Customer Reviews

Anthems of Rebellion

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Whoa, this is a million times better than wages of sin. Don't get me wrong, WOS is a great album but it was very hard to listen to because it was so long. I could not put that cd in and listen to it from track one to finish, it got old. Plus, there were a few duds on that one.

This album? There isn't as many songs on here this time and they are all shorter in length (there is 13 tracks but only 10 of them are actualy full songs). The riffs are SUPER solid and the solos are excellent. this is a extremely solid album, balls out heavy metal. They have also started using more noises and keyboards and they add a whole new dimension to their heavy metal assault.

It's CATCHY! Super super catchy, one of the most catchiest album i've ever heard. Angela's voice has improved greatly, it's gotten much lower and more death metal like, waaaaay more brutal. Even though it's so easy to listen to it, it doens't get boring like mainstream music. Each song has a hook that just pulls you in.

Other than the iron maiden's dance of death, this is the frickin cd of the year. Thanks Arch Enemy, for making great music.

Arch Enemy's album "Anthems of Rebellion" shows us how powerful melodic death metal can be. With the demonic voice of German vocalist Angela Gossow, this band has proved itself once again to be a force against the likes of In Flames, COB, Dark Tranquillity and Soilwork. Their last release, Wages of Sin, was their defining moment. I give this CD five stars because their songs have evolved with more brutality. Their is not one bad song on this CD. "Exist to Exit" is my favorite track, followed by "Dead Eyes See no Future". By the end of the CD, you know what most of the songs will sound like, but the album isn't repetitive. Unlike In Flames' "Reroute to Remain", Arch Enemy does not sacrifice brutality for technicality. It looks as if Arch Enemy may indeed be the future of death metal.

Being a long time fan of Arch Enemy, I have come to expect nothing but the best metal from one of the best Swedish metal bands in the business. The last album, "Wages of Sin", was fast and gave me one of the greatest adrenaline rushes I've ever had. "Anthems of Rebellion" keeps the classic Arch Enemy aggression intact and puts out the tracks in a more technical manner.

"Anthems" seems to show nothing short of perfection from beginning to end and it also presses new limits for the "new" Arch Enemy. All parts in the tracks, except for "Instinct", seem to coalesce and create an awesome listening experience. Many tracks seem to deal with higher tone ranges and seem to be slower, but the aggression is far from lacking. From opening vocals in "Silent Wars", this CD begs fist pumping, neck breaking action. These tracks beg to be heard and each musician plays their rightful parts. The well known, pounding double bass echoes, at varying speeds, across all tracks and the expertise of the brothers Arnott have the fast solos returning, with more technical minded rhythem sections leaving their instruments, all parts making sense and sounding more like a united piece. The one thing that pulls the songs together, the raucus, loud screaming of Angela Gossow's voice over top of the greater parts underneath. The addition of more synthesized sounds makes it sound more dark and gothic than "Wages of Sin".

Besides Chimaira's "The Impossibility of Reason", this is one of the best metal albums put out this year by far. Even if not an Enemy fan now, I suggest adding both "Wages of Sin" and "Anthems of Rebellion" to your collection for some of the best extreme/ death metal the world can be granted.

I have already written a review, but I just have to do this because I found this review on here that would make any metal fan sick. Here goes...

Some joker, who calls himself Fred Durst's number one fan, who probably hasn't even listened to this CD decides he/she wants to tear this CD with one of the dumbest reviews I have ever read. He refers to so many things that, if he knew the true nature of Gothenburg metal and other metal bands, make no sense whatsoever. Many have already stated these, but I want to rant because I am very upset.

This person calls Korn, Limp Bizkit, Staind, and bands like Good Charlotte metal, then refers to country and pop all in the same review. Folks, someone didn't do their homework. Staind never has been "metal" and has never been that great, the only good album they had was their first one, Korn has fallen off of the wagon recently, some of the new stuff that I have heard just doesn't sound like them at all and they are American NU-METAL, Limp Bizkit never was good and they are a disgrace to the music industry, and don't even get me started on Good Charlotte and Blink-182. We'll just leave that at I don't like them, in fact...I hate them. Obviously, this person has no concept of what metal truly is. Arch Enemy is, by far, at the top of the game when it comes to the melodic death/extreme metal genre and, on "Anthems", have become extremely technique savvy. This only amplifies their greatness. I want to hear Limp Bizkit do this kind of work, when they do I might consider respecting them a little more. Until then, don't dare try to tell me that they are metal. This is in no way true and should never be assumed.

