ARCH ENEMY 'Rise of the Tyrant' (Century Media) Review by Jeff Maki

After two albums of more stripped-down, accessible extreme metal, Swedish death metal band Arch Enemy has hearkened back to their earlier, pioneering style with Rise of the Tyrant.

Led by the Amott brothers, Michael and Christopher, Arch Enemy started as a guitar-based project due to Michael's (Carcass, Spiritual Beggars) high profile within the extreme metal genre. When they recruited female vocalist Angela Gossow before the Wages of Sin album, the focus shifted to her brutal vocals. Her vocals often were layered with demonic effects using the tools of the trade (nice Carcass reference, right?). Arch Enemy's following albums, Anthems of Rebellion and Doomsday Machine, walked the line between accessible, commercial metal and extremity. With Rise of the Tyrant, the guitar domination is undeniable. Gossow takes a backseat with raw, throaty vocals. I'd go as far to say that this sounds more like the Arch Enemy fronted by their previous singer, Johan Liiva, than Gossow.

Rise of the Tyrant is still a top-tier metal album and possibly the band's most intricate and heaviest recording to date. The return of Christopher Amott is noticable as the deadly brotherly duo leave nothing behind in the riff and solo department. And drummer Daniel Erlandsson's non-stop double bass attack is the equivalent of running 30 miles for the average man. A few songs immediately stand out and are catchy enough for airplay; “I Will Live Again,” “Revolution Begins” and “The Day You Died” are all classic Gossow-fronted Arch Enemy. The rest of the recording has enormous depth and requires hours of listening to fully appreciate the musicianship.

I prefer Arch Enemy's last two outings over this one. Though scrutinized by hardcore fans for their commercial aspects, they were on the cusp of becoming one of the top extreme metal bands. The musicianship of Rise of the Tyrant is unmatched; don't get me wrong, you'll be hard-pressed to find a better metal record today. But by returning to their roots, they take a step back toward the rest of the pack.

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