Swedish metal warriors Arch Enemy are a force unto themselves. After surviving the best and worst of what the music industry can throw at them – including the changing of the guard on vocals duties – Arch Enemy have always emerged triumphant and powerful, the unseen bond forged through adversity acting as a guiding force of nature.
The band returned to their sonic realm earlier this month with the release of their 11th studio album Deceivers.
Despite being written on the wrong side of the pandemic, Deceivers still feels fresh, vibrant and ferocious, with singer Alissa White-Gluz taking massive leaps forward on what is her third outing with the band.
From the opening track Handshake In Hell Arch Enemy grip tight at the fabric of metal, with White-Gluz surprising many with her stunning cleans in that track that are offset by the brilliantly natural harshness that has punctuated each of her first two albums.
Here we glimpse another side of her sonic beauty in a way that until now many thought to be improbable. Not only does it add another layer and texture to her personal treasure chest, it also opens up many more opportunities for a band now into their 25th year.
This album is the future of Arch Enemy, like it or hate it. It is a culmination of everything that has been and everything that will be and a triumphant return to center stage for a band who had already seemed at their peak.
HEAVY caught up with guitarist and founding member Michael Amott to dissect Deceivers.
"It's been quite remarkable really. It's always a bit nerve wracking putting out a new album. It's our first one in five years, but we did go about it in a new way. We had five singles out... we started releasing singles ten months ago, so it's been a very different campaign in that way. Something new for us, but I would say now the album is out it's in the hands and hopefully in the ears and hearts of the fans. Everybody seems to be enjoying it a lot. I've never seen as much positive feedback on the socials for anything that we've done before, so it's really cool."
In the full interview Michael talks more about the direction of the album, how Arch Enemy measures the success and reaction to new music, the timeless nature of music, White-Gluz' clean vocals and how they strengthen her vocal prowess, her growth over three albums, the early days of Arch Enemy and more.