ARCH ENEMY
War Eternal
Century Media (2014)
Rating: 4/10
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Well if ever there was a band that drifted over my head with a majority of their releases then it has be Arch Enemy. Having formed in the dire pots of the mid-90s when the only “metal” band around seemed to be those high on melody and polished arrangements, this Swedish combo released their half-decent Black Earth (1996) opus. However, after a couple more reasonable efforts Arch Enemy quickly began to grate on my soul, and the next minute I realised that their tenth album was upon me.
I certainly can’t fault the guys for being prolific, and there are moments through their career when they’ve promised to shed the shackles of that mid-90s melodrama and become a riveting metal band, but sadly, for me anyway, those moments are all too fleeting and the trend continues with this 13-track affair.
Arch Enemy have always had their critics over the years, but they are a band I’ve always tried to give chances to. However, now I feel that the time has come for me to wash my hands of them. The main reason for this is down to the vocal style of new voice Alissa White-Gluz, who has a contemporary sort of drizzly growl that just doesn’t seem to fit in well with some of the melodies. And this is rather odd considering some of the levels the Canadian-born singer has reached while appearing live with the likes of Kamelot and Nightwish.
In their heavier episodes I can almost forgive the band for introducing me to such a grating noise, but I still refuse to believe that Michael Amott (Carnage, Carcass, Candlemass, Spiritual Beggars) is still involved in this decrepit lump of metal, but then again the lack of creativity seems to stem from him.
War Eternal is a record that lacks drive and imagination, and the band seem keen on proving this with three rather dire instrumentals which thankfully are all too brief to depress the soul entirely. But of the remaining tracks, hardly any exist as explosive soundbites for a band who seem bereft of willpower.
The title track is beefy in its riff but rather dull too as if the band is going through the motions, especially with that cringe-worthy melody and lyrics of naïvety. Elsewhere, the outfit seem to have decided to throw a number of fillers onto the record to save energy; energy of course which is not present here. Pick any track at random and you’ll become tired by the whole affair, whether it’s ‘On And On’ or the lacklustre cover of Mike Oldfield’s ‘Shadows On The Wall’ (included as a bonus track on the deluxe version). I found myself searching within the depths of this opus for a half-decent, head-cracker of a track, but I really couldn’t find one – ‘Stolen Life’ is a simplistic snooze-fest and ‘Avalanche’ almost begins with a bang, then fizzles like a failing firework in the November rain.
While Angela Gossow may not have been everyone’s cup of tea, her no frills vocal style gave Arch Enemy an extra punch and enabled the band to exist on its musical integrity alone rather than the gimmick of look, but with Alissa White-Gluz we clearly have a frontwoman blessed with a stunning look and fantastic set of pipes and yet it appears as though the band have become more focused on the pout rather than the power.
War Eternal is simply not a very good album, let alone a good Arch Enemy album, and it’s one delivered with such a safe formula that as the cheese drips from the structures of ‘Time Is Black’ I’m reminded as to why Arch Enemy has never really been my thing.
Neil Arnold
