Customer Reviews

Dead Eyes See No Future

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

For almost as long as I've listened to Arch Enemy's latest studio album, _Anthems of Rebellion_, the song "Dead Eyes See No Future" has been my favorite piece by the band. The fierce rhythms and drumming (one of Daniel Erlandsson's best performances, I think), the grim vocals (I still can't get over how effective Angela Gossow's voice is, knowing that it belongs to a woman!), and one of the most amazing guitar riffs I've ever heard in my entire life (in the bridge, when Michael Amott is soloing), are all only a few things that I like about that song. So when I heard it was going to be the lead track on an EP release, I of course was psyched. Granted, the EP seemed like it'd be something only hardcore Arch Enemy fans (myself included) would want to go out of their way to get, but when I received this for Christmas 2005, I had no idea that it would be this good.

After the title track, there are three live performances of "Burning Angel" (my immediate second-favorite song by Arch Enemy - and I usually don't pick favorites), "We Will Rise," and "Heart of Darkness," recorded during a Paris leg of their _Anthems_ tour. Live performances definitely seem to be the better setting for Angela. Her voice is deeper, harsher, more menacing, and not to mention she uses (or at least on these songs, had used) a lot more range in her voice. This only bodes well for the naysayers who whine about Angela not having the right voice for death metal - just wait until they release another album, and she'll no doubt be a real MONSTER!

Then there are the song covers. Starting them off is Megadeth's "Symphony of Destruction." I've been a fan of Megadeth for a few years now, and when I heard that this song was going to be covered by Arch Enemy, I nearly fainted. Like any good cover should be like, it retains much of the original song's message and overall vibe, but adds to it; Arch Enemy's guitars add a crushing brutality to the now-famous riffs created by the great Dave Mustaine. The drumming is overpowering, and of course, Angela's voice is simply scary. She follows the original song's vocal patterns well, too - this is obvious when she pronounces "Acting like a robot" as "Mrracting like a robot," just like how Mustaine did. I'm not familiar with the band Manowar, and so I can't really judge the cover of their track "Kill With Power," but nonetheless stands well as an Arch Enemy song. "Incarnated Solvent Abuse" is a cover of a song by grindcore heroes and melodeath forefathers Carcass. Because Michael Amott used to play guitar in that band, it makes the cover an interesting nostalgic tribute.

Finally, there's a video track to "We Will Rise" included in the multimedia section of the CD. Considering the cheap price, this album is far more than the average EP. I'd recommend it to anyone looking to get into Gossow-era Arch Enemy, as well as to any fan of the band. It's quite a treat.

This Arch Enemy CD really gives you a lot for an EP, the studio track Dead Eyes See No Future is the only previously released track (from Anthems of Rebellion), the rest are live tracks and cover songs.
The live tracks, Burning Angel, We Will Rise and Heart of Darkness are excellent. The sound is crisp and the brutal riffing can be heard distinctly, unlike some other death bands whose live sound is just garbled noise. Angela Gassow's death growls have more range and dynamics than most death metal vocalists giving the songs much more depth and power.
The EP continues with Symphony of Destruction, a Megadeth cover. I am quite familiar with Megadeth's original version which is one of the bands best songs and I was expecting Arch Enemy to really take it to a new level of heavyness, but somehow it falls flat. The main problem is Angela's vocals which seem to have some sort of strange effect on them and she doesn't sound quite like herself. Also the famous riff, though played with more distortion than the Megadeth version, doesn't drive home like the original.
The remaining two cover tracks are the true gems here. I am not familiar with Manowar's version of Kill With Power so I can't compare AE's version to the original, but holy smoke, talk about some fast and furious riffing! This song just pummels along like a juggernaut! Angela's vocals really deliver on this one and the Amott bros. lay down the guitar tracks with equal amounts ferocity and precision. The last track is Incarnated Solvent Abuse, a Carcass cover. Now almost everybody knows that Carcass was guitarist's Michael Amott's former band so he is sort of covering himself on this one. Just a great track, technical, fast and very heavy with the melodic sense that would become a characteristic of Arch Enemy.
The disc also includes the video for We Will Rise, another excellent track from Anthems of Rebellion.

