of musicianship in every release, which is rare in the melodic death metal scene these days. We see how most of the Gothenburg giants are fading, dropping uninspired trash lately. This album is one more proof that Amott should be considered one of the best guitarists in this genre, if not the best. It’s a very good album with classic Swedish melodic death riffs, a strong performance from Alissa, and probably the band’s best offering in the last 10 years.
Line-Up:
Alissa White-Gluz - Vocals (2014-present) - See also: Alissa White-Gluz, ex-Blackguard (live), ex-Kamelot (live), ex-The Agonist
Michael Amott - Guitars (1995-present), Bass (1996), Keyboards (2007) - See also: Black Earth, Spiritual Beggars, ex-Carnage, ex-Candlemass, ex-Carcass, ex-Entombed (live), ex-Disaccord
Joey Concepcion - Guitars (2023-present) - See also: Joey Concepcion, ex-Armageddon, ex-Daughter Chaos, ex-Sanctuary, ex-Symphony of Malice, ex-The Absence, ex-Dark Tranquillity (live), ex-Oath of Insanity, ex-Dead by Wednesday
Sharlee D'Angelo - Bass (1998-present) - See also: Black Earth, Spiritual Beggars, The Night Flight Orchestra, ex-Illwill, ex-Dismember, ex-King Diamond, ex-Mercyful Fate, ex-Witchery, ex-Facelift, ex-Sinergy, ex-Firegod
Daniel Erlandsson - Drums (1996, 1998-present) - See also: Black Earth, ex-The End, ex-Brujeria, ex-Carcass, ex-Eucharist, ex-Revengia, ex-In Flames (live), ex-Diabolique, ex-Armageddon, ex-Liers in Wait
Tracklist:
01. Dream Stealer 04:29
02. Illuminate the Path 04:48
03. March of the Miscreants 04:49
04. A Million Suns 03:45
05. Don't Look Down 04:07
06. Presage 00:47 instrumental
07. Blood Dynasty 03:51
08. Paper Tiger 03:56
09. Vivre libre (Blasphème cover) 04:07
10. The Pendulum 03:42
11. Liars & Thieves 04:20
12. Break the Spell 04:29 (Bonus Track)
13. Moths 04:04 (Bonus Track)
14. Evil Dead (Death cover) 03:05 (Bonus Track)
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