I remember how Arch Enemy's honcho Michael Amott (also in Spiritual Beggars, ex-Carcass, ex-Carnage) boasted about how metal this album was going to be. Well, my expectations were up in the skies, because two years earlier 'Anthems of Rebellion' had lowered my interest to AE with its modern touches. So, how 'Doomsday Machine' turned out for me?

'Enter the Machine' proved to be such an entrance, that I wetted my pants! That kind of AE trademark melodiousness is what I was yearning for, and Amott brothers' guitar playing, which I find to be among the bestest in the metal music. Guys have their own styles, and at least Michael is self-taught. His and Christopher's guitars sing, so to speak. 'Doomsday Machine' is probably the darkest AE album to date, and doesn't contain very much of those well known melodies. This is about hard, sharp death 'n' thrash riffage and then melodic instrumental parts. The best examples of this alteration are neck-grabber 'Taking back My Soul', heavily groovy 'My Apocalypse', instantly catchy 'I Am Legend / Out for Blood' and similar 'Machtkampf'. There's some of the most boring AE songs here: 'Carry the Cross' and 'Skeleton Dance' have no typical adhesion surface one would expect from the band, except solo part, which is always hot when talking about this band. Unmentioned songs are somewhere between great and average, usually towards the better. Pacewise there's everything from mid-paced groove to blast beats.

The marvelous guitar duo need a good rhythm section to back 'em, and they have it. Sharlee D'Angelo (e.g. Witchery and Mercyful Fate) on bass and Daniel Erlandsson (ex-In Flames, etc.) behind the drums offer some ear-candy with their great performances. The biggest issue is the vocals. Mr. Liiva was one-ideaed mic-dangler, and so is German girl Angela Gossow. With all respect, her brutal, raspy and inhuman voice gets boring after a while. And her pronunciation cracks in ear, too. This is already her 3rd AE platter, and I think she might have found some new sides from her by now, but no... But generally, the band works as a well-oiled doomsday machine. Production is mightily heavy, ass kicking and clean, but not overtly polished. Drums aren't heavily triggered either. The Joachim Luetke artwork (also for latest Kreator etc.) is simply great, period. Lyrical themes include human's place in a mechanised world, religious matters, muffled emotions and such. I have to say, that it's the musical side I'm listening to.

Arch Enemy have kept their credibility, they're metal and they are fine musicians not sinking into same swamp (read: nu-"metal" shithole) as many of their contemporaries. Arch Enemy haven't "In Flamed", so to speak! These songs needed a lot of spins before I got into them, and into a couple of them I never did. There's just no 'Sinister Mephisto', 'Pilgrim', 'Seed of Hate' to be found here, sadly. So, if you've always found AE too melodic for your liking in the past, why not give this a try then. Not what I was waiting for, as it could've been so much more better.

Rating: 7+ (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Lane
02/10/2008 20:28