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28 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Swedish Metal Lives!, July 27, 2005
Since the spring of 2005, Arch Enemy have been promising that their newest album would be darker and heavier than their recent work. After the highly mixed opinions over the vocals of newcomer Angela Gossow on 2001's _Wages of Sin_, and the shorter, more streamlined styles of 2003's _Anthems of Rebellion_, the band more than lived up to that promise. Their latest effort, _Doomsday Machine_, ranks alongside Meshuggah's _Catch ThirtyThr33_ and Darkane's _Layers of Lies_ as being one of the best Swedish metal albums in the past year.
The aforementioned "streamlined" trimmings from _Anthems of Rebellion_ seem to have been put onto the back burner on _Doomsday Machine_. The Amott brothers are just as good as they've ever been, again claiming the title as one of the tightest heavy metal guitar duos of all time, with their leads, solos, and melodies much more of a throwback to their _Stigmata_ (1998) and _Burning Bridges_ (1999) days. The rhythm section is beefed up a lot more as well; Sharlee D'Angelo's bass adds a distinctively deep backdrop to the guitars, and Daniel Erlandsson (who had promised more variation in his drumming) uses his set to create rhythms that EXPLODE in bursts of thunder, even utilizing blast beats to intensify and complement the album's heaviness.
Aside from its more powerful sound, perhaps the most distinguishing and significant aspect of _Doomsday Machine_ are Angela Gossow's vocals. Without a shadow of a doubt, this is her best performance to date. She uses a lot more range this time around; she's always had range, if not as much as many a fan (spoiled on AE's original vocalist Johan Liiva) would have liked. But now she utilizes subtle dynamics in her voice to express emotion (even if all the "emotion" is just different forms of anger), presenting a much more demanding presence in the music.
As expected of Arch Enemy, there are ultra-fast songs which could well decapitate someone if they try to bang their heads in time, such as the lead single "Nemesis," "I Am Legend/Out for Blood," and "Machtkampf." "I Am Legend/Out for Blood" (undoubtedly titled after the epic Richard Matheson vampire novel) features simply demonic vocals, and an outstanding use of blast-beats in the bridge; this song alone shows Arch Enemy's death metal roots. "My Apocalypse" sports especially intricate drum work, and a well-timed break with brilliant guitar harmonies, slowly building in tempo until the song returns to its overall heaviness. Even the two instrumental tracks on this album, "Hybrids of Steel" and intro track "Enter the Machine," serve as more than just filler. The former, clocking in at almost four minutes, is a full-length composition, with back-and-forth guitar duels, nice tempo and key changes, and excellent use of harmonies.
Even the best works of an artist have their flaws, and this album is no exception. There are a couple of instances which shows a lack of fresh ideas, and only on the part of Christopher Amott. The outro lead on "Mechanic God Creation" is a blatant rehash of Michael's final solo on "Silent Wars," from _Anthems of Rebellion_. Also, the final lead on "Machtkampf" is based off of the same melody as his own solo on the _Wages of Sin_ track "Burning Angel." Perhaps Christopher just likes to play these melodies (a lot), or perhaps the band deemed these leads as being just what the songs needed, but the similarities to their older material is uncanny. Thankfully, however, these are the only low points on the album, and hardly blemish the overall work.
With the recent upheaval of attention towards Swedish metal in the United States, there have been some musical sacrifices made by bands such as In Flames and Soilwork, who were both spoiled to varying degrees by their sudden popularity. Because of the inclusion of both of these bands (as well as Arch Enemy themselves) on the Ozzfest '05 bill, many a fan has begun to think that the future of Swedish metal was looking grim. However, through _Doomsday Machine_, Arch Enemy show no signs of slowing down, softening up, or any other qualities which could be used to label the band as "selling out." Having finally found the proper formulas which work best for their music, Arch Enemy have released their best album since _Burning Bridges_. It only can get better from here.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Arch Enemy Take Back Their Soul, September 4, 2005
Swedish death metallers Arch Enemy return with Doomsday Machine, a much welcome new album after their previous disc Anthems of Rebellion. Although it was their breakthrough record earning Arch Enemy massive critical acclaim and lots of new fans, at the same time it was easily their most streamlined offering to date.