Yes, Arch Enemy does have a female lead singer now. I knew this before I bought "Wages of Sin" and they have gotten much better since she joined. Don't get me wrong, Johann Lliva was an excellent frontman, but I seriously believe that Angela Gossow fits the role much better for Arch Enemy. Plus, she is a hell of a lot more aggressive than Fred Durst or Jonathan Davis. She does the gothic thing well to. As for the brothers Arnott (Chris and Michael), Sharlee, and Daniel...they are the masterminds behind one of the greatest metal acts in the country. NO, THEY DO NOT HAVE MULLETS!!! I KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A MULLET AND LONG HAIR!!! THIS PERSON IS STUCK IN A COMMERCIALLY CREATED WORLD THAT HOLDS NO APPEAL TO ME OR ANYONE ELSE!!! YOU ARE SHELTERED, GET A CLUE AND MOVE ON TO BETTER THINGS!!! Trust me, Arch Enemy is not your older brother's idea of metal.

That's it, I'm done. It might not get posted, but I don't care, I do recommend that you all read this review though. Later...

I've only been introduced properly to Arch Enemy after a friend of mine loaned me this CD. It's awesome. I've always been sick and tired of little hot topic kids drooling over Otep. Arch Enemy has a female vocalist who can do proper metal vocals and doesn't write all that poetry filler crap. And the musicians are infinitely better. Well it doesn't make much sense to compare them, since Arch Enemy is Death metal and Otep is Nu Metal B*llsh*t. I suppose it's just because of the female vocalists but I'm right aren't I? Anyways, People say that the original vocalist is better and I can't comment on that. What I can comment on though, is this CD. It's good. Not great, but good. The band can make some pretty good riffs, songs like We Will Rise and Dead Eyes See No Future are awesome, the solos are good, the drums are alright but I've heard way better. Well what about the bass? Not very noticeable, but then again, most of the time the Bassist on a Death Metal album is drowned out except in the occasional quiet parts so it's no surprise. A big plus is that maybe because the singer is female, you do not have a problem in terms of understanding what it is she is saying.

Is this necessarily an excellent CD? Well no because I'm picky, but it does pass my test in terms of "is this good?" Yes it is. Is it a favorite? Well no because I'm picky. I'm not a huge Melodic Death Metal fan. I'm more so the person who would listen to Vader, Malevolent Creation, Krisiun and Macabre. The thing is that I don't listen to this on a regular basis like those previous bands. If you hear a few songs and like them off this album, chances are that you will love the whole thing. I can't give this album 5 stars because it's not classic and I'm not addicted to it. I'll give this album 4 stars because I can't give it a 3.5, but keep in mind, that is the real rating. If you love a few songs, you'll love them all. I will take this time to recommend Arsis and their CDs A Celebration of Guilt and A Diamond for Disease. That's an awesome Melodic Death Metal band that is similar to this one except with 2 people and WAY better musicians (though these ones are still good, I'm just speaking in comparison).

If you read a lot of the reviews, quite a few of them speak about that of Fred Durst's Numba One Fan. If you visit Amazon often, you are bound to see his reviews sooner or later. To him it's just a joke, it's like a fake profile, and he bases stuff he likes and stuff he hates. He bashes everything. Read his reviews and he bashes the stuff he praises (the Limp Bizkit, Good Charlotte and all that crap). If you have a sense of humor you will actually find them to be quite funny. Don't take them seriously.

...to make up for the wasted internet space of a review by Fred Durst's buddy. As for the album itself, it's like Wages of Sin part 2 (not necessarily a bad thing). The Amott leads are crisp, Angela's voice is booming. There seems to be a little bit more in the way of atmosphere and the songs aren't as fast as previous albums. Good melodic death metal, though. Highly recommended. Oh yeah...PIECE OWT, PEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPS. YO YO AND ALL THAT SHIZIT, BIZNATCHES <gag>

