Reviews : Albums : Arch Enemy, "Wages Of Sin"
Email the reviewerArch Enemy, "Wages Of Sin"
Well the brothers Amott have finally made their return to North American record stores with a double disc edition of Wages Of Sin, [the record had been released in Europe and Japan months before it reared its head on this side of the pond]. Along with an already awesome rhythm section, they brought along a new vocalist by the name of Angela Gossow. Now I'm sure you all jumped to the same assumption I did, namely that death metal band + female vocalist = an attempt to be The Gathering. Wrong! First thing I noticed is that Ms. Gossow can growl with the best of them sounding like a somewhat more guttural Jeff Walker [ex-Carcass], one of my all time favorites, mixed in with a bit of early Chuck Schuldiner [Death, Control Denied]. Combine this with some furious guitarwork by the brothers Amott, the intricate basswork of Sharlee D'Angelo and the relentless drumming of Erlandsson who I believe does his finest work with Arch Enemy on this album.
What I love most about this album is that while they are a Gothenburg band, they didn't spend so much time showing off their guitarwork that they turned the album into an unlistenable masturbatory masterpiece, which tends to happen when you gather too many talented musicians in one band. The vocal highlight for me would have to be the song Ravenous where Angela really cuts loose and shows how it's done in the death metal world. Not only is she as good as the boys, she's probably better than a lot of them, as she possesses the ability to be harsh yet understandable at the same time, proving that one can be brutal yet still enunciate.
This was a two-disc set that has a disc of import-only extras that all have the voice of previous vocalist Johan Liiva. Of all the extras I would have to say the highlight is the cover of Iron Maiden's Aces High. Of course, would you expect anything less than perfect from a Gothenberg band covering Iron Maiden? If only At the Gates had time to take a whack at Flash of the Blade. In addition to this there are two videos on here too. The first is for the song The Immortal off their previous album, Burning Bridges. The second is for the aforementioned song Ravenous in which Ms. Gossow shows what she can do for a death metal band as well as what she can do for tight black leather, which is a lot.
Overall the first five songs are the best part of the album, but you won't be disappointed if you stick around for the whole thing. I have to admit that they are one of the few bands I've heard that seem to get better with every album, should this trend continue I'm terrified to think of how they follow this one.
Standout Tracks Heart of Darkness |
