Nowadays, AMARANTHE are a force to be reckoned with on the international metal scene. However, ten years ago the Swedish genre-fusing band still had to prove their worth. This is where their third studio offering, “Massive Addictive,” comes into play. With a very on-the-nose title, the album went on to prove that the band’s grasp on their blend of pop, metalcore, and death metal was quite strong and unflinching. “Massive Addictive” came out on October 15th, 2014, on Spinefarm Records, and is as infectious today as it was a decade ago.
In between the massive hits “Drop Dead Cynical” and “Digital World” on the one hand and the live favorites “Dynamite” and “True” on the other hand, it is clear as day that the album was meant to show that their niche on the metal scene was a bountiful one, all the while being a worthy successor to “The Nexus.” Despite (or perhaps because of) the fact that all twelve songs are in the 3-minute playtime range, the strong albeit poppish melodies, harmonized vocals, synths, and electronic accents are much better defined while the metal edge that comes from the razor-sharp guitars and pounding drums balances out the soundscape. When a band has a formula it is easy for songs to start sounding similar, however, AMARANTHE managed to give each song its own vibe and mood, which is the main strength of this album (and by extension of their entire discography).
While Elize Ryd’s penchant for really poppy and catchy melodies is a bit more evident on their 2016 album, “Maximalism,” the aptly titled “Massive Addictive” is a melody-drive record. It’s borderline impossible to listen to these songs and not sing along to the massive choruses or even to the verses. “Dynamite” is the perfect opening track with its intense bursts of energy and high notes while mega-hit “Drop Dead Cynical” is especially sing-along worthy when it comes to the delivery of the verses. Beautiful mid-paced “Trinity” has some sparkling keys elevating the vocals and the lyrics, adding an ethereal atmosphere to complement the guitars. The title track, “Massive Addictive,” is a vocally-driven affair that dances somewhere between electronica and metal pop with Henrik Englund’s harsh vocals adding a bit of edge to the track so as to complement the harmonized vocals of Elize Ryd and Jake E. Just these four tracks should be enough of a testament to the album’s diversity of sound.
Single “Digital World” is pulsating with electronic vibe, rumbling bass, and some digitized vocals in order to create the impression of being in a virtual universe that is governed by robots and I absolutely love how immersive it feels. The gorgeous ballad “True” is my favorite AMARANTHE track to date (followed closely by “Strong”) because I connect a lot with the lyrics which Elize and Jake E. deliver to perfection while the delicate piano is the proverbial cherry on top. Over time the band has shown that they can write a ballad (or a slow tempo song) just as well as a high-energy banger, which may be a bit odd for a band with such a powerful sonic identity yet tracks like “Over and Done,” “Endlessly,” “Crystalline,” “Unified,” or tear-jerker “Stay a Little While” – not to mention fan-favorite “Amaranthine” – are emotional, goosebumps-inducing pieces as their passion for music is seeping through piano and soft vocals just as easily as through guitars and electronic textures.
Getting back to the album at hand, its second part is not as well-known as the first couple of tracks but everything is mostly up to par with what came before. Consequently, “Unreal” balances aggression and melody as a keyboard riff drives it forward, and the three vocalists trade lines effortlessly. Intense cuts like “Danger Zone” and “An Ordinary Abnormality” kind of set the template for such numbers like “GG6,” “Boom!1,” and “Interference,” being a great showcase for Henrik Englund’s harsh vocals that are counterbalanced by light and breezy choruses. He was such a level-up from the band’s previous growler, Andreas Solveström, who left the band in 2013. Henrik also decided to part ways with AMARANTHE in 2022 and I have to admit I thought he was going to be hard to replace but Mikael Sehlin is doing a hell of a great job as the band’s current harsh vocalist. Both “Skyline” and closing track “Exhale” are great mash-ups of everything that makes AMARANTHE so instantly recognizable boasting melodic vocals and piano/synths sections that are juxtaposed by some hefty guitar lines and pounding drums.
All-in-all, the main merit of “Massive Addictive” is that it took their sound a step or two further and established AMARANTHE as unapologetic masters of their niche on the metal scene. The variety of soundscapes, the beautifully harmonized vocals offset by deep growls, the piano and keys’ delicate presence, the earworm melodies, the hefty rhythm section, and the flickering guitar riffs make this album an intense yet worthwhile listening experience. However, the main driving force of the music was, and still to this day is, the built-in dynamic between the three vocalists on one hand, and between them and the instrumentals on the other hand, and AMARATHE know how to properly maximize this aspect of their music. An album as unabashedly modern albeit a bit over-produced as “Massive Addictive” is still a great example of what a visionary (and also polarizing) band AMARANTHE truly is.
Written by Andrea Crow
Tracklist
1. Dynamite
2. Drop Dead Cynical
3. Trinity
4. Massive Addictive
5. Digital World
6. True
7. Unreal
8. Over and Done
9. Danger Zone
10. Skyline
11. An Ordinary Abnormality
12. Exhale
Lineup
- Elize Ryd – clean vocals (female)
- Jake E – clean vocals (male)
- Henrik Englund – harsh vocals
- Olof Mörck – guitars, keyboards, programming
- Johan Andreassen – bass
- Morten Løwe Sørensen – drums
Label
Spinefarm Records
