# Arch Enemy Replacing Angela Gossow w/ Alissa White-Gluz (The Agonist)



## DC23 (Mar 17, 2014)

Pretty big news for Arch Enemy fans. For those that don't want to read haha, Angela will be stepping down from the vocalist spot and will just be focusing on managing the band. Alissa White-Gluz from the Agonist will be replacing her. I'm particularly interested in hearing what Arch Enemy will sound like with her fronting the band. First track will be released March 20.

Blabbermouth Link


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## setsuna7 (Mar 17, 2014)

damn, that is a huge boots to fill, luckily for me saw them with Angela already, so looking forward to this


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## canuck brian (Mar 17, 2014)

Well, Alissa is a great vocalist so hopefully this turns out ok. 

Sucks for the Agonist, but it's a great move for Alissa.


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## RV350ALSCYTHE (Mar 17, 2014)

She had a tight consistent voice. Hope the band progresses with the change.

I still enjoy Johan Liiva's era the most, more raw and passionate sounding imo.

No idea what the new vocalist sounds like, any chance the band will change tuning with the new singer?


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## Sofos (Mar 17, 2014)

Nope. I'm done


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## TheFerryMan (Mar 17, 2014)

Color me excited, I'm a fan of Alissa's voice so I think she's going to do awesome.


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## Nykur_Myrkvi (Mar 17, 2014)

Can't say I ever really cared for Angela Gossow, or Arch Enemy for that matter, but I'm quite surprised by this.

Doesn't Alissa sing a lot in The Agonist (clean that is), I wonder if that will signal a change in the AE sound or if they'll keep it the same.


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## DC23 (Mar 17, 2014)

Nykur_Myrkvi said:


> Doesn't Alissa sing a lot in The Agonist (clean that is), I wonder if that will signal a change in the AE sound or if they'll keep it the same.



She did in their earlier releases, I'm not sure if she still does as much? That is what I'm interested about too. She obviously has that capability. It would be pretty interesting to hear Arch Enemy with some singing haha. I will reserve judgment until I hear the new track this week.


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## Church2224 (Mar 17, 2014)

Damn, now that both Angela and Chris Ammott are gone, I might not be any interested in Arch Enemy much more.


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## Ralyks (Mar 17, 2014)

Interesting move. Although I guess part of me hoped for the impossibility of Johan returning...


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## Sofos (Mar 17, 2014)

Church2224 said:


> Damn, now that both Angela and Chris Ammott are gone, I might not be any interested in Arch Enemy much more.



I said the same thing on Facebook lol


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## yuvioh (Mar 17, 2014)

I'm a fan of both arch enemy and the agonist. It is kinda heartbreaking to hear angela stepping down and alissa will be filling in for her is interesting, I'm quite curious to what arch enemy will sound like without angela as their front woman.


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## thrsher (Mar 17, 2014)

ill be bummed for sure if there is singing in the band and i will be insulted if they introduce signing into Angela era songs


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## alchemyst (Mar 17, 2014)

this...


Church2224 said:


> Damn, now that both Angela and Chris Ammott are gone, I might not be any interested in Arch Enemy much more.



...and this even more...


thrsher said:


> ill be bummed for sure if there is singing in the band and i will be insulted if they introduce signing into Angela era songs


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## maliciousteve (Mar 17, 2014)

Her voice could fit in very well with Arch Enemy but on a personal level she irritates me. Preachy Straight Edge Vegan type. 

I'll give her a chance but I haven't liked the last few Arch Enemy albums. Wages Of Sin was amazing and introduced me to that style of music but after that the whole "pure metalz!! strong together!!"£%3 \m/" shit began to annoy me. We don't need another Manowar.


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## Sofos (Mar 17, 2014)

^ Angela is a Straight Edge Vegan, as well as Michael. Fits in perfectly.


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## SD83 (Mar 17, 2014)

Honestly, I completly lost interest after "Doomsday Machine", it became too boring to me. The Amott brothers posing and playing pointless soli, Angela posing and the same boring generic lyrics and screaming over and over again... not sure about Angela, but Christian Amott not being in the band might acutally be a reason to go see them again. Unless the new guy also is busy competing with Michael about who is the most amazing guitar god to ever have lived all the time.
Long story short: That sounds really intersting and I might even give the new record a chance if the first track is good.


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## esp_eraser (Mar 17, 2014)

Wow didnt see that one coming.
Wasnt as familiar with the agonist so after checking some tracks on youtube I can say they found a good replacement, whether she can cover all of Angelas work im not sure.

I also would not be keen on the clean vocals in Arch Enemy having been a long time fan, however I see it more possible than not. And thats their choice, commercially it would be good for them. For long time fans like myself it would be the death knell. 

Good luck to them


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## Joose (Mar 17, 2014)

Well, if I hadn't already lost interest in Arch Enemy, I sure have now.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Mar 17, 2014)

How good is Alissa? I never heard of her band.

Honestly, I'm glad she's out. I used to like Angela, but she only had one voice that got boring quickly for me.

EDIT: Just gave Agonist a listen... I like her.


