The Grayfox
Gravesinger
Isn’t it a standard to dislike attractive people just for being attractive? “Alissa is hot… but I’ll never have her so she’s a fucking bitch! And she sucks! Bring back Johan!”
Five Former Members Of In Flames Unite In The Halo Effect
- Thread starter CladInShadows971
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You see it often on metal forums, reddit, etc... talking about how she ruined Arch Enemy
as if Angela Gossow was the pinnacle of female growlers. That's not to say she was bad, but Alissa is better at both growling and singing, by some distance. Alissa's live vocals especially are incredible. She puts most of the men of the genre to shame.Yeah I'm sure that plays a part in it. I think it's a combination of that and the Amaranthe effect where band = hugely popular, therefore if you're a tr00 metalhead everything they produce is actually total shit. Granted I'm sure it's not a coincidence that Amaranthe and AE both have female singers and just happen to be far more popular than the average metal band, but still
You guys skip the part when Alissa left The Agonist in unfriendly manner, so perhaps that's where the hate is coming from. There was also some shitty story with a photographer and how she reacted to it, so probably there's more to it than just vocals.
Just read the statement from The Agonist on her from a few years back, lmao either there's some exaggeration there or she's Axl Rose levels of diva.
and by his own admission he actually fired the guitar player, so who knows, maybe she had a point. I'd love to know what he was doing that was so annoying that she literally stopped the van and demanded he be sacked though. If he was playing Bottled on repeat then fair enough I guess.
The photographer thing is weird but sounds like the entire band & Gossow were at fault as much as Alissa. Jeez, I had no idea AE were involved in that kind of drama.
either there's some exaggeration there or she's Axl Rose levels of diva. and by his own admission he actually fired the guitar player, so who knows, maybe she had a point. I'd love to know what he was doing that was so annoying that she literally stopped the van and demanded he be sacked though. If he was playing Bottled on repeat then fair enough I guess. The photographer thing is weird but sounds like the entire band & Gossow were at fault as much as Alissa. Jeez, I had no idea AE were involved in that kind of drama.
Maybe it's just the boring generic stuff AE is releasing in the last 10 years or so, but Alissa just doesn' work for me in that band.
Not growls, not cleans. I think she a good singer in isolation, but I don't like her work in AE. And yeah, she is posing too much, but the whole band is doing the same for ages.
Not growls, not cleans. I think she a good singer in isolation, but I don't like her work in AE. And yeah, she is posing too much, but the whole band is doing the same for ages.
Well anyway fuck Arch Enemy, when's Days of the Lost going to leak? Going to go back to an old school trick from the SOAPF days to try and get this thing to leak tomorrow:
1. Shadowleaks
2. Days of the Leaks
3. The Needless Leak
4. Conditionaleak
5. In Leaks We Trust
6. Leakways
7. A Leak Worth Lying For
8. Leak What I Believe
9. Last of Our Leaks
10. The Most Leaks
1. Shadowleaks
2. Days of the Leaks
3. The Needless Leak
4. Conditionaleak
5. In Leaks We Trust
6. Leakways
7. A Leak Worth Lying For
8. Leak What I Believe
9. Last of Our Leaks
10. The Most Leaks
The Grayfox
Gravesinger
The Most Leaks would be great right now.
I can’t believe it hasn’t happened yet. Especially because there are people who have physical copies already.
I can’t believe it hasn’t happened yet. Especially because there are people who have physical copies already.
Xpyro125
Member
- Dec 1, 2021
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I think it's funny that for a while when Gossow was new to the band, people wanted Johan back, then she became well-liked and a staple of a band, only for so many people to crop up again wanting Johan back
Admittedly, I only listened to Johan-era AE once and thought it was alright, but that was back in high school, so that was a long time ago. I'm not 100% sure why people hate her, but she's fucking talented and fits well with the band. If anything, I feel like the rest of the band is what's really lacking. Amott is lacking good songwriting, Loomis is lacking any sort of actual control or real involvement, the bassist is unjustifiably lacking in the mix (It's okay, man, it happens to most bassists)... I'm not really surprised by any of it at this point. The singles did give me a bit of hope with some really fucking awesome flair that I thought they didn't have anymore, but I dunno, I just want them to revitalize themselves, really make a true third AE era with Alissa.
