I first heard of the Swedish metal band Arch Enemy a while ago, on various metal tv shows. I began to dig some of the stuff they were putting out, and I liked their single at the time, "We Will Rise". After that, I didn't hear much about them at all. Fortunately, I then discovered that they were putting out a new album called Doomsday Machine. I decided that I desperately needed a new CD at the time, so I bought it whenever I could. I had expectations that this album would be satisfying, and thankfully, it was.

ARCH ENEMY ARE:

Angela Gossow: Vocals
Michael Amott: Lead & Rhythm Guitar
Christopher Amott: Lead & Rhythm Guitar
Sharlee D'Angelo: Bass
Daniel Erlandsson: Drums

It was very surprising to me when I first discovered that the vocalist of Arch Enemy was a girl. If I saw one of their videos, I would think, "Oh, why are they making it look as if the girl is singing? This couldn't be a girl!". I was purely astonished, and I could not believe it. Well, as you begin to listen to this album, you won't be hearing any vocals from Angela on the first track, "Enter the Machine", for it is an instrumental. So if you wish to hear the unbelievable growls from Angela that I was just speaking of, skip to the next track.

"Taking Back My Soul" begins with a good introductary guitar riff that obviously erupts into madness. Michael Amott performs an amazing guitar solo at the beginning of the song, and right as it ends, Angela launches her powerful growls. This would be a good song to start off a concert of theirs. Michael has another astounding guitar solo in store for you after the first few verses. The majority of what remains of the song is all music, after the opening choruses.

Doomsday Machine's first single, "Nemesis", gave me a taste of what this album was going to be like. It starts with a fast guitar riff that changes totally as Daniel Erlandsson begins drumming with a lot of skill. If you are a double bass fan like me, you'll love this song, for it has a lot of it. There are chants in the song that make you want to raise your fist and sing along with the voices. Michael never fails at his guitar solos, and he definitely doesn't fail at the solo that he does after the first chorus is complete. Angela roars:

"A malicious fever burns
In our hearts, in our veins
Your blood, my blood
All blood runs the same"

"Carry the Cross" starts with a catchy riff that sounds like it could be performed on the piano. It then calms down a bit to an eerie tune , and it may trick you into thinking that Angela is going to do clean vocals. Although it is slow at first, it becomes heavier during the chorus. The catchy riff leaves and returns all throughout the song, and you may want to whistle along with it or something.

"Skeleton Dance" is one of the coolest song titles that I have ever heard of, and the song is almost as good as the title. It is very heavy, and is one that would please the headbangers. It sounds very good when Daniel uses the double bass rapidly during the chorus, and the same catchy guitar riff appears that was at the beginning of the song. Of course Michael does a stupendous guitar solo in this track, and it is sure to get your approval.

"Machtkampf" begins with a very fast drum solo that ends when Angela launches an aggressive scream. After the scream, you would expect Angela to continue to sing, but it goes back into heavy music that will satisfy you for then. As Angela returns with her astonishing vocals, you can somewhat understand what she growls. The guitar riff that wraps up the song quickly transforms into the beginning of "Slaves of Yesterday". There are so many times where you listen to these songs and wants to learn how to play them on some sort of instrument, but that would take some practice, for the music is complex and fast. The album ends in a very odd way as the guitar solo by Michael slowly fades to silence.

TRACK LISTING:

1. Enter the Machine
2. Taking Back my Soul
3. Nemesis
4. My Apocalypse
5. Carry the Cross
6. I Am Legend/Out for Blood
7. Skeleton Dance
8. Hybrids of Steel
9. Mechanic God Creation
10. Machtkampf
11. Slaves of Yesterday

Recommended: Yes