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## TheFerryMan (Mar 17, 2014)

So they have announced who's going to replace Allisa in the Agonist and I really don't see it working out so well


Vicky Psarakis Steps Up To Replace Alissa White-Gluz As The Vocalist For The Agonist - Heavy Blog Is Heavy


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## BusinessMan (Mar 17, 2014)

It really sucks. Hers was the first scream that I liked. She actually was a really good singer. Let's hope for the best


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## wankerness (Mar 17, 2014)

First result for that chick's band was this:



Sounds good to me! Angela sounded about the same as every male who screamed in that style to me, her stage presence was good and she certainly didn't detract from the band in any way but I don't really think her voice was particularly distinct. I did prefer her to the guy she replaced, though, he always sounded sort of ineffectual to me. This chick sounds great when screaming and I kinda like the clean section towards the end too. I'm actually more interested in Arch Enemy now, I haven't really loved any of their stuff since Wages of Sin (haven't disliked it, just seemed kind of repetitive). Maybe this singer's greater range will make their songs more dynamic?! (probably not)


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## GatherTheArsenal (Mar 17, 2014)

*stay on the bandwagon Baz... staaayyy*

Usually i'd say shaking things up can definitely be a refreshing step for a band to take with amazing results, off the top of my head Soilwork had a major line up change and put out what I thought was the #1 release of 2013. 

But I'm kind of dreading hearing clean vocals mixed with Michael Ammots over the top abuse of wah pedal leads... curious though how they went with another Female vocalist rather than Johan, or a male vocalist for that matter. Wonder if that was intentional?


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## wankerness (Mar 17, 2014)

I don't think there's any reason they'd have to use clean vocals, did you listen to that track I just posted above? She can more than scream with the best of them. She does some gurglier death vocals towards the end too quite convincingly.


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## Joose (Mar 17, 2014)

I should also mention that I like a fair bit of The Agonist's music. But I honestly haven't liked Arch Enemy since Anthems of Rebellion, which was awesome. 

Maybe I'll like this move, but I'm doubting it.


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## Necris (Mar 18, 2014)

GatherTheArsenal said:


> But I'm kind of dreading hearing clean vocals mixed with Michael Ammots over the top abuse of wah pedal leads... curious though how they went with another Female vocalist rather than Johan, or a male vocalist for that matter. *Wonder if that was intentional?*



It likely was, I haven't listened to the band since Anthems of Rebellion was released, and 13-year-old me thought that was a decent release* and Wages of sin was a bit better**, but I found moving backwards to the older stuff with Johan Liiva was more what I wanted to hear from a musical stand point. It seems once Angela joined the music started getting worse. 

Regardless, aside from Angela Gossows presence in the band I could not find you a single thing about them that sets them apart from any other melodeath band. (You try naming a few. )

Unfortunately, women performing vocals in "extreme" metal is still seen as something of a novelty, and for better or worse, I think that's all that is really keeping this band on anyones radar; and they _*have*_ to know it.

I am not familiar with Alissa White Gluz, I've never heard The Agonist and certainly don't care to, but if they've chosen her as a replacement I'm sure they have confidence that she can pull off the old material.


* 13 year old me was wrong (shocking ).
** It's not.


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## rastachild (Mar 18, 2014)

so they just finished recording the new album with who i assume was angela and then she steps down and they bring in a new singer? seems like angela could've at least done a farewell tour to support the album they just completed. 

first chris leaves and now angela...kinda hard to swallow all of the changes in this band as of late.


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## OrsusMetal (Mar 18, 2014)

I'm interested in hearing her. Although, I'm more interested in hearing Nick and his contributions to their writing.


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## DLG (Mar 18, 2014)

why not just get a dude again?

oh right

marketing >>>> music


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## warhead (Mar 18, 2014)

Sofos said:


> ^ Angela is a Straight Edge Vegan, as well as Michael. Fits in perfectly.



wut? how can you be straight edge if you smoke pot and drink alcohol....


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## Andromalia (Mar 18, 2014)

BEcause when you got enough of it, all the edges are straight even if not.  "Yeah I'm walking in a straight line I'm telling you"


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## groverj3 (Mar 18, 2014)

Should be interesting.

Their newer material is a mixed bag for me. I really liked Rise of the Tyrant but Doomsday Machine, Khaos Legions, and Anthems of Rebellion had a few good songs mixed in with a lot of filler. They weren't bad, just less interesting than Wages of Sin.

I actually think she was a pretty good vocalist for the band's style. With no Chris and Angela they'll certainly sound different going forward.


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## Adam Of Angels (Mar 18, 2014)

wankerness said:


> I don't think there's any reason they'd have to use clean vocals, did you listen to that track I just posted above? She can more than scream with the best of them. She does some gurglier death vocals towards the end too quite convincingly.




That's someone else doing the "gurglier" stuff.

I don't know how I feel about this move. We'll see how it works out.


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## Xaios (Mar 18, 2014)

Sofos said:


> ^ Angela is a Straight Edge Vegan, as well as Michael. Fits in perfectly.



Vegan, yes. Straight-Edge? Noooooo. Angela's love of weed is well documented.


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## InHiding (Mar 18, 2014)

RV350ALSCYTHE said:


> I still enjoy Johan Liiva's era the most, more raw and passionate sounding imo.



Sinister Mephisto! 

Great song.


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## axxessdenied (Mar 18, 2014)

Saw Arch Enemy when Angela was still pretty fresh in the band. Be interesting to see what happens


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## ilyti (Mar 18, 2014)

I too have lost interest in Arch Enemy and death metal in general, but I'm kinda curious to hear how this turns out. Hopefully with a better producer this girl will learn to enunciate better. Her pitch and phrasing is pretty great though.


