Review Summary: Amaranthe continue to create music that shouldn't really exist, but the execution is stylish enough to make it worth a listen.
Ah, Amaranthe. The band that brought us "Amaranthe" and "The Nexus", two of the most heinously addictive metal albums that could still be called metal. They are the sort of band that you don’t really want anyone to know you listen to; the sort of band who you would watch at a concert and then sob afterwards at how ‘sparkly’ it was.
Their most recent release, Massive Addictive, completely slipped under my radar; it wasn’t until several days later that I was aware that Amaranthe had brought us more pop-metal porn to feast upon. My initial reaction was ‘good god, it can’t have been long since their last album was released’, and I was right; The Nexus was delivered in 2012, and you can almost imagine they’re being booted by their record label to chuck out more albums.
Their opening track, "Dynamite", pretty much sums up the band in three minutes and fourteen seconds; unyieldingly formulaic song structures, the tactical insertion of harsh vocals and enough auto-tune to bury most pop musicians. The end result is that the songs are infectious, albeit completely unoriginal by the end of the album.
The album quickly moves onto lead single "Drop Dead Cynical", who’s thumping rhythm and electronic-infused vocals will unapologetically ring through your head for hours to come. Although it’s good fun for the most part, the bridge section certainly feels jarring against both the song and the album as a whole, with the unnecessary inclusion of dubstep inspired ‘wub-wubs’ and ‘stutter’ vocals.
"Trinity" rather conspicuously straddles the border between metal and stadium rock, with unremarkable verses and a generic chorus that probably aims for mainstream success more than other tracks. Title track "Massive Addictive" adheres to the formula, despite a more engaging chorus. "Digital World" is, unsurprisingly, an exact duplicate but with a slightly different riff and melody. Both "True" and "Over and Done" tick the ‘power-ballad’ box, although the latter is certainly the better song and is actually listenable in its own right.
Repeat for the remaining five tracks, and you have an Amaranthe album.
Although I haven't stated many positives so far, "Massive Addictive" doesn’t claim to be anything other than what it is. Whilst the guitars are most likely augmented by every computer programme known to man, it elegantly meanders between precise/choppy and gentle/flowing when it needs to be. The drumming is pretty darn exciting compared to some of the other stuff that’s going on, although unsurprisingly the bass makes little to no appearance, although it could be argued that Amaranthe isn’t about the instruments, but rather the vocalists.
Front-woman Elize Ryd has the perfect voice for the band, and delivers a consistent performance throughout the album. The male clean vocalist, who acts as an alternate singer to add another dimension to the music, is perfectly competent when he needs to be, although whether his contribution makes much of a difference is questionable. Apparently there’s a new harsh vocalist. I couldn’t actually tell until checking the Wikipedia article, but sure enough Henrik Englund has taken the somewhat underwhelming title of ‘harsh vocalist’. I say underwhelming because, like the previous vocalist (Andreas Solveström), he’s more of an afterthought who’s occasionally slotted in between choruses as an attempt legitimise Amaranthe’s dubious claim as a metal band. That’s not to say that he’s a bad vocalist. Although it can be a little difficult to decipher what he’s actually saying (not that the lyrical content is especially important), Henrik’s voice sounds a little deeper and more guttural than Andreas ever did. If anything, the screams feel more organic and interesting than they did on "The Nexus" and "Amaranthe". The only songs that really stand out are "Danger Zone" and "An Ordinary Abnormality", specifically because they give Henrik a little more room to breathe than others on the album.
Overall, you could probably have guessed what was coming, and despite being down-right lazy in terms of song writing, Amaranthe have proved that they know exactly what needs to be done to quench our thirst for cheesy lyrics and disco-fuelled choruses. The band set out not to become revolutionists, but instead to fill a gaping vacuum in metal previously untouched by more cautious bands. If you enjoyed previous offerings from the band, there's no reason why you wouldn't enjoy "Massive Addictive". If, on the other hand, pop-metal isn't quite your thing, this latest effort is unlikely to change your mind.
Recommended Tracks:
Drop Dead Cynical
Over and Done
Danger Zone
An Ordinary Abnormality