I actually really like Gossow's vocals. "Revolution Begins" is still one of my favorite AE songs period. The Amaranthe single she was featured in though? Fucking wasted. First time recording vocals in nearly ten years, and not only is the material given to her absolute dogshit (I don't hate Amaranthe, I just hate the song), her growls are fucking monotonous. Also, shoutouts to Loomis contributing a solo that just didn't really exist. Man is collecting the easiest paychecks in the world.
If I remember correctly, I think her statement on matters was that the band pretty much kicked her out with no warning or anything. I forget why, but either way, I can't put any stock into it because I just don't know much about them as people nor any of their band politics. Admittedly, both The Agonist and Arch Enemy are bands I'm just not that emotionally invested in nor really interested in.
The Grayfox
Gravesinger
It's fucked because Jeff Loomis is an absolutely amazing guitar player and could bring a lot to the table if Michael would let him. His work in Nevermore is phenomenal. His solo stuff is too. I'm probably in the minority but I actually prefer Alissa to Angela. I like the Angela era, don't get me wrong, but I think Alissa fits in well and you're correct, if done right, a third era with her at the helm could be really, really good. I haven't listened to the new album yet but I will soon. I'm saving all my energy for THE.
Some interesting points there to be touched upon.
Regarding Loomis, I'm sure he is making more money than he ever did before in his career, and playing in front of bigger crowds than ever. Guy is 50 years old, this is his "happily ever after". His last solo album came out 10 years ago. And if you think about it, that's probably about right when shredders on youtube stopped being popular and everyone has moved on to the next big thing, be it djent, or proggy/fusion stuff like Plini and others. I respect his stuff with Nevermore, and I respect his solo stuff too but he would have to severely dumb down his songwriting and also intentionally try to mime something that is not natural for him - he never wrote pretty melodies, it's always harmonic minor and diminished scales and "evil" sounding stuff. It's also understated how liberating it is to be a band member that doesn't have the pressure to write an album every other year, he just needs to show up on time, play the show, get that money and play some solos. I'm sure he enjoys his gig a lot and all the sympathy online in the comments regarding him wasting his time with the band are all unwarranted. What is he supposed to do, go back to playing guitar clinics for 50 people and teach them sweep arpeggios? When I saw Arch Enemy a few years back the crowd was so massive that I couldn't even see the band from people piling on top of each other and I was in 5th or 6th row. It blew my mind how popular they are.
On topic of previous singers... there is a certain charm to old-school (whatever that may be) melodeath that is not overproduced, with fairly natural sounding vocals that are at times very flawed and imperfect but that have certain raw emotion to them. I wouldn't even call myself a fan of them necessarily, I just like a song here and there, but Johan-era AE has that vibe about its vocals that are similar to Anders on TJR/Whoracle or Tomas on Terminal Spirit Disease. It's not technically perfect but it's full of soul and emotion.
Angela was not too different live but in the studio they started heavily experimenting with processing her vocals, putting shitton of distortion on it and all sorts of studio touch-ups and effects. Mind you, this is not something an average listener pays much attention or is bothered by.
With Alissa, it's just too perfect. She is really good at growling, I don't want to take anything away from her, she is more technically proficient than 99% of the people who do that for a living, but then they also process her vocals on top of it all and it sounds too perfect. Like drums that were quantized to be 100% perfectly in time. When I listen to modern Arch Enemy I don't even pay attention to the vocals subconsciously anymore, because they are not doing anything unique, there is no emotion in it whatsoever, no memorable hooks, no frustration in her voice, it's all by the book, like they are there because they are required to be there. That's all without even going into the matter of Alissa's lyrics being really flat and dull. I mean Angela's schtick was also one dimensional as hell but it gave the band a signature at least, whereas Alissa comes off like a greenhorn social justice warrior with a week-old reddit account that just got her broadband connection yesterday:
Regarding Loomis, I'm sure he is making more money than he ever did before in his career, and playing in front of bigger crowds than ever. Guy is 50 years old, this is his "happily ever after". His last solo album came out 10 years ago. And if you think about it, that's probably about right when shredders on youtube stopped being popular and everyone has moved on to the next big thing, be it djent, or proggy/fusion stuff like Plini and others. I respect his stuff with Nevermore, and I respect his solo stuff too but he would have to severely dumb down his songwriting and also intentionally try to mime something that is not natural for him - he never wrote pretty melodies, it's always harmonic minor and diminished scales and "evil" sounding stuff. It's also understated how liberating it is to be a band member that doesn't have the pressure to write an album every other year, he just needs to show up on time, play the show, get that money and play some solos. I'm sure he enjoys his gig a lot and all the sympathy online in the comments regarding him wasting his time with the band are all unwarranted. What is he supposed to do, go back to playing guitar clinics for 50 people and teach them sweep arpeggios? When I saw Arch Enemy a few years back the crowd was so massive that I couldn't even see the band from people piling on top of each other and I was in 5th or 6th row. It blew my mind how popular they are.
