Genre: Melodic Death Metal
Label: Century Media Records
Date of Release: 28 March 2025
Links: https://archenemy.net/en/
Line Up:
Michael Amott – Guitar
Daniel Erlandsson – Drums
Sharlee D’Angelo – Bass
Alissa White-Gluz – Vocals
Joey Concepcion – Guitar
Tracklist:
Dream Stealer
Illuminate the Path
March of the Miscreants
A Million Suns
Don’t Look Down
Presage
Blood Dynasty
Paper Tiger
Vivre Libre
The Pendulum
Liars and Thieves
Death Metal legends, Arch Enemy, return with their 12th Studio Album. The near-30-year veterans are still going strong and founding member Michael Amott commented “This is our 12th studio album, and the rule of metal is that you’ve got to keep trying to say the same thing, but in slightly different ways! There’s a degree of familiarity in our sound, which I don’t see as a problem because we’re playing the music we love. But obviously we’ve got to throw a couple of curveballs in there each time, a few new interesting things to spice it up a little bit. How do you get people talking about your record when it’s the 12th one, you know?”
Fans of the band will notice their trademark sound throughout, but the group has tried to include aspects such as clean vocals from Alissa White-Gluz. They have also tapped into White-Gluz’s Canadian heritage by covering a French 80’s rock ballad “Vivre Libre“, with the lyrics being in French. The track, which was originally intended as a bonus, has made it to the final cut due to strength of the vocal performance.
“Blood Dynasty” was recorded in the band’s native Sweden with producer Jens Borgren who worked on the groups’ previous album “Will to Power“. This new Arch Enemy album sounds immense, with a high level of detail, incorporating a deep body while having a gritty presence that surpasses all their previous studio work.
Wacken Open Air 2022
To date the group have pre-released four tracks from the album: “Dream Steeler“, “Blood Dynasty“, “Paper Tiger” and “Liars and Thieves” in advance of the full release later this month. The first of these is the opening track “Dream Stealer” which is a high paced heavy offering that sets the tone for the entire album. The guitar work combined with the double pedal work from Erlandsson really drives the energy of the song, a feature present throughout the album.
A highlight of the album for me is second track “Illuminated the Path” with its driving rhythms, mix of clean and guttural vocals, pounding drums and spacious guitar work. I am a big fan of contrast within a song and this track delivers on all the facets that make a great metal recording. However, my favourite song is “Paper Tiger” which has a Children of Bodom-esque feel to it (reminiscent of the Finnish melodic death metal band’s technical style) and I particularly like the guitar solo section with the high-speed scale runs. The music backing up the vocals feels quite retro in nature and blends well with the more extreme vocalisations.
An aspect of the band’s writing that is really effective compared to some other bands is the space that the guitars are afforded in the mix in certain sections. It is far too easy to over complicate the music with too much going on, and in tracks such as “Paper Tiger” and “Liars and Thieves” this room afforded to the guitars adds interest and breathing room.
Overall, this album has been successfully created from the writing to the production, and I can’t wait to see it performed live. The band will be promoting the album with a European tour starting in Germany this October.
Written by: Dave Martin
Ratings: 8/10
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