Artist: Arch Enemy
Label: Century Media
Release Date: 4/2/02 US
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Title: Wages of Sin Artist: Arch Enemy Label: Century Media Release Date: 4/2/02 US |
Judgment Committee Reviews | Rating |
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Abyss's Review:
Wages of Sin, the latest effort from Arch Enemy, finds that perfect mix of aggression, technicality and melody that will earn this disc a place in the collection of just about every metalhead. Not that this should be very surprising to anyone, as this band has done just about everything right up to this point. Their previous two albums were magnificent to behold, making the breakup of Carcass a little easier to handle. So it is understandable that fans might have been a little nervous after it was announced that Johan Liiva, one of the few growlers out there that really stands out from the pack, was leaving the band. So what does the band do to stifle all of our fears? They recruit a pretty blonde, so even if she sucked, we'd all have something to look at.
"Of course, no matter how cute the lead singer is, this band is still all about the guitars." Of course it becomes clear that her looks are not what got her the job a few seconds after you start playing the disc. This woman has pipes, and her caustic scream narrates the familiar Arch Enemy guitar sound without skipping a beat. The woman is Angela Gossow, and while it remains to be seen (by me anyway) if her stage presence will rival Mr. Liiva's, her vocal ability isn't in question. What impresses me most is not the fact that she's a woman, I've heard women growl before (I do have sex with a lot of animals, however), but that her voice is able to complement Arch Enemy's dense sound. Now, there are some parts of the album where her voice seems to get a little wispy, but the majority of the vocal lines are dead on
Of course, no matter how cute the lead singer is, this band is still all about the guitars. Their trademark sound remains intact, as they lace their catchy riffs with dexterous soloing so that both musician and music fan are appeased. The underlying theme here is that this band really doesn't have a weakness. If I had one complaint about the last album, it was that the melodies seemed a bit too "happy," and that seems to be remedied to a small degree here. The melodies remain upbeat, but there is a more sinister thread going through it all. My early favorite is "Heart of Darkness," which seems the most accessible of the songs, and I also really like "Burning Angel," even though parts of it sound identical to Megadeth's "Hangar 18."
"So there are really no surprises here, Arch Enemy simply remain one of the best bands in metal right now." So there are really no surprises here, Arch Enemy simply remain one of the best bands in metal right now. Not only that, their sound is accessible enough that I could see this band flirting with more mainstream success, all the while retaining their integrity. One word review: Awesome.
Death's Review:
Yeah, I know. This one's old news to all of our international readers (trust me, this is a quite substantial portion of our audience). It's probably also old news to all of the obsessive, collector-type metalheads out there who bought the import upon its international release some time ago. Are there even any other type of Arch Enemy fans here in the U.S.? As relatively accessible as they may be, they sure don't seem to be the kind of band that gets a lot of casual, point-of-purchase, "on-a-whim" type sales. Heck, MJ's own Solomon even posted a review of this album in Summary Judgment some time ago (posted now as the first reader review). So why is the Judgment Committee reviewing this album now?
Probably because it smokes. And I feel a burning need to tell you that. This is one of the best melodic death metal albums I've ever heard. Beautiful guitar playing, fun, catchy riffs, definite heaviness and extremity blended with the melody, and a cool new "chick" singer in Angela Gossow. I can't wait to see this new lineup live! They absolutely rule. Gossow sounds killer, and you'd never know it was a woman just from hearing her, that's for sure. Still, Arch Enemy is about the melodies, the riffs and the solos, and brothers Chris and Michael Amott totally deliver the goods with Wages of Sin. The opening riff to "Heart of Darkness" may just be one of my favorite riffs, ever, and tracks like "Ravenous" (a cool video for this track is included on my promo copy as well), and . . . heck the whole fucking album rules!
"So why is the Judgment Committee reviewing this album now? Probably because it smokes."
Don't let the USA miss out on this album over delays and legal wranglings. The rest of the world already has been basking in the glow of this one for a while, it's time we here in North America caught up. Arch Enemy is one of the great metal bands of our time. They're big stars in Japan. I am on a personal mission to make sure the North American release is not overlooked. That's why we're writing now about 'Wages of Sin'. So if you don't have it yet, go out to the store April 2 and buy this sucker. I'd be shocked if you were disappointed. If you are--you and I just don't like the same kind of music, plain and simple.
"The rest of the world already has been basking in the glow of this one for a while, it's time we here in North America caught up."
Hel's Review:
At long, long last, the fabled album has made it to American shores. So let me get my rant out of the way. Why the hell does every reviewer feel the need to spend 2/3rds of the review on the fact that the new singer is female? Get over it boys, the streak is broken, we women are everywhere in metal now. Here at Metal Judgment, there's me, our new webmaster and Summary Judgment writer Redwolff, and our righteous photographer Cyn, then expanding out to the larger metal community, there's the new singer of Arch Enemy, the editor of Metal Maniacs, and many of the PR folk for your favorite indie labels, just to name a few - face it, we're everywhere.
And you know how women are - once we have our collective foot in the door, we're not going anywhere. Thanks to the efforts of early pioneers like Karyn Crisis, and, really, too many others to try to name, we have managed by this point to integrate ourselves into every aspect of the metal community. Moreover, I think that although the popular press will never relinquish the idea of metal as exclusively male, many men in the metal scene regard us with respect and recognize that we are making contributions as valuable as anyone. So give me credit for this - at least I spent my 2/3rds standing on a soapbox and making a point beyond, "...and she's actually pretty good."
"Get over it boys, the streak is broken, we women are everywhere in metal now."
Angela is more than "pretty good" - she's as proficient as any other death vocalist out there, period. What is most important is that, unless you're fixated on the point, her voice fits the music and is not a distraction from it. The role of vocalist being amply filled, focus turns to the natural fixation point of this band: the guitars. The Amott brothers dazzle with their dual melodic musicianship. The pace set by the drummer's relentless pounding and the driving bass line is all-out metal. On the whole, it is enticing and entertaining. If you have been a fan of Arch Enemy's previous work, you will most assuredly enjoy this one as well. Don't let the female singer fool you, you'd never have known unless someone told you. If you're determined not to like anything with a girl singer, well then, I guess it's lucky for you that everyone seems to feel the need to tell you so you won't have to soil your ears with what must be just awful - save your cash and let someone with a brain buy that copy.
"If you have been a fan of Arch Enemy's previous work, you will most assuredly enjoy this one as well."
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