Review ARCH ENEMY “Blood Dynasty”

Same old. Same old. This could be the review for the new Arch Enemy release “Blood Dynasty”. What might be a very positive thing for some might be a bit of a downer for others who might have expected some more edges from the band that belongs to the pioneers of melodic death metal.

“Blood Dynasty” is the 12th studio effort from the Swedish/Canadian/U.S. metal band, and metalheads who have seen one of their live shows in the last few months will already be familiar with “Dream Stealer”. The song has found a spot on recent setlists and fits perfectly into the band’s show. It is a wild and loud piece of music that turns into a raging metal blast after the short intro. With full speed and no compromises Arch Enemy put a harsh outburst in pole position. “Dream Stealer” made many fans think that the band is back to a heavier approach to music.

The counterpart to this aggressive start though is a song called “Vivre Libre”. It is a cover version in the second half of the album, originally by a French hard rock band called Blaspheme. There are a few special things about this song. The French lyrics are unusual and the vocals are also different. Everyone in metal knows that Alissa White-Gluz has a great voice that can easily handle clean vocals, and “Vivre Libre” fully counts on this gift. In the recent past Arch Enemy had some songs with partly clean vocals and “Blood Dynasty” also uses these twists. “Illuminate the Path” presents a fusion of growls and clean vocals. Adding a whole song with this kind of vocals to an Arch Enemy album is something different and makes you wonder what direction the band will take in the future direction.

The other songs on the latest studio effort are somewhere in between these musical poles. There is the title track, which is a typical Arch Enemy song with melodic guitar lines and growled vocals. The song isn’t a musical curveball and will please fans of the band, which is also the case with “A Million Suns”.

“Don’t Look Back” and “March of the Miscreants” pick up the thunderous spirit of “Dream Stealer”, while an interlude like “Presage” comes a bit unexpected. It is a peaceful moment before “Paper Tiger” shows its claws. The song is a very typical Arch Enemy one, but shows some more rock-based momentum, especially when it comes to the guitars. With “Liars & Thieves”, the album has a furious closer that follows in the footsteps of “Dream Stealer” in terms of intensity.

“Blood Dynasty” is a typical Arch Enemy album and one can’t deny the fascination of the unleashed energy. It is fun and entertaining to listen to this album from beginning to end. The remaining question is where Arch Enemy are going musically. The band has certainly been on the move for a few years and shows some extra twists on “Blood Dynasty”. In a way, the new effort opens up the band’s sound to a wider audience while still sticking to some of the roots that have defined Arch Enemy’s sound since the early days.