Khaos Legions [Import]

Arch Enemy | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 7, 2011)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: 101 DISTRIBUTION
• ASIN: B004W2532W
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #670,667 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

ARCH ENEMY's mighty doomsday machine triumphantly returns with the definitive offering of their already heralded career. Their latest masterpiece, Khaos Legions, is the followup to 2007's Rise of the Tyrant, which marked the band's highest debut on the Billboard Top 200 to date (coming in at #84). `DELUXE VERSION' info: The `deluxe version' features a bonus CD of cover songs PLUS a mail-in offer for a FREE exclusive tshirt. Both exclusive to the `deluxe version' of Khaos Legions. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A solid entry into the AE saga, but nothing groundbreaking., June 11, 2011

By 

Jack Sanders - See all my reviews

This review is from: Khaos Legions (Audio CD)

Khaos Legions, the newest Arch Enemy album at this time of writing, is not their best work, nor is it their worst (there is no such thing as a "bad" AE album, but I've found Anthems of Rebellion to be their weakest overall). I'm just going to do a by-the-points review here:

1. Angela's vocals - sounds like the vocal mixing/enhancing on "Doomsday Machine." No complaints here.

2. Sound/production - masterful. It's loud, crystal clear, and you can hear every little nuance. Production is an A+.

3. Unfortunately, the lyric material is nothing new. Didn't we already gloss over the whole rebellion/resistance/revolt theme on "Anthems of Rebellion?" Maybe so, but here, it's supported with heavier, better music than AoR. The theme gets tiring after a while though, especially when it's just not an interesting subject for metal music anymore. I've sworn off Otep after "Smash the Control Machine" because of the same, boring material...and now AE has to have two albums with the same themes? We need to hear something new, guys. Please.

4. Riff-wise, the Amott brothers are seriously out of ideas. Listening to the whole album, I've heard at least 4-5 major riff passages that directly ripped off older AE riffs. One of the biggest offenders is the intro to "Cult of Chaos" - right up to the break into heaviness, it sounds almost exactly like the intro to "Nemesis" of the Doomsday Machine album. A second offender is one section in "No Gods, No Masters," which sounds like it was ripped directly from "Revolution Begins" off of the Rise of the Tyrant album. For shame! Otherwise, you're going to hear some very familiar dual-guitar work and the signature Amott guitar riffs. There is also a considerable amount of absolute shredding, which is never unwelcome.

5. There is at least one new piece of the overall sound that I haven't heard with Angela-era Arch Enemy, and that is blast-beats. They show up a few times throughout the album, but they never become obnoxious.

Overall, this AE album is quite certainly a solid entry into their album line-up, but nothing that's going to transcend the metal scene as we know it. The guitar work is familiar, Angela's vocals are still going strong, the music and its production/engineering is fantastic, BUT theme-wise, it gets tiring quickly and the riffs often borrow from older songs. I do have to say though, that it does dominate over a good many metal albums released in the mainstream today.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Too Much Filler, August 8, 2011

By 

SnowCrash7 (Columbus, OH United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Khaos Legions (Audio CD)

Arch Enemy has always been at their best when they realize and play off of the contrast of the melodic genius of Michael Amott against the demonic growling of Angela Gossow.Their very best tracks over the years, 'Burning Angel', 'Dead Eyes See No Future' etc have always highlighted that dynamic tension. Kaos Legions does contain some great songs, especially 'No Gods, No Masters', and 'Blood Red Cross' which again are marked by that contrast of melodic genius and white hot brutality.

However the downside of this album is that there simply aren't enough songs like that. Too much filler. The downside of this album is captured and demonstrated in the entirety of Disc II where it seems that Michael either was not present or phones in his lines. Consequently that dynamic and exciting interplay simply isn't there on far too much of the album. What you are left with by that absence is nothing more than you could hear at your local heavy metal bar. And Arch Enemy are far more than that. I am actually a bit amazed that a group as accomplished as this doesn't realize what the factors are that make them so special and play more to those strengths.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Arch Enemy, A First Time Listener's Opinion, June 17, 2011

By 

Scott Rosenbluth "Juce" (Orlando) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Khaos Legions (Audio CD)

I love all death metal genres and subgenres and had never listened to Arch Enemy, I was focused on heavier things like grindcore and tech death and had always preferred the original melodic death bands like In Flames, Carcass, and At the Gates to newer bands like Darkest hour or Arch Enemy. I was fully aware that Mike Amott played guitar, with his brother, and that *GASP* the band was fronted by a lady, but I just didn't feel the urgency to give up listening to Entombed, yet. Well after exhausting all the old bands and making it back to bands that I initially shied away from, I found myself staring at the new Arch Enemy album at Best Buy for $5.99 and couldn't in good conscience turn it down, and boy am I glad! This is probably the closest thing I've ever heard to Heartwork era Carcass. Angela Gossow is a dead ringer for Jeff Walker and her snarling rasp and growling roars are comparable to any number of frontmen throughout death metal. The music is riff driven mid-to-fast-paced, melodic death metal, with a modern American flourish for color. It's a less lazy Amon Amarth, trading blows with Arsis and Carcass. Songs have their own identity and what seems simple or chorus driven, is after repeated listening, ingrained in your brain! There is also some real heavy stuff, blast beats, razor sharp leads, and Gossow's killer vocals. In short this album is very good, and I will make it a point to go over their entire back catalog if this is the kind of super punchy death metal surprise I have in store for me!