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## død (Mar 20, 2014)

New song: Arch Enemy - War Eternal [New Video] (2014) on Vimeo

Sounds like Arch Enemy to me.


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## JaeSwift (Mar 20, 2014)

Here's to hoping there's less regurgitated lyrical material than the past three Arch Enemy albums. 

Slightly bummed about her joining a band that doesn't do any clean singing though; she has a really good voice that's so well suited to a switch off between clean and growl.


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## DarkWolfXV (Mar 20, 2014)

prepare for clean vocals lol


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## død (Mar 20, 2014)

DarkWolfXV said:


> prepare for clean vocals lol



I doubt it. Arch Enemy's music doesn't really have room for it, IMO.


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## bobbybuu (Mar 20, 2014)

DarkWolfXV said:


> prepare for clean vocals lol



That would be interesting...maybe not good, but definitely interesting.


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## Lorcan Ward (Mar 20, 2014)

død;3970274 said:


> New song: Arch Enemy - War Eternal [New Video] (2014) on Vimeo
> 
> Sounds like Arch Enemy to me.



Damn that was disappointing. I had high hopes for their new material but that just sounded like a B-side collection of riffs and an overly drawn out solo. New vocals are refreshing but her voice is a little flat compared to Angela's. I'll still check out the album since Arch Enemy's singles can be very different to some of the album material.


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## Adam Of Angels (Mar 20, 2014)

Anybody else find it difficult to watch that video and take it seriously?

The song sounds alright - lyrics are bad, from what I could make out, but it still sounds ok.


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## InHiding (Mar 20, 2014)

The new song was not anything special. Stigmata and Burning Bridges are amazing albums though.


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## 74n4LL0 (Mar 20, 2014)

Unfortunatelly they blocked "War Eternal Song" on Youtube and Vimeo so I don't know how AE will sound with Alissa.

IMO Alissa White-Gluz was quite decent with the growling parts but pretty lame in the clean parts. This should be a good thing for AE.

The Agonist, instead, should do fine with the new replacement singer, if anybody is interested check the video


the clean parts are really better now.


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## Nile (Mar 20, 2014)

Arch Enemy: 'War Eternal' Video Featuring New Singer Alissa White Gluz - Blabbermouth.net
It's not down on there.

I must say, she actually fits pretty well, if just a little flat sounding.

Song wasn't that bad either IMO, it just needs more of a transition between the different parts/solos. It's like a tile floor, it works when you set it all in place but not as well as if it had the grout keeping it together. (Shitty example, all I could think of.)


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## wankerness (Mar 20, 2014)

Song is dull as hell, was like a paint by numbers downtempo melodeath song. Vocals weren't any better or worse than Angela though.


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## Grindspine (Mar 20, 2014)

I really started liking The Agonist this year. I have been fairly neutral on Arch Enemy's recent releases.

As stated before, it is probably a great publicity move for White-Gluz, but it sucks for the rest of The Agonist.


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## Louis Cypher (Mar 20, 2014)

back up on youtube


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## yuvioh (Mar 20, 2014)

Louis Cypher said:


> back up on youtube





the new song sounds arch enemy-ish, but may take a few more listenings to sink in, not like their rise of the tyrant album or doomsday machine etc.


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## SD83 (Mar 20, 2014)

wankerness said:


> Song is dull as hell, was like a paint by numbers downtempo melodeath song. Vocals weren't any better or worse than Angela though.



Except for the vocals, it sounds like a power metal song for most of the time to me. Maybe some thrash. That said, I like most of the song. Except for the solo.

EDIT: Just listened to the first 30 seconds of the new Agonist song, had to stop. The clean vocals are horrible!  I liked Alissa's, but this hurts my ears. At least at first try.


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## Jarmake (Mar 20, 2014)

Sounds just like arch enemy.


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## asmegin_slayer (Mar 20, 2014)

FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP FAP.

That is all.


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## Veldar (Mar 20, 2014)

I'll always have a special place for Arch Enemy since their album Kahos Legions got me into heavery metal and solidified me liking metal, having said that it sure is a melodeath song with Michael Amott as the guitarist.

Carcass was much better though.


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## Icecold (Mar 20, 2014)

I liked it. I will always miss Black Earth era Arch Enemy, though.


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## rastachild (Mar 21, 2014)

can't say i liked the song that much. the riffs seem generic to me, but i'm hoping it's just a poor choice of a single. the new singer sounds fine, seems like she has definitely been molded to phrase her vocals to sound similar to angela. not many comments on nick i see. seems like the change in singer has overshadowed his album debut. he's blazing and a good foil to mike's more melodic style, although there still a certain something missing that chris added imo. of course it's only one song, so i'm hoping for better material when it's released.


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## RevelGTR (Mar 21, 2014)

Burning Bridges is the only AE album I like, and I like it ALOT. Angela's voice was always too feminine (understandably) and raspy for my taste.


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## zero_end (Mar 21, 2014)

Eye candy factor 100% 

Everything else reeks of dullness


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## BusinessMan (Mar 21, 2014)

Veldar said:


> I'll always have a special place for Arch Enemy since their album Kahos Legions got me into heavery metal and solidified me liking metal, having said that it sure is a melodeath song with Michael Amott as the guitarist.
> 
> Carcass was much better though.




