8

Half and Half from Arch Enemy

Arch Enemy have always been, and will always be, referred to as the dominating force in female death metal. They've been making it for a long time, and they have very few contempories - Matriarch are one, but female fronted death metal bands are very few and far between. Angela Gossow's voice may not seem that different to some other death metal bands, but what happens live is a different thing altogether. For a petite blonde woman to dominate a crowd and throw so much more energy into a show than most is something awesome to behold.

So it is with great anticipation that this album is received. Anthems of Rebellion has been received with mixed, but mostly positive reception. It was a refreshing change, but it wasn't too far removed from their excellent Burning Bridges sound. Doomsday Machine seems to have taken a step backwards guitar wise, the pre-Gossow Arch Enemy showing through here in huge waves of shredding riffs engulfing super-fast drumming. But the band have retained the electronic feeling of Gossow's voice. Tracks such as "Nemesis" are a prime example of this - one big clever dynamic solo session with booming vocals blended with the electronic, harsher and drier vocal work that came from Anthems of Rebellion.

It sounds like a treat. Sadly, it doesn't work throughout the album, and whilst "Nemesis" is a work of death metal genius, tracks like "Skeleton Dance" and "Slaves of Yesterday" are ultimately forgettable. What you have here is an album split down the middle - half of it is a new experiment that goes well, half goes terribly wrong. Overall, well worth picking up if you're an Arch Enemy fan. Otherwise, steer clear.