Rise of the Tyrant

Arch Enemy | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 25, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Century Media
• ASIN: B000UZ4E0C
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #44,549 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Countless bands play death metal but there are few who own the genre the way that Arch Enemy does. Not only does vocalist Angela Gossow frighten and astound with her trademark growl, but the guitar duo of Michael and Christopher Amott has rarely sounded as gnarling and snarling, dashing and daring, as it does on "Blood on Your Hands," "The Last Enemy," and "Night Falls Fast." The quintet's always been brave and brazen, but rarely has it exhibited the unmitigated chutzpah exhibited on this 11-track future classic--which surpasses past jaw-droppers, such as Anthems of Rebellion and Doomsday Machine. The Amotts, Gossow, and partners Sharlee D'Angelo (bass) and Daniel Erlandsson (drums) show their boundless collective imagination and capacity for brutality best on "Vultures," "Revolution Begins," and the unabashed bashing of "In This Shallow Grave," just three of the tunes that make Rise of the Tyrant Arch Enemy's best record to date, and easily one of the best metal albums of the year. --Jedd Beaudoin

Product Description

After causing a significant amount of damage throughout the world over the past two years with their doomsday machine, the mighty ARCH ENEMY triumphantly return to redefine the genre they helped to create. Look for their much-anticipated return to the US this Sept/Oct alongside Machine Head.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Tyrant has Risen, October 2, 2007

By 

M. Liston "NanoElite666" (Ohio, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rise of the Tyrant (Audio CD)

Wow, what an album. In my opinion, there has been a lot of great metal releases so far in 2007, so when I discovered that Arch Enemy was releasing an album in September, I was incredibly excited to say the least. I've been a big fan of the band's Angela Gossow-era releases since shortly after seeing them on Ozzfest in 2005 (I have yet to delve into their works with their former vocalist, Johan Liiva. It's on my to-do list...), and "Wages of Sin" is in my opinion their high point with Angela. The following two releases "Anthems of Rebellion" and "Doomsday Machine" were good, but didn't quite match up with "Wages..."

So how does Arch Enemy's newest album "Rise of the Tyrant" stand up to their past releases? Simply put, it is astounding. "Rise..." is easily better than "Anthems..." and "Doomsday...", and I'm hard-pressed in trying to decide whether it's going to replace "Wages..." as my favorite Gossow-era Arch Enemy album.

From the moment the album kicks off with the sirens of "Blood on your Hands," you know you're in for one heck of a ride. Arch Enemy does what they do best, and the results do not disappoint in the least. Every song on this album is full of energy, and carries that signature Arch Enemy sound with it. There is not a single bad or boring song on this album. The band is at the top of their game here, and the musicianship put into these songs is excellent. Angela roars her vocals out with her traditional growling voice, and some of the parts she does are full of emotion as she sings them. The Amott brothers Michael and Christopher work their magic on interchanging lead and rhythm guitars, delivering plenty of memorable riffs and solos throughout the album. A note about the guitars, which I noticed upon first hearing "Blood on your Hands," is that they seem to more "rough" or "abrasive" in their sound than on previous albums. They aren't quite what I would consider "raw", but they lean more towards that kind of sound than they have in the past, I think. Drummer Danial Erlandsson helps move the band along with plenty of double-bass work and other foot-tapping and finger-drumming percussive noise. And bassist Sharlee D'Angelo works the low frequencies with parts that help give a bit more thickness to the guitars (although you'll have to listen closely to pick it out... It's there though!)

The songs themselves are all what you might expect to hear if you were listening to "Wages of Sin." That said, the writing and musicianship put into them is very very good. That doesn't necessarily mean that "Rise of the Tyrant" is simply a "Wages of Sin: Part 2." No, this album is a work all of its own, and carries with it its own sound that simply echoes the great songwriting of "Wages..." As I've already said, all of the songs on this album are very good. A few standouts, though, include the opener "Blood on your Hands," "The Last Enemy," which features some great drumwork, "Revolution Begins," which is just plain catchy and enjoyable, the wonderful instrumental "Intermezzo Liberte," in which the Amott brothers showcase some of their awesome guitar work, and the closer "Vultures," which features some near-shrieking vocal work from Angela ends with a nice piano part. And I know that another reviewer has already stated this in his review, and I'm not trying to rip his review off or anything, but if you play this final track back-to-back with "Enemy Within" off of "Wages of Sin," which opens with a piano part, it sounds really really cool. Sort of a "full circle" effect, like how System of a Down opened and closed their two-album "Mesmerize/Hypnotize" set with two different versions of the song "Soldier Side."