Same here


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## OmegaSlayer (Mar 21, 2014)

*Drooooooooools.*


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## Jon Levasseur (Mar 21, 2014)

Wow! Astonishing news!!! How cool is that!!! to have a well-known local girl join forces with one of the biggest metal bands on the planet and one of my favorite bands too!!! Well deserved Alyssa! Congrats to you and Arch Enemy + with War Eternal let the conquering resume!


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## canuck brian (Mar 21, 2014)

74n4LL0 said:


> the clean parts are really better now.



I'm in the total opposite camp. I really don't like this woman's clean vocals at all.


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## Der JD (Mar 21, 2014)

Not crazy about the new vocals. They're similar to Angela's, sure, but seem to be missing some aggression, power, and overall evil-ness. She's not hard to look at though. 

Musically speaking, I liked it (but it's hard to find any melodeath I don't like).


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## TheDraeg (Mar 21, 2014)

Wow- shes so hawwt..
but BRING BACK JOHAN LIIVA!


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## Cyn__Theia (Mar 21, 2014)

Der JD said:


> She's not hard to look at though. .



I find her very easy to look at. I mean, just _look_ at her.


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## Andromalia (Mar 21, 2014)

I'm not hearing any difference between her and Angela. 
what will make or break it is whether she can pull the same stage presence. Never been an AE fan, really, too generic for me, but seeing them at festivals always was nice.


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## Abaddon9112 (Mar 21, 2014)

Jon Levasseur said:


> Wow! Astonishing news!!! How cool is that!!! &#133;to have a well-known local girl join forces with one of the biggest metal bands on the planet and one of my favorite bands too!!! Well deserved Alyssa! Congrats to you and Arch Enemy + with War Eternal let the conquering resume!



Jon Levasseur approves All I need to know about this


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## Esp Griffyn (Mar 21, 2014)

I've never been a big Arch Enemy fan ("Ravenous" is the only song of theirs I like), or a big fan of Angela. Once I got over the hype-factor of a woman singing in metal, which is all the press seemed to make a real deal over AE for back in the days of "Wages of Sin", she was just a mediocre vocalist. Points for trying, but she didn't sound great, lyrics were crap and little excited me about their delivery. A shame, as Johan was a good vocalist prior to Angela.


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## feraledge (Mar 21, 2014)

There's one thing I've always been waiting for from AE and it's got nothing to do with their vocalists: please stop ruining killer death metal songs with sleaze rock pull backs for extended soloing. 
There are times where it almost seems like, "let's take this killer Carcass song and cut a minute of Spiritual Beggers into it." 
I always liked AE, but those sleaze riffs keep them from getting regular attention from me.


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## works0fheart (Mar 21, 2014)

Weren't Michael and Angela engaged like forever ago? Seems like some relationship drama could be afoot.


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## leftnotright (Mar 21, 2014)

works0fheart said:


> Weren't Michael and Angela engaged like forever ago? Seems like some relationship drama could be afoot.



Never dip your pen in company ink.....


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## DC23 (Mar 21, 2014)

Gotta say it, it's not a bad song at all. I quite enjoy it. Alyssa seems to fit right in. Although I am a huge Burning Bridges, Black Earth, Stigmata fan, I do simply enjoy a catchy metal song (and that's exactly what it is).

New Agonist song is good too. I actually think it's a stronger song. Although some people don't like Vicky's clean vocals, I don't mind them at all. Very interested to hear both albums fully.


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## JoshuaVonFlash (Mar 22, 2014)

leftnotright said:


> Never dip your pen in company ink.....


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## groverj3 (Mar 25, 2014)

Not gonna lie, I actually enjoyed this song to a fair degree. Not their best work, but it's pretty solid.

I never really heard Nick in his previous stuff, but it looks like the dude can certainly shred it up.

Alissa seems to be a competent replacement. Overall, this sounds exactly like what one would predict Arch Enemy to sound like. To some people that's good, to some it's boring. I tend to put them in the same category as a movie which I know is entertaining, but always predictable and not groundbreaking... yet gratifying. (Taken? The Matrix? Die Hard?)

I'm a master of terrible analogies.


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## groverj3 (Mar 25, 2014)

Oh, and one more comment.

Thank god they actually show the guitarists playing stuff during their solos. I feel like in most metal music videos they cut away to the singer headbanging or the drummer doing something incredibly boring, the bassist chugging along... etc. Like, wtf, show the person that's actually doing the interesting stuff right now!

Not that I watch a lot of music videos.


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## fps (Mar 25, 2014)

zero_end said:


> Eye candy factor 100%
> 
> Everything else reeks of dullness



Yeah this really was a "my first melodeath" kinda song. The lyrics about being yourself and remembering who you are, they're the kind of lyrics that do not fit this sort of music at all, for me. A very "safe" song, nothing that hasn't been heard a thousand times before.


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## alchemyst (Mar 25, 2014)

Just saw the video. To me it sounds just like a typical copy-paste power metal hymn but with harsh vocals.  Doomsday machine was their last at least a little bit musically interesting album for me.


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## wankerness (Mar 25, 2014)

groverj3 said:


> Oh, and one more comment.
> 
> Thank god they actually show the guitarists playing stuff during their solos. I feel like in most metal music videos they cut away to the singer headbanging or the drummer doing something incredibly boring, the bassist chugging along... etc. Like, wtf, show the person that's actually doing the interesting stuff right now!
> 
> Not that I watch a lot of music videos.



