Arch Enemy-Wages of Sin my review

[Lost Wisdom]

Arch Enemy- Wages Of Sin

I am here to review Arch Enemy's fourth in-studio album Wages Of Sin, the first album with newly recruited vocalist Angela Gossow, following the departure of Johan Liiva. The album kicks off with the amazing Enemy Within, what starts off with a relaxing piano intro what is the guiding to light to bring in Daniel Erlandsons awesome drumming intro, then the Amott brothers savage guitars come in joined by Sharlee D'Angelo on bass. Then the monstrous voice of Angela Gossow joins the carnage. By this time your thinking what type of monster have they unleashed here!

Michael Amott and his band released their first album Black Earth in
1996. Three in-studio albums later and one live album they release
Wages Of Sin in Japan and Korea in 2001 and in 2002 they release it in Europe, USA and Canada.

This album is nothing short of a masterpiece, it combines killer guitar riffs with powerful drumming and and of course the un-believable amazing voice of Angela. On Wages Of Sin Daniel shows his best performances yet. He shows a faster more aggressive drumming performance then on the other albums he has played on. Fast aggressive and powerful can only be a good thing if you’re a Melodic Death band. The Amott brother's guitar skills on this album are out-standing from crunchingly heavy but strangely catchy riffs to face ripping solos.

Track four on Wages Of Sin Ravenous. It starts with an incredible guitar intro performed by both the Amott brothers and then more yes more! impressive drumming from Daniel. Then Angela jumps in, now we have the full Arch Enemy assault. This track has got a range of catchy riffs and an amazing solo on guitar performed by Chris. This track is awesome.

This album is Stunning, Amazing, Brilliant, and Creative. Arch Enemy are at the height of their career. On this album they have shown they can create monstrous songs like Enemy Within to the beautiful instrumental Snow Bound. This album has already made its mark as a classic and will go on to influence the future of Melodic Death.

-Joel Green

What you all think?

 

[Lost Wisdom]

if you want to review anything for my site please e-mail it to me at Moleyg@aol.com

 

[Vim Fuego]

Here's my take on the same album, from www.sonicdeath.co.uk

When people look back on the metal of 2001, what will be best remembered? Slayer's return to form with "God Hates Us All"? Slipknot failing to live up to the hype with the dire "Iowa"? Emperor's final exit with "Prometheus"? Deicide's crazed contractual obligation album "In Torment In Hell"? If there was any justice in the world, "Wages of Sin" would be hailed as the defining album of 2001. It won't be, but hey, life ain't fair.

Right from the get go, Arch Enemy command respect. Even on first listen, the technical brilliance of the band is awe-inspiring. The riffing and soloing is amazing. It immediately gets in your face, grabs you by the ears, and shakes until you can't help but give it your full attention. This is not something to listen to while you're working, as you'll be constantly distracted. That's not to say it's overly technical in a prog-rock kind of way. No, this is interchangeable twin guitar rifferama, as pioneered by Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, where it's difficult to tell where rhythm and lead guitar blend seamlessly.

Choosing the outstanding tracks on this album is impossible. As each new track begins you think "this is the one!" but then the next track begins you think "or maybe this". There is not a dud, filler, or weaker track among them. Just as a random example, "Heart of Darkness" starts with what sounds like a riff left over from Carcass' pathologically essential "Necroticism: Descanting The Insalubrious". Angela Gossow's guttural growl (it says here it's a female vocalist, though it's difficult to believe!) also sounds a lot like that produced by the Carcass lads.

Latter day Carcass seems to be a reference point time and again, and if any band deserves to revisit the likes of "Heartwork" and "Swansong", it's Arch Enemy. After all, Michael Amott helped define their post-"Symphonies of Sickness" sound. All the same, it would be misleading and unfair to call Arch Enemy Carcass clones. This band has it's own unique musical identity, out-muscling a majority of so-called melodic death metal bands, but still retaining that essential listenability and attention to detail missing from more brutal bands.

