ARCH ENEMY – Blood Dynasty (Album Review)

The dynasty continues undaunted.

There is something to be said for not messing with a winning formula, but this does not mean that innovation needs to fall by the wayside. For their part, Swedish melodic death metal mainstays Arch Enemy have raised the concept of sticking to what works to an art form over three decades, fielding 12 exemplary LPs with three very different lead vocalists at the helm.

In fact, the only thing that could be viewed as outright inconsistent in this band is their lineup, leaving guitarist and de facto mastermind Michael Amott as the lone constant member since their 1995 founding; though to be fair, the rhythm section consisting of drummer Daniel Erlandsson and bassist Sharlee D’Angelo have been in congress since the 90s and share a near equal share of credits in Arch Enemy’s back catalog.

Now, with the departure of Jeff Loomis to rekindle the old modern metal flame that was Nevermore, this tenacious powerhouse of an outfit has soldiered forward with arguably their most intense offering yet, aptly dubbed Blood Dynasty.

In the words of Amott himself, “We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel, we’re just writing the best music we can.” A truer statement could not be uttered when a perusal of the explosive anthems that lie in wait is made. Now accompanied by shred surgeon Joey Conception on 2^nd guitar, a logical choice given his past work in Amott’s brother Christopher’s project Armageddon, some of the most melodically rich material has been unleashed upon an equally explosive foundation courtesy of the band’s aforementioned rhythm section, to speak nothing for the tasteful yet daunting technical feats that weave in and out of the arrangement.

The culmination of it all is an album that adheres to every practice that fans have come to expect from this fold, though in a more concentrated dose and with a few surprises. Chief among the new elements at play here comes courtesy of front woman Alissa White-Gluz, whom has already proven quite capable of matching her predecessor Angela Gossow in the guttural department, but has now taken a few occasions to showcase the consonant side of her vocal tool kit, drawing upon her soaring soprano as often witnessed during her guest work with Kamelot and some dirty melodic fair that perfectly complements the thrash elements of the Arch Enemy template.

Despite this outfit’s generally straightforward approach to the melodeath craft relative to other prime movers in Sweden and beyond, the ebb and flow of their 13^th opus is nothing if not multifaceted. Things commence on an uncompromisingly familiar note with “Dream Stealer”, arguably the most chaotic, thrash-infused beast of an anthem to emerge from Arch Enemy’s creative well in over a decade, which fully embraces a modern sense of raw fury as Alissa’s ferocious roar vacillates between a deep bark and an almost tuneful snarl during the triumphant chorus section.

Other monstrous entries like “Don’t Look Down” and “March Of The Miscreants” tread similarly extreme paths and put the band’s money where their riffs are, the latter taking a brief left turn into mid-paced Gothenburg territory before circling back to destroy all who oppose sonically. Similarly swift and hard-hitting cruisers like “A Million Suns” and “Liars & Thieves” lean a little more into the melodic end of things and come off a tad closer to power metal-like bangers, while the punchy slab of savory ear candy that is “The Pendulum” has all the makings of a rock radio hit with a venomous bite.

One might almost be content to consider this a higher octane rendition of where things have been since War Eternal, but that summation falls short when a few rather interesting twists in the tale unfold. The most blatant departure from the established order is the somber power ballad “Vivre Libre” – a rendition of a rather obscure original by French hard rock band Blaspheme – which leaves the melodic death realm entirely, at least insofar as Alissa’s performance is concerned. Barring a few forceful gang chants from the background, Gluz’s dynamic soprano sticks to smoother territory, though a few brilliant Janis Joplin-like moments mixed into an otherwise angelic presentation keeps things from getting too safe.

Coupled with a soaring melodic display during the chorus of the mid-tempo banger entry “Illuminate The Path”, the vocal occasions taken add to an already highly dynamic display. Beyond the vocal strides being taken, the songwriting and instrumental execution takes a few very auspicious chances at more nuanced and hook-driven fair on the duo of ear worm anthems “Paper Tiger” and the title entry “Blood Dynasty”, rivaling the most infectious anthems ever put forth by In Flames and Dark Tranquillity, and solidifying Amott and Conception’s virtuosic union at the very first attempt.

Though it would be a stretch to qualify Bloody Dynasty and the riveting anthems that preceded its release as promotional singles as throwbacks to Arch Enemy’s pre-2003 era, the temptation to consider them as such is understandable given that they stand on a similar qualitative footing.

It is very much a modern opus that would more readily be compared to the most recent outings of Amon Amarth and Soilwork than the archaic splendor that typified albums like Black Earth, Stigmata, or even Wages Of Sin. Those that come to it expecting something along the lines of where melodeath was in the late 90s will undoubtedly not find it but are assured to come away with the same sense of fulfillment that comes with hearing a classic metal album from any era.

As the old saying goes, one can never step on the same river twice, yet when stepping into the rapids that Arch Enemy plays in, this is about as close to the waterfall as it gets.

Release Date: March 28th, 2025
Record Label: Century Media Records
Genre: Melodic Death Metal

Musicians:

• Alissa White-Gluz / Vocals
• Michael Amott / Guitars
• Joey Concepcion / Guitars
• Sharlee D’Angelo / Bass
• Daniel Erlandsson / Drums, keyboards, sound effects

Blood Dynasty Track-list:

1. Dream Stealer
2. Illuminate the Path
3. March of the Miscreants
4. A Million Suns
5. Don’t Look Down
6. Presage
7. Blood Dynasty
8. Paper Tiger
9. Vivre Libre (Blaspheme cover)
10. The Pendulum
11. Liars & Thieves

Order Blood Dynasty here