Haha, that drives me absolutely nuts in live videos too. Especially when I'm trying to transcribe some SICK GUITAR RIFF and right when it happens they cut to the singer dancing around with a tambourine or something and they don't show the guitarist again until he's back to playing whole notes with powerchords.


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## fps (Mar 25, 2014)

alchemyst said:


> Just saw the video. To me it sounds just like a typical copy-paste power metal hymn but with harsh vocals.  Doomsday machine was their last at least a little bit musically interesting album for me.



Yeah I liked Doomsday Machine


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## primitiverebelworld (Mar 25, 2014)

Alissa has epic vocal abilities and I wish her all good. I hope Arch Enemy moves towards either more simple and less metal side of...metal or towards more progressive and untraditional side. Kurat, see bänd hakkas juba tõesti magedaks muutuma


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## MFB (Mar 25, 2014)

I really haven't dug anything Arch Enemy has done since this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1QvajSGuOM

I wish they'd return to their prior form, at least something like Anthems of Rebellion. That album was ....ing awesome albeit a different sound from Wages of Sin. Hell, every album is slightly different from Black Earth up to Anthem of Rebellion, then its like someone flipped a switch and we've now got Rise of The Tyrant/Khaos Legion stuff that's just not in the same league.


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## caskettheclown (Mar 26, 2014)

While I am a HUGE Angela fan, I think the replacement does the job very well. Sounds a lot like Angela but not exact. I like it a lot.


To all the people who are saying "Why not just get another man" etc etc etc. WHO CARES? Why does it matter what gender the new vocalist is as long as they fit the bill.

I don't think the new vocalists is the greatest vocalist ever, she certainly fits the bill for what Arch Enemy is known for. I just hope she has the same stage presence as Angela did.


One thing I hope happens is during concerts when they do Angela era songs that Angela will come out and join the new vocalist for at least a song or to. That would be SWEEEET


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## MartinMTL (Mar 26, 2014)

caskettheclown said:


> While I am a HUGE Angela fan, I think the replacement does the job very well. Sounds a lot like Angela but not exact. I like it a lot.
> 
> 
> To all the people who are saying "Why not just get another man" etc etc etc. WHO CARES? Why does it matter what gender the new vocalist is as long as they fit the bill.
> ...



I think the point is that Arch Enemy seem to have gone out of their way to get another female vocalist to fit a specific image, rather than just looking for a good vocalist. Not to say Alissa isn't good (she is an incredible vocalist) but it just seems very calculated. But hey, they get more views along with a good vocalist so good for them I guess.


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## groverj3 (Mar 26, 2014)

MartinMTL said:


> I think the point is that Arch Enemy seem to have gone out of their way to get another female vocalist to fit a specific image, rather than just looking for a good vocalist. Not to say Alissa isn't good (she is an incredible vocalist) but it just seems very calculated. But hey, they get more views along with a good vocalist so good for them I guess.



I guess. However, if they wanted to retain the status of being "that melodeath band with the chick singer" I see nothing wrong with it. It seems that she's a competent replacement in general.

I am one of those weird ones that actually think they're a pretty solid band. Never that innovative or anything, just fun to listen to.


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## metaldoggie (Jun 6, 2014)

I have been a huge Carcass fan since I was in high school and Heartwork came out....I loved the idea of AE, loved the riffs and melodies, but Angela's vocals were just *MEH* to me and very monotone. 
Funny thing is I was listening to Surgical Steel and thinking about how good Steer is, and how close he sounds to Michael and I decided to throw AE in to listen to the guitar parts.

Of the 3 songs from War Eternal I have heard, I think Alissa has a better tone to my ears than Angela.....still lacks some dynamics but I think it works well with the band.

I also think Michael has stepped up his writing a lot - it sounds like he heard Surgical Steel, said "oh sh*t" and wrote his response to it (I need to hear the whole album, but I got that feeling from a couple of the songs I heard)


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## metaldoggie (Jun 6, 2014)

*Also checking out the Agonist right now....not a big fan of her clean "overly forced" singing.....so I wont miss that in AE


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## rastachild (Jun 6, 2014)

thought the song 'war eternal' was bland, loved 'as the pages burn' and absolutely hated 'you will know my name'. judging fromt the incredibly short snippets they've played in their track by track analysis, i am pretty sure it will be 50/50 for me. i have no problems with alissa's vocals...it's mainly the inconsistency of michael's writing. he described 'you will know my name' as sounding like a scorpions song. not really what i'm looking for when i purchase an arch enemy album, but to each his own. i'll be voting with my dollar. luckily, i can purchase the tracks that i like and ignore the rest.


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## /wrists (Sep 5, 2022)

Just wanted to bump this thread and say I liked the two Agonist albums Alyssa do and I liked Angela in Arch Enemy, but agree with @HeHasTheJazzHands that Angela's one voice got old for me. It just doesn't satisfy anything for me. ]


Was listening to The Agonist way before Alyssa left the band and always thought they had a lot of talent and creativity.


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## AMOS (Sep 5, 2022)

Alissa proved to be pretty versatile


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## soul_lip_mike (Sep 5, 2022)

evade said:


> Just wanted to bump this thread and say I liked the two Agonist albums Alyssa do and I liked Angela in Arch Enemy, but agree with @HeHasTheJazzHands that Angela's one voice got old for me. It just doesn't satisfy anything for me. ]
> 
> 
> Was listening to The Agonist way before Alyssa left the band and always thought they had a lot of talent and creativity.


