Arch Enemy - Wages of Sin

Already a well-established thrash metal monster after the release of 1999's Burning Bridges, Arch Enemy was probably scratching its collective head in 2000 and wondering what they could possibly do to elevate their legend further. Great guitarists? Check. Lethal rhythm section? Check. Intoxicating mix of thrash and death metal with melodic elements of traditional heavy metal thrown in for seasoning? Check. Hot chick as a frontman? Now there's an idea! So the band parted ways with singer Johan Liiva and somehow found a gorgeous blonde, Angela Gossow, with a charcoal furnace for a voice and a black hole for a heart. As guitarist Michael Amott said—looks aside— "[It was] like a throwing out a pet rabbit and getting a Rottweiler dog instead."

Arch Enemy is the brainchild of Amott (ex-Carcass/Candlemass/Carnage) who, along with his younger brother Chris (Armageddon), founded the group in the mid-90s. Their European debut, Black Earth was released in 1996, introducing their unique mix of ferocity and melody to the continent. Century Media Records picked them up soon thereafter, and Arch Enemy attacked in 1998 with Stigmata, a record that combined maturation in the band's songwriting with raw and heavy production feel courtesy of Fredrik Nordstrom (At The Gates, Hammerfall). The next coup came when the group seemed to put all the pieces together with the release of the incomparable Bridges. With veteran Sharlee D'Angelo (Mercyful Fate/Witchery/Dismember) on bass, and Daniel Erlandsson (ex-Eucharist/In Flames/The End) on drums, the group was close to perfection. Gossow was the last piece in the puzzle in 2000 and Wages of Sin was clear for take-off.

The group again headed into Studio Fredman in Gothenburg to record, but this time enlisted producer Andy Sneap (Testament, Nevermore, Stuck Mojo) to do a final mix of the album. Wages of Sin was actually released in 2001, but only in Japan, where the band has achieved celebrity status as that country's most popular extreme metal band. Sounds like sci-fi, huh?

Good thing the rest of the world finally got access to these twelve blistering tracks (plus a Century Media bonus cd with seven rare, previously-unreleased songs from the past!). It's not that Arch Enemy have really taken a step forward artistically with this album (many want them to produce something truly grand and ambitious), it's just that they keep kicking ass so furiously. Right off the bat, "Enemy Within" has enough venom and intensity to bring heaven crashing to the earth. Besides being a master of titanic, thrashing riffing, Michael Amott has a truly superb sense of melody. It permeates every song on Wages without ever detracting from the pure heaviness of it all. Other highlights include the sinister "Heart of Darkness," the chorus of which sees Gossow practically shredding her vocal chords, "Savage Messiah," which lulls us into complacency before launching into riffs big enough to destroy towns, and "The First Deadly Sin," where Gossow ominously warns "Love will turn to hate/Heat will turn to ice" (please no, girlfriend).

It's all a huge, savage affair—just what you'd expect from a band as consistently good as Arch Enemy. And with German import Gossow, these Swedes are stronger than ever behind the mike. I don't know what they're putting in the water in Tokyo, but here's hoping we're all exposed to it soon. Simply put, Michael Amott & Co. should be on every metalhead's ‘A' list.