It seems like ages ago that Swedish melodic death metal band Arch Enemy was fronted by Johan Liiva. Of course, Angela Gassow now leads the band and is the deadliest female vocalist in extreme metal and has helped catapult the band to stardom. As lead guitarist Michael Amott explained to me in an interview in 2006 (READ HERE), the band was searching for a persona or an identity in the vocal department. Though Liiva's vocals were strong, they were somewhat ordinary, causing fans’ focal points to be the amazing guitar playing of Michael and his brother, Christopher Amott. Listen to the re-release of Black Earth, and you'll hear an excellent melodic death metal album, but you can also see Amott's point.

Regain Records has re-released the album, which was originally released in Europe in 1997 and has never been available in North America. It's a must-have for Arch Enemy fans who didn't buy the import or download it already. There's nothing too special in the repackaging of the album, but you get two bonus Iron Maiden covers, “The Ides of March” and “Aces High,” and “Losing Faith,” along with the video for “Bury Me an Angel,” a staple the band's live set. The material is classic Swedish death metal, and looking back, this basically served as the bridge between Amott's former band, Carcass, and the current incarnation of Arch Enemy. While current fans may be surprised by the more raw, underground production, Arch Enemy's classic dual guitar attack has never sounded more memorable and lethal.

This is essential for extreme metal collectors and a great retrospective for newer fans unfamiliar with the band's past.