You pulled an 8 year necro for this? Nice.


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## works0fheart (Sep 5, 2022)

Not sure why this got bumped, but it's 2022 and my opinion hasn't changed:

Alyssa is lame, Angela was good.


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## Ralyks (Sep 6, 2022)

works0fheart said:


> Not sure why this got bumped, but it's 2022 and my opinion hasn't changed:
> 
> Alyssa is lame, Angela was good.


And Johan Liiva was best.


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## MFB (Sep 7, 2022)

Ralyks said:


> And Johan Liiva was best.



Tough to say, I absolutely LOVE Burning Bridges but I don't know if how he would've worked on Wages of Sin, and if they'd have started veering slightly like they did.


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## bostjan (Sep 7, 2022)

I love all three singers for their talent, but IMHO their earlier stuff was the most exciting, musically, and as they got more commercial-friendly (sounds weird to say that about a death metal band), they got less and less exciting, continually. I didn't notice it as much at first, but, by _Doomsday Machine,_ they were pretty much writing songs out of a cookbook. I don't know how much Johann was responsible for their fresh take, but I think that as Christopher was gradually checking out of the band, they gradually got less creative. Maybe one caused the other or maybe they were both caused by another event or maybe it's just coincidence.


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## neurosis (Sep 7, 2022)

bostjan said:


> I love all three singers for their talent, but IMHO their earlier stuff was the most exciting, musically, and as they got more commercial-friendly (sounds weird to say that about a death metal band), they got less and less exciting, continually. I didn't notice it as much at first, but, by _Doomsday Machine,_ they were pretty much writing songs out of a cookbook. I don't know how much Johann was responsible for their fresh take, but I think that as Christopher was gradually checking out of the band, they gradually got less creative. Maybe one caused the other or maybe they were both caused by another event or maybe it's just coincidence.


Michael has been vocal about his aspiration to making AE a memorable sing along type of metal band a la Iron Maiden. I think over time he has distilled what he thinks AE should sounds like and there's going to be little movement away from that. They have gotten more consistent with the releases after Doomsday. So much that it feels a little "templetized" since then. 

I still like many of the riffs and enjoy a song here or there but I can't swallow the lyrics and think the overall concept has become somewhat cheesy for my personal taste. From the choreographed moves on stage to the hot topic rebellion attire it's all a bit overplayed.


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## bostjan (Sep 7, 2022)

neurosis said:


> Michael has been vocal about his aspiration to making AE a memorable sing along type of metal band a la Iron Maiden. I think over time he has distilled what he thinks AE should sounds like and there's going to be little movement away from that. They have gotten more consistent with the releases after Doomsday. So much that it feels a little "templetized" since then.
> 
> I still like many of the riffs and enjoy a song here or there but I can't swallow the lyrics and think the overall concept has become somewhat cheesy for my personal taste. From the choreographed moves on stage to the hot topic rebellion attire it's all a bit overplayed.


Truth.

I guess, for me, cheesy and modern metal go together about as well as peppermint and orange flavours. I can take guilty pleasure in a cheesy pop song and I love me some precision modern metal, but the two concocted together leaves me with a bitter taste in my mouth.


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## thrsher (Sep 7, 2022)

jeff loomis as a hired gun is the biggest travesty to come of this. 

...also angela era > alyssa era


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## MFB (Sep 7, 2022)

neurosis said:


> Michael has been vocal about his aspiration to making AE a memorable sing along type of metal band a la Iron Maiden. I think over time he has distilled what he thinks AE should sounds like and there's going to be little movement away from that. They have gotten more consistent with the releases after Doomsday. So much that it feels a little "templetized" since then.
> 
> I still like many of the riffs and enjoy a song here or there but I can't swallow the lyrics and think the overall concept has become somewhat cheesy for my personal taste. From the choreographed moves on stage to the hot topic rebellion attire it's all a bit overplayed.



They're consistent with each other for sure, but they're still consistently bland. I checked out with _Doomsday Machine_, which I'll still consider a 'good' album and having spun their live album with Angela like a week ago, there's a few surprise hits from her last few, but nothing that comes close to anything on the albums that proceeded them. _DM_ definitely has more melody than the previous albums, with tracks like "Hybrids of Steel" but there's also the old school octave skipping stuff like "Skeleton Dance," so it still feels like Arch Enemy.

I just haven't heard that in forever from them, so it's like, well no point going back to the well


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## AMOS (Sep 7, 2022)

thrsher said:


> jeff loomis as a hired gun is the biggest travesty to come of this.
> 
> ...also angela era > alyssa era


Loomis is much better than Amott, not sure why he doesn't play more lead, or at least break out the 7's. He mentioned in an interview AE wasn't a 7 string band, I think that's because Amott doesn't want it.


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## MFB (Sep 7, 2022)

Not to say he CAN'T write in this style, but when I think Loomis, the immediate sound that comes to mind is diminished scales which I don't hear much of in AE; so it's not entirely insane as to why he might not be doing as much (read as: any) writing in the band.


