Send "Arch Enemy " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Popmatters |
 Aside from Amon Amarth, no metal band has gotten away with recycling its sound so well for so long as Arch Enemy. For 15 years the German/Swedish band has been churning out the exact same hybrid of melodic death, thrash, and power metal, and it’s gotten to the point where you can pinpoint striking similarities between new songs and old songs. But like Amon Amarth, Arch Enemy has an uncanny knack for making repeated ideas sound fresh, and as a result the band has been able to not only maintain its popularity but sell more albums with each new release. The fact is the fans know exactly what to expect, and Arch Enemy always delivers.Those who follow Arch Enemy closely will tell you that there are distinct differences between their albums, and that’s definitely the case with their eighth full-length Khaos Legions. After 2001’s Wages of Sin, the explosive debut of vocalist Angela Gossow, the band, led by former Carcass guitarist Michael Amott, has been continually tinkering with its approach. The template has always been the same, but subsequent releases have varied in tone: 2003’s breakthrough Anthems of Rebellion was crisp to the point of feeling rather sterile, 2005’s Doomsday Machine was punchier but also far more polished, while 2007’s Rise of the Tyrant returned to the raw, more aggressive approach of Wages of Sin. The latter album worked so well for the band, especially Gossow, who benefited immensely from the less processed approach to her vocals, that it was enough to think Arch Enemy would continue this route from now on....full text |
| Killyourstereo |
| I think it’s important to point out that I hardly consider myself an authority on death metal. As much as I enjoy a limited foray into the heavier side of things, I’d never really considered metal my thing. I wasn’t sure what to expect from Khaos Legions, Swedish metallers Arch Enemy’s eighth studio album, but it left me incredibly impressed and engaged, and most definitely a converted fan. Inspired, heavy and rebellious, Khaos Legions is top quality thrash-tainted death metal from a long enduring band. Among those less familiar with the band, Arch Enemy are mainly known for the fact they have a female vocalist. But don’t let that put you off- Angela Gossow’s vocals are heavy, deep and brutal, and there’s far more to the band than just a snarling, sexy frontwoman. Intricate, violent guitarwork underlays Khaos Legion’s sweeping harmonies, intense metallic crescendos and diverse rhythms. The first of three instrumentals, opener ‘Khaos Overture’ brings the album to a fierce start; layers and layers of guitars, drums and siren sounds get the energy developing. ‘Yesterday is Dead and Gone’ is everything you want from a metal track- guttural screams and rapid guitar progressions, with perfectly subdued cadence in between. ‘Bloodstained Cross’ shows off the band’s evidently brilliant musicianship. The heavy sweeping guitars blend seamlessly with rapid snare, and varying tempo between verse and chorus. ’Cult of Chaos’ is a highlight- dark, rapid and headbang-inducing. ‘Under Black Flags We March’ and ‘No Gods, No Masters’ are irresistibly melodious, and incredibly accessible even to the newest of metal fans like myself. Khaos Legions may not be as heavy as seasoned death metal fans might be wanting from the band, but it is undeniably brilliant quality music, and Arch Enemy’s ability to create engaging melodies amongst the chaos of metal is a testament to their talent as a band. Disappointingly though, most of the stand-out tracks on Khaos Legions are at the beginning of the album, and the quality starts to lower a little toward the end. There are a couple of throwaway tracks that I felt the album could do without (the album does come in at a whopping 16 tracks), and that makes for some weaker moments....full text |
| Sputnikmusic |
| Surely rebellious tyrants, waging sin against the doomsday machine was enough, but apparently Arch Enemy are obliged to now offer us legions of rebellious tyrants, waging sin against the doomsday machine. The common thread has been this cliché concept of cataclysm, rebellion, death, legions, sins et al., and it’s all essentially culminated to an anticlimax that is likely to be chained to the band’s coffin. It does come to question Angela Gossow’s immeasurable imagination but then again, you can’t really blame Arch Enemy for being a metal band with apocalyptic thoughts... As a banal next move from the group, there’s naturally not a whole lot to be said Khaos Legions otherwise – eleven economically sourced second-hand tracks, two instrumentals (one healthier than the other, take your pick), a ludicrous intro (possibly their worst ever) and of course to two incredibly able brothers incessantly duelling to their hearts content. The Amott brothers appear to be – and have increasingly so per each album – overly conscious of their own abilities to design fluid leads, but it’s this same self awareness that’s guised as an album which unfortunately sounds exceedingly parallel to previous material. Instrumentals are no longer glorious intermissions but casual redesigns of passing notes and lower mordents; leads while independently cordial seem to devour songs instead of elevate them; jointly, Gossow’s lyricism holds dearly onto mutinous themes that still haven’t jumped ship since... well ever. All this is purely representative of the self-afflicted downward slope they’ve preserved for quite some time, however doesn’t entirely symbolise the album’s sum, for the moments of capability stem from times where they share melodic impressions with connected influence. “Cruelty Without Beauty” sounds convincing while being flanked by elements of Slayer’s “Dead Skin Mask” and “South of Heaven” which is surely no fluke. Similarly, the second instrumental, “Turn to Dust” treads melodies shown in both The Beatles’ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” and later “Cult of Chaos” and its enjoyable chorus....full text |
Arch Enemy lyrics Music videoclips
|
| |||||||