For fans only, this is the stereotypical stopgap EP between albums. Three live tracks and three covers follow the title track. The sound on the live tracks is pristine, and the live performances are strong. Singer Angela Gossow's between-song banter is an added treat. The covers of Megadeth, Manowar, and Carcass yield mixed results. Megadeth's "Symphony of Destruction" becomes heavier but monochromatic, while Carcass' "Incarnated Solvent Abuse" is updated with tighter playing and better production values. The included video for "We Will Rise" is unintentionally humorous, featuring the band lip-synching in improbable natural settings

this ep is plenty for everybody. i like the introduction to "we will rise", and the way they cover the megadeth song and the manowar song will have both megadeth and manowar running for cover. angela gossow is an incredible singer and good-looking too and she gives many a male death metal singer a run for his money. i say that fred durst's numba one fan should take a long walk off a short pier, because when his precious nu-metal bands fizzle out, and good charlotte,blink-182, and simple plan fade into obscurity, arch enemy will still be shining.

Arch Enemy is one of the most amazing metal bands out there today. If your a fan of melodic death metal, thrash metal, or just love the swedish metal sound, this band is for you! Arch Enemy is what happens when Iron Maiden, Slayer, and Anthrax combin there music with brutal Black Metal vocals. This EP is great, I love the live tracks and I love the cover tracks. If you haven't seen them live yet, do your self a favor and do so! This EP is simply a nice little teaser for whats to come! And for all the Angela haters, shes better then then Johan so shut up! Shes an amazing vocalist. Buy this EP, you won't be disapointed.

Fans of metal in the 80's and heavy guitar will love the guitar work within this band. And Angela G. is slammin hot yo

My main interest in this was to hear an updated version of a Carcass classic "Incarnated Solvent Abuse". We all know Michael Amott and his lineage with his previous band, Carcass. And though this version is certainly not better, Angela was actually able to do the song a fair amount of justice, which surprised me considering how bland she is as a vocalist. The guitars on it are noticeably sped up, but it didn't bother me to hear a fresh take on a classic. Make no mistake, the original is leagues above this. I could not help but laugh at the Megadeth cover. It truly ranks among the worst of all covers I have ever heard. As for the title song that this EP was named after, it is merely an OK song. Had they included it on the followup album Doomsday Machine it would no doubt been among the best that album had to offer, but let's remember, that album was not very good.

Arch Enemy's 2004 EP release Dead Eyes See No Future served as a stopgap release between full length albums, as well as a good outlet for some previously unreleased live and cover material.

The EP features 7 songs. The title track is of course taken from the band's 2003 album Anthems of Rebellion. It is followed by three live tracks and three covers. The live songs - Burning Angel, We Will Rise, and Heart of Darkness - show just how powerful this band is, and should prove to any naysayers that Angela Grossow's voice is the real deal.

The cover songs are the real reason I bought this EP, and show some of the band's influences. The first is an impressive spin on the Megadeth hit Symphony of Destruction. It's amazing how much more punch this song has without Dave Mustaine's nasally vocals. The fact that it took a female singer to beef it up is a little sad though. The second is a version of metal cheesemeisters Manowar's Kill with Power. I'll confess to never having heard the original, but the song sounds almost like an Arch Enemy original here. The final track is a cover of Carcass's Incarnated Solvent Abuse. Given Michael Amott's history with that band, this was an interesting choice.

The EP also features the video clip for We Will Rise, one of Arch Enemy's best songs, and an awesome video as well.

Serious Arch Enemy fans definitely shouldn't skip this EP, but casual fans will be much better off with one of the band's full-length releases.

This EP is pretty good - 3 live tracks then your covers. The covers are pretty good although I prefer the original versions of all of them over Arch Enemy's versions - but it still sounds pretty good as Arch Enemy makes them sound like their own. You also get the music video for "We Will Rise" so it's a plus. Recommended.

It's not a full release, but it still has good material. It's above mediocre and will get a few plays in my car. It was something good to tie me over until their Doomsday Machine release.