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Arch Enemy.
 'Wages Of Sin', Arch Enemy's fourth album, received widespread acclaim from much of the metal community, largely due to the introduction of new vocalist, Angela Gossow. August 2005 sees the band's third release since Gossow joined: 'Doomsday Machine', a mix of melody and aggression hardly paralleled in the scene.
"Particularly the last three albums, I think we've progressed as a band," says drummer Daniel Erlandsson. "'Anthems Of Rebellion' was a bit of a different album for us because we tried to make that album sound a bit less melodic, a bit more stripped down. With the new album we tried takes a step in the other direction and bring back all the Arch Enemy trademarks, all the crazy guitar playing, and all the melodies back into the mix again. And we did that but there's also other stuff on the album. It's a very atmospheric album, I think. That's kind of new to us, but the core of the music is still Arch Enemy."
The album recalls the best elements of 'Wages Of Sin', as well as the bands earlier efforts, and adds a new element of darkness. "We spent so much more time on this album," Erlandsson explains. "We rehearsed more intensively than we've done before and we spent more time in the studio. It's also more detailed. That creates a depth to it and makes you have to listen to it a couple of times before you appreciate all the things that are going on. And hopefully that will make the album last a bit longer."
Never one to rest on their laurels, Arch Enemy is already on the road in support of its latest material. "We're actually in America right now, doing Ozzfest this year," says Erlandsson. "That's been going fantastic so far. With us being here on Ozzfest, the timing is very good. The album has been out for a week and sold 12,000 copies. That's the best first week we've had and is definitely a sign of the band's growing popularity."
The constant touring has not been without cost though. Recently, guitarist and songwriter Christopher Amott announced that he would not be touring with the band for the foreseeable future. As Erlandsson explains, "The last three years, we've recorded three albums; for the last three albums we've done a lot of touring. We toured a lot more than most bands do in this genre and that took it's toll on Chris. He got tired of being on the road and staying away from home for that long, and he always wanted to go back to school and get a degree."
Amott still co-wrote and recorded guitars for the new album, but stepped aside when the recording was done. "He was a part of the whole writing process and recording process," recalls Erlandsson. "He told us that as soon as the album's finished he was going to take some time off and step aside. That kind of left us without a guitar player for a while, but then we found this guy, Gus G., who is filling in for Chris on the road now. It's been above expectations. He's done a great job so far."
Gus G. rose to prominence for his work with Swedish hard rockers Dream Evil, which also featured producer Frederik Nordstrom. More recently, however, he has been noted for his work with former At The Gates vocalist Tomas Lindberg in Nightrage. "We knew him from before, and he also supported us at a show in London with Nightrage. We saw him play there and he's a very impressive player, I'd say he's up there with the best and his style is similar to Chris'. So that really helped, obviously."
Although a major draw card for Arch Enemy was the dual guitar work of brothers Michael and Christopher Amott, audiences still seem very receptive to the altered line up. Plans for Arch Enemy to head to Australia for three or four shows later this years are still in the works, but the band is hopeful, says Erlandsson.
Matthew Redmond
 | 'Doomsday Machine' is out now through Century Media/Shock. |
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