### Arch Enemy: Rise of the tyrant

#### 22/08/07 || Euthanatos

Arch Enemy has, basically, two phases; Pre- and Post-Angela Gossow. While the music featured Pre-Angela was really good, the vocals were god-awful. When Angela, a talented, versatile singer, came to the fold, finally the band had the right pipes, but the music kind of became repetitive.

Could “Rise of the Tyrant” be the redeeming album for Arch Enemy? Kind of. See, I don’t absolutely loathe everything the band did in the Angela Gossow phase. Not at all. There are some killer songs here and there, particularly in “Wages of Sin”.

Arch Enemy isn’t reinventing the wheel here, or themselves, for that matter. But sometimes, once in a blue moon, band members kind of get into a zone, a real cool vibe where they seem to really go back to getting into their own stuff and you can feel the energy in their album. This is one of these cases.

Everything sounds more aggressive, more intense, more pissed off. Angela is her usual gargoyle self, screaming and growling as if Satan himself is poking her. No, I didn’t realize the subtlety of that remark until I wrote it.

Michael Amott has also seemed to have re-encountered his better days. The riffs and solos are badass, I mean, we all knew he had it in him, the guy was in Carcass, for fuck’s sake. Alas, he lost his way, maybe because love found its way into his heart in the form of a creature-sounding blond. But now, he’s back, and it’s nice to listen to his reawakening. By the way, since we now get to have these “high profile” couples in metal, like Jim Root and Cristina Scabbia and Michael Amott and Angela Gossow, shouldn’t we give them tacky nicknames as well? Like Michaelangela. or Angaelamott. No, that doesn’t really work, does it? Never mind. Anyway, there’s even a pretentious intermezzo somewhere here, featuring guitar prowess. Woot.

I may be giving the wrong idea here, this isn’t mind-blowing stuff, you know. I’m just saying it’s probably the best album these guys have release since “Wages of Sin”.

Songs like “In This Shallow Grave” and “Rise of the Tyrant” are clearly cut for awesome live moments. “The Great Darkness” also fucking rules. And saying Sharlee D’Angelo and Daniel Erlandsson are among the best in the business is pretty much moot by this point.

Not an instant classic, but definitely a step in the right direction.

The cover: Cool mix of demonic symbols, fire and shit. Fuck yeah.

7 Michaelangelas out of 10.

- Information
- Released: 2007
- Label: Century Media
- Website: www.archenemy.net
- Band
- Angela Gossow: vocals
- Michael Amott: guitars
- Christopher Amott: guitars
- Sharlee D’Angelo: bass
- Daniel Erlandsson: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. Blood On Your Hands
- 02. The Last Enemy
- 03. I Will Live Again
- 04. In This Shallow Grave
- 05. Revolution Begins
- 06. Rise Of The Tyrant
- 07. The Day You Died
- 08. Intermezzo Liberte
- 09. Night Falls Fast
- 10. The Great Darkness
- 11. Vultures