|
By JEFF MAKI
I, like most others that listen to Arch Enemy, really became
a fan of the band when vocalist Angela Gassow entered as their
new vocalist. From the Wages of Sin album onward,
Gassow and guitarist/founder, Michael Amott have driven Arch
Enemy into being one of the most popular extreme metal bands.
So when the band decided to re-record and release a selection
of songs from their first three albums – which featured
former vocalist Johan Liiva – I was actually excited.
Why not? Although I have obviously heard the albums, I have
no loyalty to them or the band's original vocalist. Anyone
would be foolish to think that the band hasn't taken off and
vastly improved in the Gassow-era.
Now I'm not going to go back and listen to the albums in
order to compare the newly recorded songs note for note—who
has time for that? But what I can tell you from a casual listen
is that Arch Enemy stay pretty true to the originals with
The Root of All Evil. Except it's like hearing the
early incarnations of Swedish death metal with great production
and new technology. In other words, it's much of the same,
yet it's better.
The standouts of back then are here once again yet more ferocious—“Bury
Me An Angel,” “Beast of Man” and “Demonic
Science.” All sound like future staples in Arch Enemy
live sets and slide right in next to their current wealth
of strong material.
Just as Angela Gassow made Arch Enemy better, she makes their
older songs much better as well. The only downside I hear
is a change in her demonic vocals over the course of the last
few albums. I'm not sure whether she's attempting to be even
more brutal, but some of that raspy edge from Wages of
Sin and Anthems of Rebellion seems to have gone
astray. Even if this trend continues, Arch Enemy are an undisputed
extreme metal force and The Root of All Evil is a
must have for any of their fans.
®2009 Live-Metal.net
|
