Arch Enemy

The fifth album overall by this Swedish metal band, led by former Carcass guitarist Michael Amott, has managed to incorporate enough changes in their sound to present something new while retaining the charm of previous releases. The sound is unmistakably Arch Enemy despite the use of keyboards (mainly in the background), or the melodic vocals done by Amott, while main vocalist Angela is screaming like mad and sings her guts out. Their thrash-influenced death metal is melodic yet brutal. It is old school and yet modern. It's heavy and everything a good extreme metal album should be. The album features some of their best compositions yet and the arrangements, while simpler in structure than their previous album, are thick and rich and full. It's hard not to like the album if you are into extreme metal not only because it features some excellent songs, but also for the near perfect production and the heavy sound the band has achieved. Their finest album so far without a doubt.