Arch Enemy – Blood Dynasty
Century Media Records
3,0/10,0
Brief:
Legends of pure fucking metal for nearly 30 years, Arch Enemy are a certifiably formidable force. Founded by Swedish guitar hero Michael Amott back in 1995, they have survived three decades without compromise and are still growing in strength and popularity. In 2025, Arch Enemy return with yet another magnificent outpouring of virtuoso brutality, Blood Dynasty.The band’s 12th studio album captures them at the height of their powers, as showcased on the recently released Dream Stealer and Liars & Thieves tracks: the vicious, high-energy rippers that open and close the record.
Arch Enemy began life amid the shadows of the metal underground. Michael Amott’s tenure with UKicons Carcass inspired him to continue down a fervently melodic but dark and brutal road, and the debut album Black Earth, released in 1996, was the result. Defined by its intricate, hyper-melodicguitar work and grisly, death metal intensity, Arch Enemy’s sound had huge potential from the start.But after three albums with original frontman Johan Liiva, the band mutated into an even more powerful beast, with charismatic vocalist Angela Gossow leading the charge. Albums like Wages Of Sin (2001), Anthems Of Rebellion (2003) and Doomsday Machine (2005) were rapturously received by critics and fans alike, and by the end of the noughties, Arch Enemy were firmly established as international heavyweights with a peerless reputation for triumphant live shows.
In 2014, Gossow’s amicable departure gave way to the arrival of powerhouse frontwoman Alissa White-Gluz, and the release of War Eternal, the new line-up’s first album together. Another instant hit, it paved the way for even greater success and popularity. More recent albums Will To Power (2017) and Deceivers (2022) kept the band’s standards sky high, with White-Gluz a remarkable, captivating figurehead, and her band mates – Amott, drummer Daniel Erlandsson, bassist Sharlee D’Angelo, andsince 2023, guitarist Joey Concepcion – enjoying astonishing levels of chemistry and ingenuity. Returning in 2025 with Blood Dynasty, Arch Enemy are more powerful than ever.
Diehard Arch Enemy fans will be expecting a curveball or two, but the essence of Blood Dynasty is drawn from the same pristine carnage that made anthems like We Will Rise and Nemesis such staples of the modern metal world 20 years ago. From the blistering grandeur of Dream Stealer to the grinding, mid-paced melodic death of Don’t Look Down, this is the sound of a legendary band hitting a new level of potency. Explosive and anthemic on Illuminate The Path, pitch-black and monstrous on the title track, and melodically imperious on the skull-rattling The Pendulum, Arch Enemy have never sounded bigger, better or more excited about their own music.
Blood Dynasty was recorded in Sweden, with revered production guru Jens Bogren manning thecontrols. Having previously worked with the band on the mix for 2017’s Will To Power, Bogren was the perfect addition to the team this time around. The new Arch Enemy material sounds colossal, detailed and muscular, but with an underlying grittiness that outstrips all previous albums in terms of out-and- out metal power. Although they are renowned as great virtuosos of the modern metal scene, Amott and his comrades have lost none of their underground spirit. As described with passion on new anthem, March Of The Miscreants, Arch Enemy are the biggest little underground metal band in the world.
Arch Enemy’s 30th anniversary arrives during 2025. What better way to celebrate three decades of vital and exhilarating heavy metal than to welcome the mighty Blood Dynasty into the world? Another creative peak in a career and catalogue that are full of them, this latest salute to the gods ofheaviness is as dark, heavy, riotous and real as anything in Arch Enemy’s celebrated career.
[The Edited Press Release]
Tracklist:
- Dream Stealer
- Illuminate the Path
- March of the Miscreants
- A Million Suns
- Don’t Look Down
- Presage
- Blood Dynasty
- Paper Tiger
- Vivre Libre
- The Pendulum
- Liars & Thieves
Main Focus Tracks:
- Dream Stealer
Other Recommended Tracks:
- March of the Miscreants
- Don’t Look Down
Line-Up:
Michael Amott – Guitars
Daniel Erlandsson – Drums
Sharlee D’Angelo – Bass
Alissa White-Gluz – Vocals
Joey Concepcion – Guitars
Comments:
While Blood Dynasty presents some promising ideas, it ultimately fails to make a significant impact. The prolonged wait feels unwarranted for an album that comes across as overly repetitive and lacking in depth.
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Selected Discography:
Black Earth – 1996
Stigmata – 1998
Burning Bridges – 1999
Wages of Sin – 2001
Anthems of Rebellion – 2003
Doomsday Machine – 2005
Rise of the Tyrant – 2007
The Root of All Evil – 2009
Khaos Legions – 2011
War Eternal – 2014
Will to Power – 2017
Deceivers – 2022
Blood Dynasty – 2025
Photo Credit: Patric Ullaeus