Label: Century Media
Review by Tony Cannella
When lead vocalist Angela Gossow decided to step down from her post fronting the extreme metal legends Arch Enemy it came as a huge shock. Who would fill her sizeable shoes? Well that turned out to be ex-The Agonist front lady Alissa White-Gluz – as it turns out it was a great choice.
The opening intro “Tempore Nihil Sanat (Prelude in F Minor)” opens the album and has a horror movie vibe to it before segueing into the relentless assault of “Never Forgive, Never Forget” and this is how the 10th Arch Enemy album begins. From the start it is obvious that the transition between vocalists is seamless and musically the band continues to mix death metal and thrash with the same technical proficiency that the band has always displayed. “War Eternal” is next and is a great representation of what to expect. Since Alissa White-Gluz has utilized such a diverse singing style with The Agonist I was curious to see if Arch Enemy would incorporate her clean singing voice into the new album. Well the answer is no; it’s just full-on extreme vocals throughout the 47-minute disc. “As the Pages Burn” is a cool thrashy style number and one of my favorites. Other highlights include: “No More Regrets”, “You Will Know My Name” and “Avalanche”. There is barely a miss-step in sight.
When you replace someone as iconic and influential as Angela Gossow there is always going to be a wait-and-see approach from the hardened fan base. Well, the addition of Alissa White-Gluz has made that transition that much easier with her performance on “War Eternal”. You can’t please everyone but Arch Enemy has released a solid, ferocious and utterly intense record with “War Eternal”. Prepare yourselves, “This is f**cking war!”
Rating – 95/100
Tracklist
- Tempore Nihil Sanat (Prelude in F minor)
- Never Forgive, Never Forget
- War Eternal
- As The Pages Burn
- No More Regrets
- You Will Know My Name
- Graveyard of Dreams
- Stolen Life
- Time Is Black
- On And On
- Avalanche
- Down to Nothing
- Not Long For This World
Line Up
- Alissa White-Gluz – Vocals
- Michael Amott – Guitar
- Nick Cordle – Guitar
- Sharlee D’Angelo – Bass
- Daniel Erlandsson – Drums