![]() ![]() It also helped that Michael Amott and his colleagues had written their sharpest set of songs yet. Fortunately, Angela Gossow was an unquestionable star, with a voice that could strip paint from the walls and instigate a bloody uprising simultaneously. ![]() Pure fucking metal, 2022 styleĪfter three albums with frontman Johan Liiva, Arch Enemy took the (then) bold step of switching to a female vocalist. Aside from having some of the quintet’s heaviest ever material – first single Deceiver, Deceiver was just a brief taste of the brutality on offer - their 11th full-length gently expands the Arch Enemy blueprint to include a greater range of melodic ideas (Alyssa’s clean vocals are sparingly used but hugely impactful), opulent, theatrical arrangements ( Spreading Black Wings will haunt your dreams) and several of the band’s biggest ever hooks. If Will To Power showcased a band with even more fire in their bellies than seems strictly reasonable, Deceivers is a towering inferno. Will To Power rages from start to finish, with songs like The Race and Murder Scene I delving skilfully into Arch Enemy’s dark, death metal past, and anthems like The World Is Yours and The Eagle Flies Alone making themselves quickly known as obvious, instant classics. From the gleaming gloom of opener Blood On Your Hands and the marauding The Last Enemy, to the neoclassical assault of dramatic closer Vultures, … Tyrant remains a slow-burner, but one capable of inflicting a massive amount of damage.Īlyssa White-Gluz’s second album with the veteran Swedes (and, by this point, one American: guitarist Jeff Loomis) took everything that was great about its predecessor War Eternal and injected with a choking dose of supreme confidence. ![]() The dark horse in the Arch Enemy catalogue, Rise Of The Tyrant may lack a stone cold banger like Nemesis or We Will Rise, but co-producers Michael Amott and Fredrik Nordström gave these songs a uniquely untamed, vicious edge. A grand showcase for their new singer’s extraordinary versatility, razor-sharp rippers like Never Forgive, Never Forget and As The Pages Burn confirmed that Arch Enemy were back with a bloody, virtuoso vengeance. War Eternal bristles with renewed intent, with Alyssa front and centre, and some of the most destructive and memorable songs their creators’ have ever written. Replacing the charismatic and beloved Angela Gossow was always going to be a challenge, but Alyssa White-Gluz absolutely smashed her golden opportunity when she was unveiled as Arch Enemy’s new frontwoman in 2014. Songs like Silverwing, The Immortal and Angelclaw confirmed that Arch Enemy were slipping into a higher gear. Original vocalist Johan Liiva was still gamely bellowing away in true death metal fashion, but the music underpinning his growls had become increasingly sophisticated and much closer to the punishing, classic metal majesty that we expect from the band today. Unlucky.Īrch Enemy’s third album seemed to mark the moment when guitarist Michael Amott’s vision was brought into sharp focus. Its high points – the anthemic Let The Killing Begin, closing epic Bridge Of Destiny – are as grandiose and crushing as anything in the band’s discography, but Stigmata contains just slightly fewer jaw-dropping moments than the other records on this list. Arch Enemy’s second album is actually pretty great, and fulfils the band’s immaculate savagery brief as convincingly as any other. Something has to come last, and Stigmata is arguably the only credible candidate. ![]()
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