On topic of previous singers... there is a certain charm to old-school (whatever that may be) melodeath that is not overproduced, with fairly natural sounding vocals that are at times very flawed and imperfect but that have certain raw emotion to them. I wouldn't even call myself a fan of them necessarily, I just like a song here and there, but Johan-era AE has that vibe about its vocals that are similar to Anders on TJR/Whoracle or Tomas on Terminal Spirit Disease. It's not technically perfect but it's full of soul and emotion.
Angela was not too different live but in the studio they started heavily experimenting with processing her vocals, putting shitton of distortion on it and all sorts of studio touch-ups and effects. Mind you, this is not something an average listener pays much attention or is bothered by.
With Alissa, it's just too perfect. She is really good at growling, I don't want to take anything away from her, she is more technically proficient than 99% of the people who do that for a living, but then they also process her vocals on top of it all and it sounds too perfect. Like drums that were quantized to be 100% perfectly in time. When I listen to modern Arch Enemy I don't even pay attention to the vocals subconsciously anymore, because they are not doing anything unique, there is no emotion in it whatsoever, no memorable hooks, no frustration in her voice, it's all by the book, like they are there because they are required to be there. That's all without even going into the matter of Alissa's lyrics being really flat and dull. I mean Angela's schtick was also one dimensional as hell but it gave the band a signature at least, whereas Alissa comes off like a greenhorn social justice warrior with a week-old reddit account that just got her broadband connection yesterday:
"I heard there was a place
Where we're all one race
Color, gender, age never could dictate
I saw there was a time
When we valued all life
Nobody oppressed, everyone had rights"
Where we're all one race
Color, gender, age never could dictate
I saw there was a time
When we valued all life
Nobody oppressed, everyone had rights"
The Grayfox
Gravesinger
For those searching, there's this funny little website called in-the-fog.ru... or just hit me up via DM.
Cool. As an alternative you can search where to getmetal club.
Oh. Conditinal is great.
And Gateways...
LOOK has a massive sound... Impressive.
And the production...
So good...
Oh. Conditinal is great.
And Gateways...
LOOK has a massive sound... Impressive.
And the production...
So good...
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As expected, 10/10 album. Everything is just top tier. Definitely some differences on the album compared to live, but not in a bad way. Ratings after initial listening would be something like:
Shadowminds - 10/10
Days of the Lost - 9.5/10
The Needless End - 9/10
Conditional - 10/10
In Broken Trust - 9/10
Gateways - 9/10
A Truth Worth Lying For - 9.5/10
Feel What I Believe 9.5/10
Last of Our Kind - 9.5/10
The Most Alone - 9/10
I pretty much love every single song. Now I know what it was like to be Krofius back in the early 2010s.
Shadowminds - 10/10
Days of the Lost - 9.5/10
The Needless End - 9/10
Conditional - 10/10
In Broken Trust - 9/10
Gateways - 9/10
A Truth Worth Lying For - 9.5/10
Feel What I Believe 9.5/10
Last of Our Kind - 9.5/10
The Most Alone - 9/10
I pretty much love every single song. Now I know what it was like to be Krofius back in the early 2010s.
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For me, the biggest "improvement" are the synths on Gateway's chorus. They make the song more... Emotive. Passionate.
Yeah, but interestingly the synths seem to be higher in the live performance for the instrumental section around 3/4 in. I was expecting to hear WWTM-style breakdown but instead it was pure melodic guitar with synths either low in the background or not there at all. I still like it a lot though.
Conditional doesn't disappoint. Literally perfect. To paraphrase The Human League, wasted effort isn't part of this song's design.
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