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## crankyrayhanky (Sep 7, 2022)

thrsher said:


> jeff loomis as a hired gun is the biggest travesty to come of this.
> 
> ...also angela era > alyssa era



Did you hear Loomis in the recent Alcatrazz release? loomis is amazing, but it is very 80s Alcatrazz 

Arch Enemy is ok....but I miss Nevermore


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## D-Nasty (Sep 7, 2022)

AMOS said:


> Loomis is much better than Amott, not sure why he doesn't play more lead, or at least break out the 7's. He mentioned in an interview AE wasn't a 7 string band, I think that's because Amott doesn't want it.


Loomis might be more technical than Amott, but I prefer the Carcass - Heartwork style solos. Jeff Loomis is a super shredder but the Amott brothers feel the music...


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Sep 7, 2022)

thrsher said:


> ...also angela era > alyssa era


Early Angela era, sure
Later Angela era is just as boring as Alyssa era imo. 
Johan era is best era. Even the new Black Earth singles were better than anything they've done in over a decade. Johan just brings something out of the Amott brothers.


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## AMOS (Sep 7, 2022)

D-Nasty said:


> Loomis might be more technical than Amott, but I prefer the Carcass - Heartwork style solos. Jeff Loomis is a super shredder but the Amott brothers feel the music...


I hear ya, they play with heart. There is this video of Loomis playing with Tony MacAlpine for EMG TV and they were both playing some great emotional guitar work. Loomis can do it, but he usually shreds.


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## Grindspine (Sep 7, 2022)

I respect Arch Enemy, as each of the musicians are extremely talented. However, I just cannot seem to get into any of their recent stuff. It all seems very safe & formulated. I was a huge Carcass fan back in the nineties. I am also a big fan of The Agonist, both during the Alyssa era and now with Vicky as their front. Angela was also an amazing vocalist. 

In every recent arrangement though, Alyssa uses so little of her vocal range, trying to stay really close to Angela's style. Amott and Loomis play great melodies, but nothing seems pushed or like they are pushing to any type of limit. I mean, these guys are amazing players, but everything just sounds so safe and polished anymore. It would be nice to hear them push some boundaries or do something unexpected.


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## CTID (Sep 7, 2022)

i remember liking some songs off of Rise of the Tyrant when i was a teenager, nowadays i couldn't tell you a single name of a song off of it, or if there's even a title track on it.

doomsday machine i still remember and listen to a couple songs here and there (still pretty rarely tbh) and as i've gotten older i've just distanced myself from "anthemic" metal i guess. RotT apparently bored me enough that i've not listened to one single new song released by them since it came out


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## TheShreddinHand (Sep 11, 2022)

crankyrayhanky said:


> Did you hear Loomis in the recent Alcatrazz release? loomis is amazing, but it is very 80s Alcatrazz
> 
> Arch Enemy is ok....but I miss Nevermore


Did that album drop? I didn’t think it had come out yet.


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## Grindspine (Sep 14, 2022)

CTID said:


> i remember liking some songs off of Rise of the Tyrant when i was a teenager, nowadays i couldn't tell you a single name of a song off of it, or if there's even a title track on it.
> 
> doomsday machine i still remember and listen to a couple songs here and there (still pretty rarely tbh) and as i've gotten older i've just distanced myself from "anthemic" metal i guess. RotT apparently bored me enough that i've not listened to one single new song released by them since it came out


"Anthemic" is a good descriptor for how Arch Enemy sounds now. It is strange to think that you can term it like that now when they were rooted so deeply in death metal in the nineties.


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## Nicki (Sep 15, 2022)

AMOS said:


> Loomis is much better than Amott, not sure why he doesn't play more lead, or at least break out the 7's. He mentioned in an interview AE wasn't a 7 string band, I think that's because Amott doesn't want it.


No. Watch the interview Ola did with Loomis. Jeff mentions that Arch Enemy has a specific sound and it comes from the creative style of Amott. Jeff's writing style doesn't match. He said if he wrote something, it would sound like his solo stuff or Nevermore. He says that Michael will bounce ideas off of him and he's happy to contribute that way, but the AE sound comes from Amott's writing style.


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## Xiphos68 (Sep 15, 2022)

I just don't see how anyone creative as Loomis would be happy in that situation aside from making solid pay.

I find it so odd that these modern bands don't take a risk writing with someone new. 

Poison when they got Richie Kotzen in the 80's let him not only sing but write 90% of the album. Which is unheard of with a new member at like 20 years old.
While it didn't chart like previous Poison, it wasn't meant to. It was it's own thing and it was the best thing they ever did imo. 
Richie ripped. 

I don't think in this era you would have to worry as much. I think most fans these days would welcome a new flavor as long as it doesn't diverge too much from the old. 
Loomis I don't think would be an issue which is why I don't get it. It's a waste.


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## Edika (Sep 15, 2022)

I recently listened to some of the older stuff with Chris Ammot on Lead and he's really shreddy I'd say. I don't understand why Jeff can't play solos in that vain instead of playing, in some cases, worse solos than Michael. I don't think Jeff is so one dimensional that he can only play diminished scale stuff ala Nevermore. The explanation above is just the usual bull not to say that he's a hired gun and Michael is a complete control freak lol!


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## AMOS (Sep 15, 2022)

Xiphos68 said:


> I just don't see how anyone creative as Loomis would be happy in that situation aside from making solid pay.
> 
> I find it so odd that these modern bands don't take a risk writing with someone new.
> 
> ...


Maybe he's just building up his credentials and making some money.


