It’s safe (and easy) to say that everyone who has listened to Arch Enemy falls into one of three camps: (1) you like everything the band does; (2) you like nothing the band does; (3) you liked the earlier albums, but have been meh about the more recent ones. We will soon have a new Arch Enemy release from Century Media. Khaos Legions will debut on May 30 in Europe and June 7 in North America. So far, two songs have been made publicly available.
The first — “Yesterday Is Dead and Gone” — was released as a video and premiered by Guitar World. We wrote about that one here. The second, “Blood-Stained Cross”, has been exclusively streaming at MetalSucks since last Friday. I finally listened to that track and felt it was worth a post, because although many of you are also MetalSucks readers, I know some of you aren’t.
MetalSucks introduced the song by proclaiming that Khaos Legions “may very well be the legendary melodeath outfit’s finest hour since 2001′s Wages of Sin.” I certainly can’t agree or disagree with that comment yet since I’ve only heard two songs, but I will say this: Although I thought “Yesterday Is Dead and Gone” was okay (and only okay), “Blood-Stained Cross” is wonderful, and if the rest of the album is in league with it, I’l be agreeing with that MetalSucks assessment.
The song has a dark, vicious edge that does indeed recall Wages of Sin, with a great melodic guitar lead — and Angela Gossow’s vocals on this song may be the best effort from her I think I’ve yet heard. Yes, it’s still a very melodic song, but it’s also morose and seething and musically varied. I’m liking it a lot. If you’re in Category (1) or (3), as described above, you should definitely go to MetalSucks today (using this link) and listen to “Blood-Stained Cross.”
I like it!
I quite like her vocals on this song. They sound so much more…vile.
And yet, I fall in the fourth group. Their music is good (objectively competent), but yet, somehow, just not very interesting to me.
Though her vocals on this song are working hard to change my opinion.
She actually genuinely sounds like a guy in this one. Not that she normally sounds very female, but in this one I just can’t detect even the slightest swirl of femininity .
I had the same reaction. In fact, I wonder if some of the really bestial low-end parts are being voiced by one of the guys in the band. But even the parts that are clearly Angela are really nasty.
I thought she sounded particularly non-sexual. As in neither male nor female, but more just…demonic.
Maybe I didn’t listen closely enough….
Exactly! She really doesn’t sound like she has before. She is channeling some kind of creature that is neither male nor female but is simply thirsty for the taste of blood!
Vagoo blood?
Please don’t use that word.
Blood?
What’s wrong with blood??? You need it to survive!
You need to show more respect to your blood. And especially vagoo blood.
Someone please make him stop.