With "War Eternal" Arch Enemy have once again proved why they are the undisputed rulers of their genre of metal. It's a tribute to the musical talent of this band that in a scene that can quickly be jammed up with hundreds of sound alike bands that Michael Amott and company continue to have a sound and a dynamic that is so completely and instantly identifiable as their own. There were many fans who had their doubts that this release would stand up to the legacy of the last few Arch Enemy releases because of the decision by longtime vocalist Angela Gossow to be part of the behind the scenes team rather than the voice of the band, Into this void came Alissa White-Gluz from The Agonist. As a long time follower of Alissa I knew that she was an excellent choice to replace such an iconic vocalist and Alissa has made it clear on War Eternal that she can more than deliver. The release of the album has seemed to go a long way towards silencing the skeptics.
Tempore Nihil Sanat (prelude in F minor)
Never Forgive, Never Forget
War Eternal
As The Pages Burn
No More Regrets
You Will Know My Name
Graveyard of Dreams
Stolen Life
Time is Black
On and On
Avalanche
Down To Nothing
Not Long For This World
Century Media offered the release in several formats and for the true Arch Enemy fan it's the only way to get this release. I myself got the limited edition digipak format. Yes, here at Focus on Metal we do get digital copies from the label but to truly review a release you need to get the physical media. The digipak is a great package to get. You get the 13 regular tracks plus a bonus track Shadow On The Wall, You also get a 24 page booklet with all the lyrics, photos, and artwork. Also inside is a sticker and in true metal fashion, a patch.
The word on this one is symphonic. In the past they have had elements like this but never in such an obvious form. The disc kicks of with Tempore Nihil Sanat (prelude in F minor) an all instrumental bit of classical music which ably announces some of the upcoming intentions. Don't get the wrong idea, this is an Arch Enemy release and once Never Forgive, Never Forget kicks in you damn well know it. However the longtime Arch Enemy follower will notice a certain TSO type leaning in some of the latter songs but it's been done in a somber and cohesive fashion which gives an even greater sense of the ominous subject matter. Michael Amott and Nick Cordle give impressive guitar performances throughout the entire disc. And all the elements of classic Arch Enemy guitar is present. Daniel Erlandsson is at the top of his game on drums and Sharlee D'Angelo is once again superb at holding down the low end on bass.
This one has the potential to become one of my favorite Arch Enemy releases. I'm not sure if it will topple Anthems of Rebellion but it's right up there. Just the fact that the triple punch of tracks 2 through 4 should be enough to convince a non-believer.
Top track: As The Pages Burn
On a scale of 1 through 10 I gave this one a 9 and I give Alissa a solid 10 for fearlessly stepping into some huge shoes and proving the naysayers and blog trolls that she is more than up for the task.
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