| Written by Alex Stojanovic TRACK LISTING Dream Stealer Illuminate The Path March Of The Miscreants A Million Suns Don't Look Down Presage Blood Dynasty Paper Tiger Vivre Libre (Blaspheme cover) The Pendulum Liars & Thieves Release Date: March 28, 2025 Label: Century Media Records Website: archenemy.net facebook.com/archenemyofficial |  |
Honestly, the Swedish scene has produced some of the most important bands in metal of the last 30 years, and some classic and incredible albums to go with it. Amon Amarth, At The Gates, Dark Tranquillity and In Flames are just some of the names that put Swedish metal on the map. along with albums like Twilight Of The Thunder God, Slaughter Of The Soul, Damage Done and Clayman. However, when you talk about the Swedish scene, it would be criminal to omit Arch Enemy from the conversation. Albums like Wages Of Sin and Doomsday Machine are as much classics as any of the aforementioned albums above, and the days with Angela Gossow behind the mic tend to hold the most favour with die-hard fans. There was definitely a division between the fans when Alissa White-Gluz took over in 2014, who some feel saw the band going in what they would call the "Hot Topic" route that started with the War Eternal album, but it still introduced the band to a much wider audience at the same time.
Even though I'm not an Arch Enemy die-hard, I enjoy some of their stuff and I've always had an appreciation for Michael Amott as a guitarist. He tends to write some brutally heavy riffs and tasty harmonies. The thing is that much of his writing as of late tends to suffer a bit from the use of rehashed ideas that we've heard many times from them. The last Arch Enemy album I seemed to enjoy the most songs off was Will To Power. I found that while Deceivers had some cool moments, I felt that it was starting to really become stale, and honestly, I kind of feel the same about their new album Blood Dynasty. Alissa also started incorporating more of her clean vocals into certain tracks, which I personally think she should do more of, because when you have choruses with really hypnotic guitar harmonies or just super catchy melodies, pairing them with harsh vocals on top doesn't really work a lot. Her gutterals are deliciously brutal, but I think they're overused and her cleans don't get enough time in the spotlight.
Since Deceivers came out, the band split with Jeff Loomis after a nearly a decade, and in came former Santuary guitarist Joey Concepcion, and here we are now with Blood Dynasty. Having come to the point where it's easy to know what's coming from the Swedish melo-death metal veterans, I went into this album expecting more of the same from Arch Enemy, and I very much got exactly that, but that's not to say that there weren't any highlights. "Dream Stealer" kicks the album off in true Arch Enemy style with the brutal vocals of Alissa, and fast thrash-style riffing between Amott and Concepcion. It's when we get to "Illuminate The Path" that things broaden a bit. Alissa's cleans in the chorus take center stage and the guitar harmonies polish this track to the fullest, making it shine brighter than a smile of gold teeth.
"Presage" is an interlude smartly placed in the middle that leads into the title track, which kicks off the LP's side B. The title track is another highlight with enough hooks to ensnare the Kraken. It's a stadium/festival-ready heavy metal anthem guaranteed to sweep up any large crowd with fist-pumping The cover of Blaspheme's "Vivre Libre" is a particular standout, because it's probably the first time Arch Enemy uses clean vocals on an entire track. Alissa really lets her cleans shine on this track with the use of some operatic highs and some spine-tingling croons. Oh how I wish this was an Arch Enemy original.
Having hit all the highlights, the rest of the album fails to stand with the aforementioned tracks. Even if they contain some solid musical moments, they aren't strong enough to be the pillars needed to hold this album up fully. Having always surrounded himself with some of the most talented musicians, Amott should really open the floor to other members to contribute ideas to the writing, because while it's good that the band has a certain sound and style, playing it safe all the time can get really stale after a while. I understand it's his band and he's very protective of the sound, and that the band is at a point where they have nothing left to prove, but some of us are wanting a bit more than what we've come to expect. It will diversify the album and as a result, make the listening experience much more enjoyable, I feel. However, if you're an Arch Enemy loyal and this is exactly what you always want from them, then this album is definitely for you.
Even though I'm not an Arch Enemy die-hard, I enjoy some of their stuff and I've always had an appreciation for Michael Amott as a guitarist. He tends to write some brutally heavy riffs and tasty harmonies. The thing is that much of his writing as of late tends to suffer a bit from the use of rehashed ideas that we've heard many times from them. The last Arch Enemy album I seemed to enjoy the most songs off was Will To Power. I found that while Deceivers had some cool moments, I felt that it was starting to really become stale, and honestly, I kind of feel the same about their new album Blood Dynasty. Alissa also started incorporating more of her clean vocals into certain tracks, which I personally think she should do more of, because when you have choruses with really hypnotic guitar harmonies or just super catchy melodies, pairing them with harsh vocals on top doesn't really work a lot. Her gutterals are deliciously brutal, but I think they're overused and her cleans don't get enough time in the spotlight.
Since Deceivers came out, the band split with Jeff Loomis after a nearly a decade, and in came former Santuary guitarist Joey Concepcion, and here we are now with Blood Dynasty. Having come to the point where it's easy to know what's coming from the Swedish melo-death metal veterans, I went into this album expecting more of the same from Arch Enemy, and I very much got exactly that, but that's not to say that there weren't any highlights. "Dream Stealer" kicks the album off in true Arch Enemy style with the brutal vocals of Alissa, and fast thrash-style riffing between Amott and Concepcion. It's when we get to "Illuminate The Path" that things broaden a bit. Alissa's cleans in the chorus take center stage and the guitar harmonies polish this track to the fullest, making it shine brighter than a smile of gold teeth.
"Presage" is an interlude smartly placed in the middle that leads into the title track, which kicks off the LP's side B. The title track is another highlight with enough hooks to ensnare the Kraken. It's a stadium/festival-ready heavy metal anthem guaranteed to sweep up any large crowd with fist-pumping The cover of Blaspheme's "Vivre Libre" is a particular standout, because it's probably the first time Arch Enemy uses clean vocals on an entire track. Alissa really lets her cleans shine on this track with the use of some operatic highs and some spine-tingling croons. Oh how I wish this was an Arch Enemy original.
Having hit all the highlights, the rest of the album fails to stand with the aforementioned tracks. Even if they contain some solid musical moments, they aren't strong enough to be the pillars needed to hold this album up fully. Having always surrounded himself with some of the most talented musicians, Amott should really open the floor to other members to contribute ideas to the writing, because while it's good that the band has a certain sound and style, playing it safe all the time can get really stale after a while. I understand it's his band and he's very protective of the sound, and that the band is at a point where they have nothing left to prove, but some of us are wanting a bit more than what we've come to expect. It will diversify the album and as a result, make the listening experience much more enjoyable, I feel. However, if you're an Arch Enemy loyal and this is exactly what you always want from them, then this album is definitely for you.
FINAL RATING
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