Arch Enemy - Wages Of Sin

*=Staff's pick	Enemy Within* Burning Angel Heart Of Darkness Ravenous* Savage Messiah Dead Bury Their Dead* Web Of Lies The First Deadly Sin* Behind The Smile Snow Bound Shadows And Dust

Genre	Death Metal	Angela Gossow	Vocals
Tracks	12	Michael Amott	Guitar
Runningtime	46 Min.	Christopher Amott	Guitar
Label	Century Media	Sharlee D'Angelo	Bass
Release	25 April 2001	Daniel Erlandsson	Drums
Country	Sweden	-	Keyboards
Similar artists	Soilwork, Carcass

Arch Enemy's 4th studioalbum is vastly superior to most albums in this genre - here they really hit it off with their best album so far. It's not for nothing Arch Enemy just recently won 5 prizes in a voter's poll in Burrn! magazine. They won in the categories: Best Band, best album, best singer, best drummer, and shining star (Angela Gossow).

This is an orgy in marvellous riffs and great harmonies, and their constant flirt with the "power metal" side of things should appeal to both camps of metalfans - the ones with a taste for the melodic, harmonyfilled catchy songs, and the ones with a craving for the bonecrushing riffs that hits you in the face, and are being driven forward by merciless pounding drums. Recorded in the famous Studio Fredman by Fredrik Nordström, needless to say, the album has a great production too.

An own little chapter has to be written about the german singeress Angela Gossow too - female singers in metalbands may be named Sabina Classen or something like that, but Angela Gossow sweeps home the prize of brutality without any hesitation. It's really unbelievable how a tiny, cute girl like this can bring forth one of the better growling death metal vocals in the scene just like this. We're talking relly guttural and deep, but yet clear and fresh growling here, people. She kicks most men on the balls when it comes to delivering really good deathmetal vocals.

In my eyes they are no weak songs on this album, except for perhaps Heart Of Darkness, which basically goes on in mid tempo (which doesn't suit Arch Enemy's songs according to me) without taking off at any time. Songs like Dead Bury Their Dead, Ravenous, Burning Angel, The First Deadly Sin, to take a handful of examples, are instead pure jewels in the world of metal. The closing tune Shadows And Dust has one of the greater verseriffs I have heared in a long time, and Angela sings like never before. Brilliant, Arch Enemy! I want more of this.

Production	Vocals	Compositions
8,5	9	9

Summary
9 chalices of 10 - Tommy