ITP V.011 REVIEW: ARCH ENEMY: KHAOS LEGIONS

BAND-ARCH ENEMY (SWEDEN/GERMANY) GENRE-MELODIC DEATH METAL/THRASH LABEL-CENTURY MEDIA RECORDS RELEASE DATE: 5/30/2011

PREVIOUS RELEASES (CATALOG):RISE OF THE TYRANT (2007-CENTURY MEDIA RECORDS),REVOLUTION BEGINS-(EP 2007-CENTURY MEDIA RECORDS), DOOMSDAY MACHINE-( CD/LP 2005-CENTURY MEDIA RECORDS), DEAD EYES SEE NO FUTURE (- EP 2004-CENTURY MEDIA),
ANTHEMS OF REBELLION - (CD/LP 2003-CENTURY MEDIA), BURNING ANGEL - (EP 2002-TOYS FACTORY), WAGES OF SIN - (2CD/LP 2001-CENTURY MEDIA), BURNING JAPAN LIVE - (CD 1999-TOYS FACTORY), BURNING BRIDGES - (CD/LP 1999-CENTURY MEDIA), STIGMATA - (CD/LP 1998-CENTURY MEDIA), BLACK EARTH - (CD/LP 1996-WRONG AGAIN)
DVD's AND COMPILATIONS: TYRANTS OF THE RISING SUN: LIVE IN JAPAN - (DVD/2CD/2LP 2008-CENURY MEDIA RECORDS), DAWN OF KHAOS (2011-CENTURY MEDIA), THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL (2009-CENTURY MEDIA), MANIFESTO OF ARCH ENEMY (2009-CENTURY MEDIA RECORDS)




BEST RELEASE(S): STIGMATA (1998), BURNING BRIDGES (1999), WAGES OF SIN (2001)


ARCH ENEMY: KHAOS LEGION: TRACK-LISTING:
01. Khaos Overture (instrumental)
02. Yesterday Is Dead And Gone
03. Bloodstained Cross
04. Under Black Flags We March
05. No Gods, No Masters
06. City Of The Dead
07. Through The Eyes Of A Raven
08. Cruelty Without Beauty
09. We Are A Godless Entity (instrumental)
10. Cult Of Chaos
11. Thorns In My Flesh
12. Turn To Dust (instrumental)
13. Vengeance Is Mine
14. Secrets
15. The Zoo
16. Snow Bound (acoustic)





ITP RATING: *** 1/2
PRODUCTION: ****
SONGWRITING: *** 1/2
PERFORMANCE: *** 1/2

Formed in 1995, ARCH ENEMY are a Swedish/German melodic death metal/thrash band featuring shredding guitarists (brothers) Christopher and Micheal Amott as Mike was a former guitarist for 90's death metal pioneers CARCASS.

ARCH ENEMY originally featured vocalist Johan Liiva, as he was sacked from the band
for growler/screamer ANGELA GOSSOW whom joined the band in 2000.

In 1998, ARCH ENEMY inked a deal with CENTURY MEDIA and released a string of quality melodic death metal releases. ARCH ENEMY vocalist ANGELA GOSSOW has broken many gender stereotypes and boundaries as a quality female growler/screamer as she is an ardent vegetarian, doesn't drink or smoke and is an animal and human rights activist.
"KHAOS LEGION" was recorded during the "Arab Spring" revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt inspiring ARCH ENEMY to write more revolutionary lyrics in an anti establishment tone.

ARCH ENEMY's "Khaos Legion" kicks off technical with the track "Khaos Overture (instrumental)", as yes Michael Amott shreds with some technical riff age with the sounds of "Khaos" (sirens ect) in the background and spoken word: "From the ashes of a corrupt and dying world, they rise like a phoenix, a godless entity".

ARCH ENEMY's "Yesterday Is Dead And Gone" evokes tight, well written thrash, the opening riff kicks ASS, start head-banging metal heads this song SHREDS and I can imagine kids windmilling their hair to this tune, I can't stand still. Michael Amott shreds balls with the finger tapping technique at :38 seconds into "Yesterday Is Dead And Gone". I just wish the rhythm guitar would add more thrash riffs and the drummer would fill in with some blast beats or double bass synced with thrash riffs. However, there are some godly solos on "Yesterday Is Dead And Gone" as always with Mike Amott.

ARCH ENEMY's "Bloodstained Cross" evokes some sicks ass thrash, Michael Amott
shreds as again, I wish the rhythm section was bit tighter. "Bloodstained Cross" at 1:22 reverts to slow melodic hard rock tones until that kicks ass riff comes up again, damn, Mike shreds as the back and forth from shredding, quality thrash riffing reverts to melodic hard rock tones, with again, good soloing, and masterful guitar work. Of course, it does get cheesy when ARCH ENEMY reverts to slower hard rock.