"Anthems of Rebellion" doesn't quite match "Wages of Sin". However it is a very good album in it's own right. In terms of originality it is not so sparkling.
Guitar work from Mike and Chris Amott is as devastating as always, if a little sparse in places. The soloing does not sound quite as imaginative as on previous albums. Angela's voice is excellent, deeper than before. Certainly an extraordinary vocalist. Daniel's drumming is superb, his bass pedal work is in places like nothing I've ever heard before. Sharlee's bass takes on it's usual onminous subtlety, which sounds very impressive on this album.
This album is littered with gems. The only problem I have is that they are all surrounded by songs with what seems to be a slight lack of effort put into them. I'm referring to "Instinct", the slightly pointless intro "Tear down the walls" and various other tracks that seems to be there to fill a gap. "Silent Wars" is an example of what I mean here. This song has in my opinion an unimaginative opening, and an unoriginal riff during the verses. However, it possesses an excellent bridge section and solo breaks. So songs on their own are very varied.
Those "gems" I mentioned are in the form of "We Will Rise", "Dead eyes see no future" and "Dehumanization". "Marching on a dead end road" is also a very nice short instrumental. "We will Rise" is definately the strongest song on the album for me. It is a relatively slow song, with nice subtle keyboard touches and excellent verses.
Overall, a very good album, musically excellent with some uninspired stretches, which flaw the album in places.

This is one of those cd's that you cant imagine being any more perfect, wonderful songs, great solos, and who would of ever thought a chick could growl that good. A must have metal album..\m/

You might see this as an important album; if not specifically to the world then to all the people who need a reintroduction to integrity to depth. For Arch Enemy it's of equal importance, for two primary reasons. The first, is of course that this album holds the pressure of the world on its shoulders. The success of the band's last album Wages Of Sin certainly doesn't help there. This also happens to be Arch Enemy's second record with Angela Gossow a malevolent vocal force who shakes, rattles and bloody well rolls. Thusly, you have expectations on one hand, and another album to sort out while keeping the standard high. The woes of being rock 'n roll.

Arch Enemy needn't worry, as Anthems Of Rebellion is easily their strongest offering to date. To the dismay of core fans, you'll find this album on a different level to the band's previous recordings; simplicity is favoured over complexity. However, that's where the doubt should end, as Arch Enemy have made the transition from traditional death metal noise makers to sophisticated craftsmen of the ample tune. This record is certainly loaded with enough of the stick, catchy stuff. We Will Rise, Instinct and Dehumanization could quite possibly be this band's most outright infectious material to date.

With the basics being quite proudly stuck to as a core piece, the band leaves it to the light touches of keyboards to snap the layers into place. Surprisingly it all works quite well; even if the inclusion of these melodic flecks feels a bit tacked on instead of fully integrated. It still gels nicely, and proves that Arch Enemy may just be boiling up some ambition for the next album. However, hardcore fans need not fret, as there is still a fair picking of brutality to sate your taste for blood. Silent Wars is frantic, yet still representative of the band's newfound simplicity. Dead Eyes See No Future rolls in savagely, while Leader Of The Rats recalls Heartwork era Carcass on the lead riff. Despicable Heroes is probably the best of the weighty numbers, it's excursion into thrash-metal dynamics and peppery double bass proving a rather effective kick in the teeth.

So the rebels have their anthems. With pride, Arch Enemy have an album of radical, uncompromised songs to passionately fire out at anyone who gets in their way. Anthems Of Rebellion extends the band's growing reputation, while throwing a couple of interesting ideas into the mix. Ultimately, the revolution needs a fiery collection to kick start it. Cue up this record and burn your bras. It's the way of the most diverse and best recording Arch Enemy. I CAN'T RECOMEND THIS ENOUGH TO METAL HEADS...

I've been a fan of Arch Enemy for several years. I picked up "Burning Bridges" the day it came out, and was blown away. Pretty good for their sophmore release. I personally think Angela, as their new vocalist, does really well. Sure, we lose Jonathan's deep guttural harmonics, but Angela's higher pitched sound fits good with the faster style Arch Enemy is going for. The Ammot brothers, as always, melt the frets with the classic and much loved "Dual axe attack". Very technical and brutal. The only thing that prevented a perfect score is that some of the songs are redundant in sound. There's more than a few "filler", but the quality tracks will grab you by the throat.

Oh... and I just gotta say: This "Fred Durst's Biggest Fan" idiot, ....... I am almost at a loss for words. You are a complete moron with two operating brain cells left, and apparently they are both trying to kill each other. Korn? Good Charolette??? LIMP BIZKIT??????? God, what a disgrace!! And since when is Good Charolette metal? They are claiming to be punk, and they suck at that too! Dude, just do us all a favor and cut out your own tongue. Now. Then we'll tell you "what'z goin down tonite". Dips*it.