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## Nicki (Sep 16, 2022)

Xiphos68 said:


> I just don't see how anyone creative as Loomis would be happy in that situation aside from making solid pay.
> 
> I find it so odd that these modern bands don't take a risk writing with someone new.
> 
> ...


Some musicians who have been the primary driving force behind a (former) band's, or their own songwriting for a long time are sometimes happy to take a gig where they just have to sit back and play for the enjoyment of playing without the pressures that goes along with primary song writing duties.

Portnoy comes to mind...

Likely that Loomis in this same mindset so that he can write in his signature style for his solo stuff (which he's said he's writing solo album #3) as well as Alcatrazz. Those would likely feel more like "home" to his creative style.


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## VGK17 (Sep 17, 2022)

Why is everyone acting like Jeff Loomis is being held hostage by Arch Enemy?


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## MFB (Sep 17, 2022)

The only thing holding Jeff Loomis hostage is that pesky trem block affecting his tone!

If only there was some sort of product that could give him more sustain/attack without losing the feel of a traditional metal block; maybe one made of some sort of, I don't know, stone perhaps?


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## Adieu (Sep 17, 2022)

VGK17 said:


> Why is everyone acting like Jeff Loomis is being held hostage by Arch Enemy?



Wouldn't it be the other way around, him and the new chick holding the leftovers of old Arch Enemy hostage?


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## works0fheart (Sep 17, 2022)

D-Nasty said:


> Loomis might be more technical than Amott, but I prefer the Carcass - Heartwork style solos. Jeff Loomis is a super shredder but the Amott brothers feel the music...



As much as I like some of the solos on Heartwork, Michael's solos don't even hold a candle to Christopher Amott's. Mike has only gotten more boring sounding as times gone on as well.


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## D-Nasty (Sep 17, 2022)

works0fheart said:


> As much as I like some of the solos on Heartwork, Michael's solos don't even hold a candle to Christopher Amott's. Mike has only gotten more boring sounding as times gone on as well.



I'm checking out Dark Tranquility "Moment". I'm at the solo section of the first song. I've listened to it several times now & I don't really hear anything that monumental. It's good, but not great. What tunes should I be listening to? I haven't really kept up with Christopher Amott.


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## works0fheart (Sep 17, 2022)

D-Nasty said:


> I'm checking out Dark Tranquility "Moment". I'm at the solo section of the first song. I've listened to it several times now & I don't really hear anything that monumental. It's good, but not great. What tunes should I be listening to? I haven't really kept up with Christopher Amott.







Really any of his solos off the early Arch Enemy material is really good. Black Earth, Wages of Sin, etc.


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## BusinessMan (Sep 18, 2022)

D-Nasty said:


> I'm checking out Dark Tranquility "Moment". I'm at the solo section of the first song. I've listened to it several times now & I don't really hear anything that monumental. It's good, but not great. What tunes should I be listening to? I haven't really kept up with Christopher Amott.


I really liked his solos on the khaos legions album. My first (death metal album) and personal favorite of mine.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Sep 18, 2022)

MFB said:


> The only thing holding Jeff Loomis hostage is that pesky trem block affecting his tone!
> 
> If only there was some sort of product that could give him more sustain/attack without losing the feel of a traditional metal block; maybe one made of some sort of, I don't know, stone perhaps?


*5 new burner accounts have entered the SSO chat*


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## BusinessMan (Sep 18, 2022)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> *5 new burner accounts have entered the SSO chat*


Where's DirtyPuma when you need em?


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## bostjan (Sep 19, 2022)

BusinessMan said:


> Where's @DirtyPuma when you need them?


Pointed out some flaws in your post. When you make a joke, I expect your post to be flawless, but there wasn't even a predictable pattern to it. so, obviously @DirtyPuma is out buying more Rusti guitars right now, probably paying 5% over asking price for them out of generosity, then turning around and reselling them.


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## DirtyPuma (Sep 20, 2022)

BusinessMan said:


> Where's DirtyPuma when you need em?


You called for me?


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## DirtyPuma (Sep 20, 2022)

bostjan said:


> Pointed out some flaws in your post. When you make a joke, I expect your post to be flawless, but there wasn't even a predictable pattern to it. so, obviously @DirtyPuma is out buying more Rusti guitars right now, probably paying 5% over asking price for them out of generosity, then turning around and reselling them.


The guitar will be a thing to behold. Not many people can pull off a full puma on a guitar top. I want some flames as well.


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## MFB (Sep 20, 2022)

Rudinger crushing "Nemesis" for his YT channel


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## Emperoff (Sep 21, 2022)

AE used to be one of my favourite bands. To me the cause of its descend to infinite boredom was the departure of Chris Amott. Alyssa has little to do with it since she's just a hired gun like Jeff.

I used to love Alyssa on The Agonist, but I can't really stand her on Arch Enemy anymore. Her constant "look at me!" moves and OTT dresses are just cringey and cheesy compared to the sheer onstage presence Angela had (no bullshit needed).


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## works0fheart (Sep 21, 2022)

Emperoff said:


> Her constant "look at me!" moves and OTT dresses are just cringey and cheesy compared to the sheer onstage presence Angela had (no bullshit needed).


Completely agreed, even about the Chris bit. Angela had a commanding stage presence and while she dressed obnoxious too, it wasn't to the level that Alyssa is, and her vocals were goddamned powerful


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