Author: Primož Novak
Artist: Arch Enemy
Label: Century Media
Release: year_month
Length: 50:16
Rating: 3/5
Swedish melodic death metal outfit Arch Enemy have enjoyed an incredible reputation in recent years. Even though it looked like their popularity would drop after vocalist Angela Gossow left, it actually went the other way. Alissa White-Gluz, the Canadian-born singer, stepped into some big shoes and then some. Arch Enemy album sales haven’t dropped, and the shows are packed accordingly. The first album she appeared on (War Eternal, review HERE) caught on well. You couldn’t really feel any major changes, apart from Alissa wanting to broaden the vocal spectrum with the occasional melodic vocals, something she’d already been doing in The Agonist. In the meantime the band also picked up a new guitarist, the mighty Jeff Loomis (Nevemore, Conquering Dystopia), one of the most respected modern metal guitarists around.
The excitement over Jeff Loomis working with Michael Amott on writing the new Arch Enemy album was indescribable, but it never happened. Amott said that Loomis’s style, which was a trademark of Nevemore, doesn’t belong in Arch Enemy, so this time too Michael Amott alone was responsible for writing the album, and he also produced it. In the end he did let Loomis contribute a few solos. Michael is undoubtedly an experienced songwriter and an outstanding guitarist, but without the help of his brother Christopher Amott, who left after Khaos Legions, he simply can’t muster the same freshness and innovation anymore, which was strongly felt on War Eternal. The younger Amott, meanwhile, revived Armageddon, showing how a more old-school melodic death metal sounds without the frills. But Arch Enemy can’t sound like that, because they need the pomp and catchiness to win over a bigger mass of listeners.
Getting to the album: Will To Power kicks off with the melodic instrumental intro Set the Flame to the Night, which even slightly recalls the intro on Khaos Legions. As expected, Will To Power explodes with The Race, fast and punchy with a powerful rhythm section and guitars that peak in the solo section. To underline the song’s aggression, Arch Enemy throw in a hardcore-tinged chorus. White-Gluz’s vocals are suitably strong and angry. The start is solid, but it becomes clear pretty quickly that there were no big ambitions here, which shows with the next generic track, Blood in the Water. Amott and company did try to make a varied album, but as a whole the thing just doesn’t convince. Of course there’s the odd bright spot: the first single The World Is Yours shows a lot of promise before it fizzles out with a syrupy section, though the rest is relatively listenable. That certainly doesn’t go for The Eagle Flies Alone, which sounds clichéd and corny, and the chorus stands out with even more clichéd lyrics, the kind you could just as well pin on Ektomorf. This is also where it shows that on their recent albums Arch Enemy like to repeat their recipe, built on sing-along choruses. Luckily they break up the monotony with virtuoso solos and assorted melodies, which has always set the band apart and gives some hope for the future.
After a few tracks it’s more than obvious that Arch Enemy no longer want to complicate things or experiment. The album hits peak pathos, of course, with the ballad-tinged Reason to Believe, where White-Gluz shows off her clean singing chops before it shifts into “screeching” in the style of her former band The Agonist. Then comes a glimmer of hope. First Day in Hell, with an intro that recalls Slayer, is guitar-heavy, which gives the feeling that the band didn’t only work on how important the chorus is. After the short instrumental Saturnine, Arch Enemy serve up a slightly longer track, Dream of Retribution, which has good potential with its melodies, but toward the end the whole thing feels too repetitive and drawn out.
Thanks to the big-budget production, the band even went for some epic touches, so there’s the occasional piano and various orchestrations. That stands out especially on the closing track A Fight I Must Win, which is definitely the bright spot of this dry-as-dust album.
Production-wise the album is strong, the performance is undoubtedly top-notch, the guitars still stand out with all their wizardry, the drums are dynamic, though at times a bit too power metal, the bass is a good support for the guitars, and the vocals are suitably powerful too. The only problem is that the songs are predictable and unimaginative. There’s also some filler, which backs up the fact that the album was written in quite a hurry. I can’t complain about the sound itself either. Jens Bogren (Kreator, Amon Amarth) has once again done a superb job.
New fans will find the album tailor-made for them, but longtime followers will hear that Arch Enemy have simply run out of inspiration and real ideas, and delivered a generic, forgettable product with bright moments in seriously short supply. Maybe it’s about time Christopher Amott came back to the band and spiced up the music with his ideas? For now it looks more likely that the band will launch a fashion clothing collection first …
Lineup
Alissa White-Gluz – vocals
Michael Amott – guitar
Jeff Loomis – guitar
Sharlee D’Angelo – bass
Daniel Erlandsson – drums
Production
Michel Amott, Daniel Erlandsson, Jens Bogren (post-production)
Tracklist
1.Set Flame to the Night
2. The Race
3. Blood in the Water
4. The World Is Yours
5. The Eagle Flies Alone
6. Reason to Believe
7. Murder Scene
8. First Day in Hell
9. Saturnine
10. Dreams of Retribution
11. My Shadow and I
12. A Fight I Must Win
