Arch Enemy – Will To Power

When you hear the name Arch Enemy you automatically associate it with beautiful melodies, brutal vocals and fast pace drumming right? It is kind of a weird combo isn’t it? On “Will To PowerMichael “The King Of Melodies” Amott has put up some of his best work and all in all the album is nearly perfect. As I write this review, “Will To Power” is not brand new album anymore and I have been following Arch Enemy through social medias and I can’t say anything but to praise how hard working band they are. They tour like there is no tomorrow and pretty much after every concert they update their Twitter with a thank you to the fans for showing up. For a band that has been around for over 2 decades, this is what I call dedication and remembering that without their fans the band is nothing.

Way back in 2011 I saw Arch Enemy for the first time live in Finland’s Tuska Festival where we also had the priviledge to interview their previous vocalist Angela Gossow. This band is so brutal live yet so fascinating. It is very difficult to explain the energy that comes from their songs but they work in every environment. I would assume Arch Enemy in a smaller inside venue would work the best. They will make their return to Finland’s Tuska Festival on 2018 and hopefully someone from Nordic Metal team will be able to interview them.

For instance with “Will To Power” it’s crazy but it works for pretty much every occation. I have even cooked while listening to the album and I probably made my best pasta cause of it! Or at least that’s what I believe XD

Now there were few extra things why this particular album gave me more expectations. Biggest of them being of course Jeff Loomis (ex-Nevermore) who joined the band in 2014, same year as their current vocalist Alissa White-Gluz. But particularily I was extra stoked about Jeff Loomis cause I was and still am an insane Nevermore fan and them disbanding was quite a shock to me. Luckily I managed to see them live in Tuska Festival on their last tour. When watching the album credits I didn’t see Jeff Loomis there at all. I found that bit odd cause I was certain he could bring something extra to the table but later I remember reading from somewhere that he would be given a chance to write material for Arch Enemy so we shall just wait and see. The other expectation was the song “Reason To Believe” which would be their first ballad that was mostly clean-sung. When I heard the song I had to check if it’s Alissa singing the whole song cause the clean parts sounded so much like the metal goddess Doro Pesch but nope it’s Alissa alright.

When I write album reviews I usually don’t go into song details cause to me the album as a whole means more than individual songs. But if I give a good score to the album then it means the songs must be good right? Simple logic. I prefer to capture emotions, how the album makes me feel, what kind of vibes I get from it etc. For instance with “Will To Power” it’s crazy but it works for pretty much every occation. I have even cooked while listening to the album and I probably made my best pasta cause of it! Or at least that’s what I believe XD One would think music so heavy and brutal would limit where and when to listen to it but for me personally it suits any moment. Happy days, sad days, sunny days, rainy days.

To conclude I would ask one question. Where does Arch Enemy go from here? How will they top this album on their next one? Answer we have to wait for a while but I have every bit of confidence they will. And still I have lot of expectations from Jeff Loomis when it comes to songwriting.

Somehow Arch Enemy always manages to top their previous album with the new one
  • Nordic Metal Review
5

Summary

When I write album reviews I usually don’t go into song details cause to me the album as a whole means more than individual songs. But if I give a good score to the album then it means the songs must be good right? Simple logic. I prefer to capture emotions, how the album makes me feel, what kind of vibes I get from it etc.

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User Review
5 (1 vote)

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