With their new album, the band goes back to the heaviness and complexity of Wages of Sin, their first disc with current female growler Angela Gossow. Guitarists Mike Amott and Chris Amott supply blistering lead solos that merge melody and aggression, whilst Sharlee D'Angelo on bass and Daniel Erlandsson on drums form the solid rhythm section. Though good, I feel Sharlee D'Angelo provided a more pronounced and violent performance on the last Spiritual Beggars album (also recommended to all Arch Enemy fans) released recently. Daniel Erlandsson, however, absolutely shines on this disc. His tone, his timing and his understanding of rhythm are perfectly exemplified on all the songs. They range from fierce blast beats to odd metered polyrhythms and plain out drum solos. Angela Gossow's vocals are slighlty toned down; she doesn't sing very low as she did on the previous two discs, but therefore her vocals are easier to follow and let the lyrics come out better. Speaking of which, the lyrical content seems to be a more detailed study of the ones on Anthems of Rebellion, addressing social decay and rebellion of the individual.
Needless to say, as on any other Arch Enemy disc, the meat of the music on Doomsday Machine is the Amott brothers. They once again prove to be an indistructible duo, laying down brutal, dark and imaginative guitar leads executed flawlessly. Though hardly the heaviest Arch Enemy album as many people including some of the band members themselves claim, Doomsday Machine must be their most versatile and certainly most experimental effort. The songwriting mainly projects a combination of classic Swedish melodicism with old school death metal. "Taking Back My Soul", perhaps also the heaviest and meanest cut on this disc, starts out so heavily and relentlessly that it is almost impossible to identify it's actually the Arch Enemy guys playing those killer guitar riffs. As a matter of fact, the classic death metal riffage is akin to Morbid Angel's golden period or any other American death metal band from the early 90's. It does lead into the trademark Arch Enemy sound after the first two minutes, however. A memorable guitar solo blends seamlessly with Gossow's brutal vocals and reaches its apex with the addition of Erlandsson's blistering drum work.
The following songs, besides still retaining their heavy stance, also see the band experimenting with more atmospheric elements. Take the ending of "Nemesis" as an example; the aggressive thrashy tune first delves into a mild acoustic break before picking up only to give way to a wave of dissonant sound that messes with the head. "Carry the Cross" displays a tortured and agonizing vocal performance from Gossow and is probably the doomiest track they have ever penned, save for the traditional metal solo at the end. To further enhance the album's experimental side, the band uses some weird tribal/ethnic drum work on the technically impossible "I Am Legend/Out for Blood", which is otherwise one of the most aggressive songs on the album. Whispered vocals meet sick laughters in the intro of "Skeleton Dance" but are quickly gone as the song spirals into a full-on metal number.
"Hybrids of Steel" is the instrumental song on the album. Interestingly it is totally devoid of death metal riffing and wouldn't seem out of place on any melodic metal album. Once again Erlandsson's drumming is the highlight here. I am so amazed by his playing, which also must be due to the great mix rendered by notable producer Andy Sneap. You can hear great tapping style melodies on the first track as well as on "Mechanic God Creation" which evokes themes of Middle Eastern elements in a subtle way. "Machtkampf" features way too many vocal effects on Gossow's overly reverbed voice, which comes off a bit annoying. I believe most Arch Enemy fans could have done without it. To sum things up, Doomsday Machine is a step in the right direction and puts Arch Enemy back on track. Whether it's their best as they claim, however, is highly arguable. I for one still think Wages of Sin is their best with Angela, and the first two discs with Johan Liiva are still personal favourites for me.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
a proud metal moment, February 27, 2006
This was amazing. Everything here is top quality- music, vocals,lyrics, artwork. If you like Opeth, COB, and Nevermore, you should have this. The solos and song structures are awe inspiring.
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by Arch Enemy 
