Album Review: Arch Enemy - 'War Eternal'

Arch Enemy show no signs of slowing down or stopping entirely, even with the departure of their guitarist Christopher Amott and vocalist Angela Gossow. Replacing a singer is no easy thing to do but Gossow's replacement, Alissa White-Gluz (The Agonist) fits right in. ‘War Eternal’ is an album that manages to keep on track with Arch Enemy’s signature sound despite the significant line-up changes.

Starting off with a small symphonic intro before throwing us into ‘Never Forgive Never Forget’, the record quickly showcases White-Gluz’s vocals straight away. They are quite similar to that of the band's predecessor meaning the transition is easy. It fits the Arch Enemy mould perfectly while still adding a little of White-Gluz's own flavour.

Title track lets the guitars shine. While the track isn’t as heavy as the opener, it provides an ideal change of pace. ‘As Pages Burns’ shows some sharp and savage vocals while highlighting some engaging riffs and solid guitar work from new addition, Nick Cordle.

‘No More Regrets’ is quite a different song for Arch Enemy, which dare we say, reminds us of a circus along with some heavier, thunderous notes at the end and a nice guitar solo.

'War Eternal' is standard Arch Enemy melodic death metal but it leans on other influences in contrasting moments. As the full-length begins to come to a close; the songs start to drop off a bit. While none of them are bad in a harming sense, they just lack memorability. The album as a whole is not as heavy as some of the band's previous works, but that doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing.

Essentially, ‘War Eternal’ has a track here and there that may lack a bit of punch, but overall it is an enjoyable, classic brand of Arch Enemy that includes an ever so slightly altered guitar and vocal style.

'War Eternal' has some excelling tracks and the new members certainly bring a new life to the album. While it follows a classic Arch Enemy template, there is a little something new in there which lifts it up. While the record isn't as heavy as past works, it provides some dynamic moments regardless. 

1. Tempore Nihil Sanat (Prelude In F Minor)
2. Never Forgive, Never Forget
03. War Eternal
4. As The Pages Burn
5. No More Regrets
6. You Will Know My Name
7. Graveyard Of Dreams
8. Stolen Life
9. Time Is Black
10. On And On
11. Avalanche
12. Down To Nothing
13. Not Long For This World