On a final note, "Rise of the Tyrant" is undoubtedly one of the best metal albums that has been or will be released during 2007. If you're a fan of the band, or just a metalhead in general, then you owe it to yourself to pick it up and see why. If you don't, then I think you are truly doing yourself a large disservice.

Watch out Machine Head... Arch Enemy's after your spot for "Album of the Year..."

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the best arch enemy album yet, December 19, 2007

By 

Bodom J (Bethpage, TN United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Rise of the Tyrant (Audio CD)

My favorite arch enemy up until this release was Burning Bridges. I like their stuff before and the stuff after but to me BB was perfect; they nailed everything on that record: the melodies, the solos, the vocals, everything was perfect and spot on and I doubt they would ever surpass it. I never had a problem with Gossow; I don't think her vocals are as great as johan's but they are still pretty solid. The records with her (up until this point) were great release but each one was missing something: wages of sin was too long winded and after about track seven, i fell asleep. Athems of Rebellion was a little too dumb downed in places and like a lot of aggression. doomsday machine was heavy and often scary in places but there was a certain edge that it didn't have and her vocals also sounded over processed and fake. after DM, i was ready for gossow to leave.

Enter rise of the tyrant: the bands best record to date. While she still doesn't have the greatest rang (yes you can have range with growls), she sounds infinitely more confident this time around and she seems to scream, growl, and yell from the gut this time rather than letting the studio hide her true power.

The drumming, while still not too spectacular, is a lot more intricate and interesting this time around. Most importantly, the ammott brothers are back in full game. Solid, heavy, riffs mixed with rapid fire fretting speed are displayed here on full force and the melodies once again mix effortlessly with the dark heaviness. The solos are, of course, out of this world as are the duel melodies.

Arch Enemy has reawakened from a slumber they have been in since they have recruited gossow and they are all the better for it. They are back full forth and nothing will stop them. Congrats, guys (and girl).

10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Lack of Progression, January 14, 2008

By 

C. M. Gillum (Michigan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rise of the Tyrant (Audio CD)

Arch Enemy has long been one of the banner waving Metal bands on the front lines bringing in new fans to the scene. Gaining popularity through having one of the most brutal lead vocalist's of the female gender and of course the ripping duel guitars we all love and adore. That said this album was possibly one of my biggest let downs of 2007.

Don't get me wrong the album is heavier then ever and their are a couple good tracks here and there but comparing this to Doomsday Machine, its a huge step back for the band.

First is the obvious change in the vocal department. Angela Gossgow has become an icon in the metal industry as easily one of (if not the) most talented female vocalists on the scene. Her style on Dommsday Machine was flawless and mixed well with the brooding, fast paced and brutal tracks. The obvious change is AE decided to not use all the special effects and it truly hurt the depth of her vocals. I want back the echo's and the creepy voice over voice screams and all that good stuff. I truly can see now after listening to Rise of the Tyrant that the sound effects used on Doomsday helped add depth and atmosphere to the tracks and give AE their own sound.

The guitars as per usual with AE have some intense moments but yet again comparing the guitars on ROTT to those on Doomsday, its yet another step back for the band. Their are a few solos here and their that I enjoyed but nothing that truly grabbed my intrest to want to hear it over and over like many of the solo's on Doomsday did. Their are some quality riffs but yet again nothing drasticly original and far from being a step forward from Doomsday.

Without beating around the bush, I don't like this new direction what-so-ever. I felt as though each track sounded to much the same and didn't really bring anything new to the table. Unless Arch Enemy bring back the dark atmosphere they so flawlessly captured on Doomsday Machine I truly feel they will alienate me and many others as fans. It's truly sad to see such a great band release something so bland and unoriginal. Thanks for reading and I insist you comment with your opinions, all comments WILL be answered.

I strongly condone purchasing Doomsday Machine rather then Rise of the Tyrant. New fans I advise staying clear of this album until you've heard more of the rest of Arch Enemy's discography. Thanks again for reading and please vote whether this helped you or not.


-A Metal Lover