Arch Enemy - Doomsday Machine
Angela Gossow - Vocals
Michael Amott - Lead & Rhythm Guitar
Christopher Amott - Lead & Rhythm Guitar
Sharlee D'Angelo - Bass Guitar
Daniel Erlandsson - Drums
1. Enter The Machine
2. Taking Back My Soul
3. Nemesis
4. My Apocalypse
5. Carry The Cross
6. I Am Legend/Out For Blood
7. Skeleton Dance
8. Hybrids Of Steel
9. Mechanic God Creation
10. Machtkampf
11. Slaves Of Yesterday
Where on earth do you start with a review for a band like this? Maybe the opening shot should be that this won’t be to everybody’s taste. One of the most ridiculous comments I’ve seen about this album is: “This is a "pop" band. Make no mistake about that. Very hooky and driving; song structure, Britney Spears all the way”. Britney Spears would have an aneurism if she were a part of Arch Enemy.
Swedish “born” Arch Enemy have risen like a phoenix from the ashes of such bands as Carcass, Mercyful Fate, At The Gates, and In Flames, and they are more then just a collection of survivors from the ashes of their former groups. However, it hasn’t all been plain sailing as their original fans accused them of “selling out” when they replaced their popular male vocalist, Johan Liiva, with a female singer, Angela Grossow. The problem was that Arch Enemy fans didn’t want something along the lines of Nightwish's Tarja Turonen or Lacuna Coil's Cristina Scabbia, fronting their Death Metal music machine, and that’s where the shock and resurgence of the band have stemmed from. Gossow is no Tarja or Cristinan and refuses point blank to conform to that image, and for those of you who like vocals like that, you are going to be sadly disappointed. So how does Angela sing? She doesn’t, she growls, sometimes reminisce of bands like Sabbat.
So is this just another gimmick band? Not at all, as Arch Enemy are led by their more than capable lead guitarist Michael Amott, and includes his brother Christopher Amott on guitars, and Daniel Erlandsson on Drums. When you listen to the album there are some very surprising touches here and there. First, obviously, are the vocals, which admittedly take some getting used to (think Sabbat), then with the guitars there are moments you are reminded of Queen, or Metallica, and then to top it off you have drums that outdo Fear Factory but without overdoing it and becoming just a rumbling noise. All in all a pretty tight driving force of Metal.
The highlights of the album for me are: The opening track, “Enter The Machine” with two nice guitar solos complimenting each other in harmony expertly. The third track “Nemesis” is ferocious and unrelenting, and the fifth track “Carry The Cross” where Gossow does very well with the vocals and seem to fit and make sense. And finally track 8, “Hybrids Of Steel” which is ironic because the opening salvo of a guitar salvo reminds me so much of Queen, quickly pursued by some rapid rhythm guitar work. The low point of the album for me is Skeleton Dance, which is utterly forgettable….in fact, I’ve forgotten what it sounds like already.
Arch Enemy are not going to win awards for originality, and with cringe inducing lyrics such as "One for all, All for one, We are strong, We are one" (Three Musketeers anyone!? lol), and they’re probably not going to rank in your top ten favourite bands of all time either. It’s also true to say that the album can wear a little thin at times, but generally speaking, it’s not bad. It is an acquired taste as they say, but more and more people are doing just that.
