When an established band, with a rich history and many landmark albums under their belt, release new material it is always interesting to see how they have changed their sound or if they followed the same formulas that work. The metal scene has offered many examples of both scenarios with various results – bands that changed their sound to the charging of fans and bands that haven’t tinkered very much with their music to the delight of their fan base (and vice versa). So, does ARCH ENEMY’s twelfth album, “Blood Dynasty,” which came out on March 28th, 2025, on Century Media Records, deliver more of the same, or does it come with fresh twists to their death metal?
By now, ARCH ENEMY has reached a point in their career when they have nothing more to prove because everything has been said and done, so a new album will, by default, be polarizing and controversial with some thinking the band could have done better while others declaring themselves happy with the new release. As it stands, “Blood Dynasty” is the type of album that isn’t breaking any new ground when it comes to ARCH ENEMY’s music, nor was it intended to be innovative in any way. However, it still delivers massively on the essentials (melody, engaging vocals, headbanging rhythms, familiar soundscapes) while also being quite adventurous in its scope. Songs like the ominous early single “Dream Stealer” as well as their take on BLASPHEME’s power ballad “Vivre Libre” are great examples of the extremes of this album as the first one feels like a nightmare put to music with its chaotic soundscape and disquieting vocals while the second one is a curveball of a track that sees not just Alissa White-Gluz stepping out of the death metal mold completely but also the whole band as you’d have a hard time placing this soulful cover in ARCH ENEMY’s discography.
In between these two poles their “pure fucking metal” is still raging strong and the occasional clean vocals don’t take anything away from the harshness of the guitars or the steadiness of the bass and drums. As such, tracks like melodeath anthems “Illuminate the Path” or “Paper Tiger” that use some eerie whispers to enhance the atmosphere still hit the sweet spot with the same ferocity as such vicious cuts like metal stompers “March of the Miscreants” or “The Pendulum.” That is because of Alissa White-Gluz’s wonderfully versatile yet decidedly venomous delivery and because of their trademark mixture of melody and brutality on which they have never compromised, and which served them well all these years making their songs easily chantable and mosh pit ready. Moreover, there’s an incredible energy and intensity driving these tracks that come from the frantic and, at times, power metal-oriented guitar work of Michael Amott and newcomer Joey Concepcion (ex-ARMAGEDDON) that don’t back down from blazing their way through the album. The likes of the title track, “Blood Dynasty,” or the closing track “Liars & Thieves,” with their melodic backbone, walloping verses, and fist-in-the-air choruses, really showcase why their formula works as well as it does.
However, there’s much more to ARCH EMENY than just stage-ready bangers, many tracks on this album showcasing the band in different shades of grey. As such, the aforementioned “Dream Stealer” brings a sense of darkness and fright early on with its thrash-infused grooves while the off-kilter anthem dedicated to everybody that finds some solace in this heavier and more distorted music that is “March of the Miscreants” rides high on its syncopated drums, nasty riffs, and an excellent solo. Daniel Erlandsson’s double-bass madness in “A Million Suns” elevates the track by giving it a sense of urgency and fury all the while the vocals and guitars keep it grounded before a fiery solo explodes and opens up the soundscape. Similarly, both “Don’t Look Down” and “The Pendulum” are attention-grabber, melody-filled monster tracks that are quite dark and ominous in their soundscape but with plenty of guitar flourishes to balance out the ferocious vocals. There’s just one caveat here – though I appreciate Alissa White-Gluz’s diversity of harsh vocals on this album her cleans don’t hit the mark as I would have liked and they even sound forced on occasion; with the exception of “Vivre Libre,” they don’t really reach the emotional highs of “Reason to Believe” or “Handshake with Hell.”
So, what is left to say about ARCH ENEMY’s first record without Jeff Loomis? Well, it’s definitely another step in the band’s sonic evolution that still delivers their already classic and highly energetic death metal, but it’s also a ferocious testament to Michael Amott‘s creativity and unshakable desire to make music that is quite melodic yet with a wickedly aggressive edge to it. Given the band’s technical prowess, tight songwriting, refined formula, and top-notch execution of these songs, there’s no reason to see “Blood Dynasty” as anything else other than one of the band’s most engaging albums in quite some time. I would even venture to say that it’s ARCH ENEMY’s best release since Alissa joined the band in 2014, with many songs showcasing her clean vocal range and screaming style better than before. As stated earlier, ARCH ENEMY’s “pure fucking metal” is still raging strong on “Blood Dynasty.”
Written by Andrea Crow
Tracklist
- Dream Stealer
- Illuminate the Path
- March of the Miscreants
- A Million Suns
- Don’t Look Down
- Presage
- Blood Dynasty
- Paper Tiger
- Vivre Libre (Blaspheme cover)
- The Pendulum
- Liars & Thieves
Lineup
- Alissa White-Gluz – Vocals
- Michael Amott – Guitars
- Joey Concepcion – Guitars
- Sharlee D’Angelo – Bass
- Daniel Erlandsson – Drums, keyboards, sound effects
Label
Century Media Records