While the brainwashed, baggy-trousered hordes think they have found the essence of "extreme" metal in Slipknot and System Of A Down, anyone with an ear for what metal CAN be will be tracking this down and smiling quietly and blissfully.

 

[Nate The Great]

I'd have to agree with both reviews. Wages is probably AE's best. I still think it will have to grow on me with time. I only say this because Burning Bridges was such a great album to me. However, I don't think Wages is any less of an album. I really like the addition of Angela on vocals. The entire album is very precise. It's nice to hear great heavy metal guitar solos again.

 

[Lost Wisdom]

Vim Fuego can i put that review on my site i will credit you for it?

 

[Wanderingblade]

From the songs I've heard, I agree on the quality of this album... I'm not certain I'd reserve the classic phrase for it however...

 

[Vim Fuego]

Originally posted by Joel_In_Flames
Vim Fuego can i put that review on my site i will credit you for it?

Go for your life. It's probably best to say it appeared on www.sonicdeath.co.uk first. Can you post a link of your site so I can take a look?

 

[Lost Wisdom]

Its not fully finished but im getting therewww.geocities.com/Joel_In_Flames please sign the guest book if you have time!!

-Joel

 

[Vim Fuego]

I signed Joel. You know, you've already got three reviews of Wages of Sin without my contribution. You going for the world's largest collection of Wages of Sin reviews?

 

[Vim Fuego]

Oh yeah, and the guy who runs Sonic Death probably wouldn't mind if you wanted to put it in your links section.

 

[Lost Wisdom]

lol im gonna have like 4279416 reviews of WOS. Ok then ill link sonic death

 

[SculptedCold]

It's AE's best, but I have to disagree with most of you....Wages Of Sin bores me to death. It all sounds so average to me; the melodies are slow, chopped-up and not memorable, the guitar flare just isn't on par with other bands in the genre (Amott brothers or not, they're not the best) and the disc on the whole is just solid and nothing more. Furthermore, it's an unbalanced beast which is always frustrating, if the opening tracks were blazing and furious, the latter tracks just settle into a lethargic, mid-paced rhythm and start to blur with equally lethargic attempts at melody. Angela deserves a better platform imo.

 

[Lost Wisdom]

Arch Enemy rock live aswell

 

[MacMoney]

Wages of Sin sucks. I heard it for the first time in a while today and found just a couple of decent riffs. The rest were simple, unoriginal, crappy and boring. To add that with the not-so-good leads, toned down solos and generic vocals, you've got a poor album.

 

[Electronicoil]

Originally posted by SculptedCold
It's AE's best, but I have to disagree with most of you....Wages Of Sin bores me to death. It all sounds so average to me; the melodies are slow, chopped-up and not memorable, the guitar flare just isn't on par with other bands in the genre (Amott brothers or not, they're not the best) and the disc on the whole is just solid and nothing more. Furthermore, it's an unbalanced beast which is always frustrating, if the opening tracks were blazing and furious, the latter tracks just settle into a lethargic, mid-paced rhythm and start to blur with equally lethargic attempts at melody. Angela deserves a better platform imo.

I'm somewhere in the middle between the assessment above and the initial glowing review. This is a very solid album and a good listen, but I don't see it as the defining album of 2001 or anything. Gassow's vocals are excellent, the lyrical content is solid, the packaging is excellent, and the songs are good to excellent. The downside is there is a bit of repetitive riffing and some of the songs fail to really take off to the next level.

I think this album is perhaps slightly over-rated due to the charisma of Gassow. But when you judge it from an instrumental standpoint it is merely "very good" rather than "excellent" and certainly not perfect. Still, very good is very good. It's definitely worth buying.

 

[Soul Conspiracy]

I agree with Macmoney Wages of Sin is really dull considering what they're capable of. It's way too "rock" and not death enough, Black Earth is an awsome album compared with wages. I bought Black Earth the other day having owned Burning Bridges for some time (also a great album but only because some songs are superb while others lack something).

Well thats what I think anyway. :|