Review Summary: Arch Enemy release their best album since Stigmata
Michael Amott is no stranger to the metal world. Starting off in the band Carcass, one of the most respected grindcore turned melodic death metal bands to appear on the scene, he left in 1996 to form Arch Enemy. Arch Enemy have since become somewhat famous for a metal band, appearing on numerous tours and selling many records.
Way back in 1998, Arch Enemy released an album called Stigmata, which I consider to be not only their best, but one of the best in the melodic death metal scene. While old vocalist Johan Liiva’s style of almost yelling was passable, if not very good, the music found on Stigmata was second to none. In its ability to simultaneously crush its listeners with brutality and lift them up with melodic passages, Stigmata became a masterpiece.
Fast forward to 2007. With guitarist Christopher Amott (brother to Michael Amott) back in the fold on guitar, Arch Enemy are once again poised to reclaim their position as a terrific melodic death metal band. Rise Of The Tyrant contains all of the trademarks that Arch Enemy have utilized throughout their albums, but it also contains much more.
One of the most recognizable aspects of Arch Enemy is vocalist Angela Gossow, who replaced Johan Liiva in 2001. Angela’s vocals have drawn much attention, mainly because of the fact that her growls certainly match the brutality of her death metal counterparts. Whereas some find her voice overly forced and overly processed, I think they fit quite well with the music. Thankfully, on Rise Of The Tyrant, Angela toned down on the vocal effects quite a bit. They sound much more natural without sacrificing any of the intensity of the former albums.
Rise Of The Tyrant doesn’t make any strides forwards in originality or innovation; rather, the album is about perfecting the standards that melodic death metal have set down. And Arch Enemy does an admirable job here. The album is jam packed with more lead lines, shred solos, and melodic parts than any of their albums . Gone for the most part are the recycled riffs that started to seep into the band’s songwriting, especially on Doomsday Machine. The heavy as all hell riffs still remain, they’ve just been changed up a little bit and are made more interesting. The melodies are more plentiful, and the solos are up to par with everything else they’ve ever done.
However, what I found genius about the album is the masterful way in which it balances the melodies that Arch Enemy have become famous for with an added edge of brutality. Underneath it all, the album carries an intensity not seen in Arch Enemy since their debut album, Black Earth. Tracks like
The Last Enemy, one of Arch Enemy’s most intense songs in recent times, display this balance very well. Opening with a fast, hard hitting riff, the song flies along with an energy that’s sure to whip up moshpits faster than anything else, only to plunge headlong into a terrific melodic chorus without sacrificing any of its intensity. While some poorly placed clean riffs towards the end do detract from the song a little, this is one of my favorites. The energy conveyed in here is astounding.
First single
Revolution Begins is sure to be a live staple for the band from now on. It has that anthemic quality to it, much like We Will Rise from Anthems Of Rebellion, and has a big chorus that just screams for audience participation. I mean, cmon, the song even has prerecorded “HEY!”s in it so Angela doesn’t even have to figure out where to whip up the crowd! It’s a bit slower paced than the rest of the album, but its a respectable single.
The band also has some more prominent keyboard parts courtesy of Swedish superproducer Frederik Nordstrom, who has had a hand in some way or form of almost every Swedish metal band in the past decade or so. Occasionally there would be an interlude or some backing chords, and it’s no different here, I just noticed that they popped up more often than not.
I Will Live Again makes extensive use of the keys, for example, and
The Day You Died has a few in the main riff.
And, of course, there’s no shortage of neoclassical ripoff. Closing song
Vultures makes use of neoclassical riffing in the long intro before launching into something that reminds me quite a bit of Bridge Of Destiny, in my opinion the best song they’ve done. The obligatory interlude
Intermezzo Liberte also uses it quite a bit. Throughout the album, the neoclassical influence works its way in here and there, whether it be the lead lines during the choruses or the solos.
Occasionally, the band makes a few missteps on the songwriting;
Night Falls Fast sounds like a b-side from Doomsday Machine (not a good one either) and
The Great Darkness suffers from some poorly placed choir work and some boring riffs. However, these are minor flaws and they are soon followed up by another great solo or riff. Simply put, Rise Of The Tyrant is the best Arch Enemy album since Stigmata. While not as good as that album, Rise Of The Tyrant still deserves a place in any melodic death metal fan’s collection.
Recommended Tracks:
Blood On Your Hands
The Last Enemy
Revolution Begins
Rise Of The Tyrant
Vultures
man I was going to do this, good review