ARCH ENEMY's "Under Black Flags We March" kicks off ominous with, at mid pace with a generic thrash riff, kinda boring and rehashed, with a melodic solo during the chorus.

ARCH ENEMY's "No Gods, No Masters" is typical ARCH ENEMY, melodic, mid pace, radio friendly and safe melo/death/thrash as the mid section is re hashed material from older ARCH ENEMY material with a trace of a CARCASS like riff for a few seconds.

ARCH ENEMY's "City Of The Dead" segues in with a ominous middle eastern chant before Mike Amott lays waste with some ripping shred as you can hear some finger tapping lower in the mix. "City Of The Dead" is highlighted via some gorgeous solos making a normally boring, generic mid paced track a little more interesting.

ARCH ENEMY's "Through The Eyes Of A Raven" kicks off mid paced and segues into typical death metal riffage before reverting to a good, melodic mid paced track with finally some good double kick bass thrown in there until 3:06 when the tune drops for a cheesy interlude aka 80's hair band riffs. "Through The Eyes Of A Raven" ends with cool acoustic guitar interlude, although not segued well from the rest of tune.

ARCH ENEMY's "Cruelty Without Beauty" kicks off mid paced, before the band opts for a balls out thrash/death metal attack complete with blastbeats (1:26) until this awfully out of place synth riff ruins it. "Cruelty Without Beauty" is rounded out with some quality solos, with a good thrash/death metal ending.

ARCH ENEMY's "We Are A Godless Entity (instrumental)" is KHAOS LEGION's breather, a filler track as I would expect more from Mike Amott. However, most guitarists would give in to their ego for a instrumental track.

ARCH ENEMY's "Cult Of Chaos" enters in as brutal thrash with shredding solos, complete with blast beats (:40) before the band reverts to mid paced chugg a rama. ARCH ENEMY steps aside for a few seconds for Mike Amott instrumental break before the band rips off SKID ROW's "18 and Life" main riff. :rolls eyes:

ARCH ENEMY's "Thorns In My Flesh" kicks off as pure shredding/thrash with typical melodic solos coinciding with the chorus. ARCH ENEMY's "Thorns In My Flesh" evokes middle eastern riffage (3:02) before reducing itself to mid paced melodic, often cheesy rock.

ARCH ENEMY's "Turn To Dust (instrumental)" is another quick filler track, nothing interesting.

ARCH ENEMY's "Vengeance Is Mine" is the most brutal track, with a an awesome technical riff riding through the tune, pure thrash, perhaps the best track KHAOS LEGION has to offer even when the track slows down it evokes a beautiful melodic, finger tapping solo (2:21).

ARCH ENEMY's "Secrets" evokes mid paced, melodic filler, although quality guitar work and solos.

ARCH ENEMY covers "The Zoo" originally written by German hard rock/metal legends
THE SCORPIONS. Good cover as Mike Amott's take on the SCORPIONS classic
evokes the bluesy back bone of the song with quality melodic thrash and the solos are awesome.

ARCH ENEMY's "Khaos Legions" closes with a BONUS TRACK "Snow Bound (acoustic)" a track originally in electric form on the 2001 ARCH ENEMY release "Wages Of Sin". The acoustic version of "Snow Bound" features a beautiful flute, and does sound more enticing in a acoustic format.

To be honest ITP's author is not a fan of the Gothenburg melodic death metal sound, often described as "thrash metal with a cold" or "pop metal". However, I am a fan of ARCH ENEMY guitarist Michael Amott's previous project CARCASS and is always guaranteed that the fans will hear some shred from Amott.

While ARCH ENEMY's "Khaos Legion" does feature good, if not sterile production, the release features too much filler as many songs are either instrumental or resort to mid paced melodic rock almost power metal wankery. ARCH ENEMY's vocalist ANGELA GOSSOW does not employ guttural growls, and is an average screamer, employing studio vocal effects at best.

I do wish that ARCH ENEMY's rhythm section would up the ante to consistent thrash drumming, and synch it with more thrash riffing and fast double kick bass. ARCH ENEMY are far more entertaining when the band is firing on all cylinders, the faster and the more brutal, the better instead of resorting to this mid paced, cheesy hard, melodic rock.

However, ARCH ENEMY's "Khaos Legions" does have enough shred and guitar heroics (courtesy of guitarist Michael Amott) to keep many fans occupied even if half of the release is filler as "Khaos Legion" should have been edited in half.

Hails, to shred, Hails to Michael Amott and Viva the Arab Spring Revolution.


ITP RATING: *** 1/2
PRODUCTION: ****
SONGWRITING: *** 1/2
PERFORMANCE: *** 1/2

Thanks-Stay Metal, Stay Brutal-\m/ -l-