Arch Enemy Albums (9)
'Tyrants of the Rising Sun'
Release Date 11/24/2008
Tracks 20
Label Century Media
See Album Tracklist and Review
'Doomsday Machine'
Release Date 7/26/2005
Tracks 11
Label Century Media
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
One gets the feeling that Doomsday Machine is something of a make-or-break album for Sweden's Arch Enemy. Easily the most commercial effort of the band's career thus far, it signals that dangerous moment in any heavy metal band's existence when, in a bid for acceptance on a wider scale, the bandmembers must risk upsetting the loyal fan base that has carried them thus far. Then again, original diehards already accused Arch Enemy of selling out years before, when they replaced popular frontman Johan Liiva with newcomer Angela Grossow and inaugurated their experiments with more subtle metallic songwriting tricks. And when your man in charge is Michael Amott, survivor of countless heavy metal style battles and long-deceased former bands, guitar-driven overkill is really the only surefire guarantee -- with risk-taking simply a function of the game. Doomsday Machine's "game" begins with "Enter the Machine," a majestic, harmony-laden instrumental that some might find more adequate for a power metal album than anything from Arch Enemy, but which actually proves very fitting as exceedingly melodious songs like "Taking Back My Soul," "Mechanic God Creation," and "Slaves of Yesterday" proceed to be unleashed. The serious thrashing of yesteryear is dominant on only a couple of cuts: the rather average "Machtkampf" and the quite memorable "Nemesis," neither of them sacrificing their melodic touches, as the Amott brothers appear intent on chugging out cleaner, linear riffs instead, and leave drummer Daniel Erlandsson to account for much of the hyperactivity from the rear. As for the front, vocalist Gossow's ragged croak is really put to the test by the band's increasingly melodic and dynamically varied instrumental backdrops, giving rise to legitimate concerns as to whether she has finally transformed from asset to liability. Never an overpowering presence to begin with (calling Karyn Crisis!), at times she totally nails it (such as on the album highlight "Carry the Cross"), while at others she's given the studio processing treatment (see the quasi-industrial "My Apocalypse"), as if in a bid to keep up with the surrounding din. Not that the lyrics handed her by Amott provide much inspiration, either, seeming geared less toward actual meaning than sounding good and functional in a chorus (witness the utterly disposable "Skeleton Dance"). In summary, and regardless of the above reservations, there's no disputing that Doomsday Machine is, fundamentally, yet another immaculately produced Arch Enemy album, forged first and foremost by the vision of Michael Amott's guitar. If that vision lacks for extreme metallic fury because Amott has decided to make Arch Enemy the next Iron Maiden instead of the next Slayer, then at least his cards are laid out on the table, and fans can make up their own minds as to whether they want to follow. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia, All Music Guide
'Dead Eyes See No Future'
Release Date 6/7/2004
Tracks 6
Label Toys Factory
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Sounding like a particularly rotten day during the apocalypse, Arch Enemy is a ferocious gang of Swedish death metalers bent on throttling their listeners, and they succeed most magnificently on Wages of Sin. The Scandinavians in general are known most for their allegiance to black metal: atmospheric, epic-sounding, satanic-leaning stuff which they invented. But Arch Enemy, who includes members and former members of Carcass, Armageddon, and Mercyful Fate, is more death than black, but there's a little bit of everything in their mix of Sepultura-like riffage; mid-'80s classic, over-the-top metal solos; meat-cleaver-style hooks; and dirty Florida swamp-style death metal. Of course, death metal can easily become monotonous, but this is not at all the case with Arch Enemy, whose songwriting is way above par. Wages of Sin is the first album from the band featuring their new singer, Angela Gossow, a German blonde whose vocals never sound as if they could possibly be emanating from a woman. Rather, they sound like a guttural blast from the sewers of purgatory. She is just the right touch to add to a band who ranks among metal's most progressive and unique outfits. ~ Adam Bregman, All Music Guide
'Burning Japan Live 1999'
Release Date 12/5/2000
Tracks 11
Label Import
See Album Tracklist and Review
'Burning Bridges'
Release Date 6/21/1999
Tracks 8
Label Century Media
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
While some of the genre's hardcore aficionados might disagree, death metal tempered with a dab of accessibility is generally a more enticing proposition -- not only does it render the intensity more consistently listenable, it also increases the chances of a band developing an original voice, since they don't tie themselves down to genre conventions. Arch Enemy is one such band, having honed a potent blend of classic-style death metal, melodic twin-guitar leads à la the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, touches of prog metal and of grindcore courtesy of later Carcass or Napalm Death, and just plain solid riff writing. Burning Bridges, their third effort, consolidates the gains made on its predecessor Stigmata, establishing Arch Enemy as a dependable force and one of the better bands working death metal territory as the '90s draw to a close. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The vehicle through which death metal guitar hero Michael Amott channeled his most extreme instrumental concepts, Arch Enemy was an experiment that produced predictably wild and undeveloped results. After the group's debut, Black Earth, shocked and amazed many fans of the Gothenburg sound, Arch Enemy signed with indie metal powerhouse Century Media and released Stigmata in 1998. As often happens with highly anticipated follow-ups, Stigmata disappointed some fans with what some called a more restrained sound and lesser material. Realistically, the tightly constructed production was to be expected, and the real driving force behind Arch Enemy's success -- Amott's guitar work -- is definitely present. On the negative side, vocalist Johan Liiva doesn't do much except stay out of the way, and the addition of Peter Wildoer on drums (in place of Daniel Erlandsson) doesn't help either. Perhaps confirming the band's critics, Arch Enemy asked Erlandsson to return for its next release, Burning Bridges. These problems are really minor when balanced against Amott's massive playing and songwriting, so while Stigmata is a fraction off from the band's debut form, Arch Enemy still delivers some nice melodic death metal on the sophomore effort. ~ Vincent Jeffries, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Reissues can be quite revealing when a band has been around for a decade or more. A reissue might demonstrate that a band's sound has pretty much stayed the same over the years, or it might make the listener say, "You know, this band has done a lot of evolving since this album was recorded." Arch Enemy's debut album, Black Earth (which was recorded in 1996 and reissued in the United States by Regain in 2007), is definitely an example of the latter. Between 1996 and 2007, Arch Enemy experienced some lineup changes, and their approach became increasingly polished along the way. That isn't to say that Black Earth is not well played or short on chops, only that Arch Enemy favored more rawness in the beginning. Arch Enemy's 1996 lineup -- Michael and Christopher Amott on guitar, Johan Liiva on lead vocals and bass, and Daniel Erlandsson on drums -- keeps the slickness to a minimum on bare-knuckles thrash metal/death metal scorchers like "Idolatress," "Transmigration Macabre" and "Fields of Desolation" (all of which show the influence of both Sepultura and Iron Maiden). Black Earth underscores thrash and death metal's debt to punk, but the power metal influence is quite evident as well, and for all their bombast, the tunes on this album are fairly hooky and relatively accessible. Of course, longtime followers of Arch Enemy will debate the merits of their early output versus what came later. Some headbangers prefer the gruff-voiced Liiva over his replacement Angela Gossow; others will counter that Gossow was an improvement over Liiva. At any rate, Black Earth was a promising debut for Arch Enemy and is among the Swedish combo's more consistent and memorable efforts. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
