Review of Arch Enemy - The Root Of All Evil

Only the most old school and knowledgeable vinyl-lover will be able to give you a technical explanation to why they think vinyl sounds better than CD. For most vinylers though, it essentially boils down to nostalgia; the idea of a place in time, mixed with the physical rawness and imperfection of playing a record.

Well, The Root of All Evil is old songs sounding as crisp and clear as a glass tube of Pringles, as note perfect as a T1000 secretary and as sonic as a blue fucking hedgehog, but does that make it the best version? Nope.

In a nutshell, Arch Enemy has re-recorded a selection of tracks from their first three albums, with the band's current screaming demoness Angela Gossow providing the vocals. However, as I fail to believe that Gossow has any sort of “second singer” complex and completely fail to believe that Michael Ammot just needs something to do, the only logical explanation for this album is to create a compromise that will show some of the more stubborn fans that life did not begin with the bands fourth album, Wages of Sin.

The majority of Arch Enemy fans are rather split down the middle between old school and new school, and whether you prefer The Root of All Evil to the originals, with founding member Johan Liiva on vocals, entirely depends on one thing. Do you prefer your “Transmigration Macabre” as the chewed and violently spluttered “TansmaguestionMcKKAAHHHCCHHP” of Gossow, or Liiva's choke-hold enunciation; “Transmention MaCABRE”.

As to be expected with the vocal evolution over Enemy's last two or three albums, Gossow sounds like a rabid mutant throughout the whole affair, which gives a bit of grunt to many of the verses that Liiva struggled to carry, but you truly can't hear a fucking word the Frau is howling. Few things in this world are more arousing than a slim, blonde metal mistress over-exerting herself, but if you're in this for a good listen, it's Liiva's signature “Bury Me An Angel” holler at the chorus that suits the opening track from 1996's Black Earth best. Not a demonic impression of Bobcat Goldthwait.

Ignoring the vain improvement in production, vocals are pretty much the only real variable here between old and new. Noticeable differences in song arrangements and guitar work are few and far between. Burning Bridges' “Demonic Science” is still a cloud of comfortable chaos around a centre-piece of chilled out mega-melodic breakdowns and Stigmata's “Beast of Man” gears up the album with that Swedish fury and beautiful guitar work from the Ammot brothers, who just make it all look like a piece of piss.

As relatively pointless as The Root of All Evil is, digging up the original singer to re-record the likes of “Dead Eyes See No Future” or “Nemesis” would have been much worse, but for the landmark the first three albums were, there was nothing bloody wrong with them or Johan's vocals. Write something new and Liiva them alone.

Release Details

Arch Enemy

The Root Of All Evil

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