Arch Enemy: Cruelty Without Beauty – new video

 

 

ARCH ENEMY's fourth video released in promotion of their latest album ‘Khaos Legions’, issued in May/June 2011 through Century Media Records, deals with subjects close to Angela Gossow's heart: animal cruelty and vivisection (we will jointly venture to suppose she opposes):

“I’m very pleased we got this video done for one of my favourite songs off the ‘Khaos Legions’ album. The video is quite raw and extreme as it reflects the lyrics very well I believe, dealing with a subject matter close to my heart - animal cruelty and vivisection.”

ARCH ENEMY's third video released and available to you below along with its companions, ‘Under Black Flags We March’, was directed by Patric Ullaeus and features the band's new lead guitarist Nick Cordle who replaced Chris Amott earlier this year. ARCH ENEMY's eight studio album, produced by the band and Rickard Bengtsson, reached position number 3 on the Japanese international albums chart, peaked at number 9 in Finland, at number 15 in Germany, at number 25 in Sweden, and debuted at number 78 on the Billboard Top 200, thus becoming ARCH ENEMY's highest charting album in the USA:

“The eighth studio album by Swedish melodic death metal powerhouse ARCH ENEMY is superficially as strong as anything else in the band's impressive catalog. Since the day frontwoman Angela Gossow joined, ARCH ENEMY has been one of the most consistent bands in metal, cranking out 11 or 12 fist-pumping, anthemic tracks every couple of years,” [commented on ‘Khaos Legions’ Phil Freeman, AllMusic – more here]

Formed in 1996 in Halmstad, Sweden by Michael Amott (also of SPIRITUAL BEGGARS), along with his brother guitarist Cristopher Amott and singer Johan Liiva, ARCH ENEMY quickly recorded their debut album, ‘Black Earth’, with then session drummer Daniel Erlandsson in producer's Fredrik Nordström Studio Fredman. ‘Black Earth’ was released through Wrong Again Records and described as a “promising debut, consistent and memorable effort” by Alex Henderson, AllMusic. The first ARCH ENEMY album to be released worldwide through Century Media, 1998's ‘Stigmata’, which featured bassist Martin Bengtsson and drummer Peter Wildoer, reportedly “disappointed some fans with what some called a more restrained sound and lesser material [comparing to their debut],” at least according to Jason Anderson, AllMusic. Bassist Sharlee D'Angelo joined the group in 1999, and drummer Daniel Erlandsson was invited back on permanent basis before ARCH ENEMY entered Studio Fredman for the third time; 1999's ‘Burning Bridges’ was reissued with remastered sound and bonus tracks in 2009.

“Sounding like a particularly rotten day during the apocalypse, ARCH ENEMY is a ferocious gang of Swedish death metallers bent on throttling their listeners, and they succeed most magnificently on ‘Wages Of Sin’ … ‘Wages Of Sin’ is the first album from the band featuring their new singer, Angela Gossow, a German blonde whose vocals never sound as if they could possibly be emanating from a woman. Rather, they sound like a guttural blast from the sewers of purgatory. She is just the right touch to add to a band who ranks among metal's most progressive and unique outfits,” [introduced ARCH ENEMY's 2001's album and the band's new vocalist Angela Gossow, Adam Bregman, AllMusic – more here]

ARCH ENEMY turned to producer Andy Sneap with their next effort, 2003's ‘Anthems Of Rebellion’. Described as “reasonably solid album” by Todd Kristel, AllMusic, the twin guitar attack of brothers Amott was nevertheless fittingly recognized and exemplified as “appetizing, tuneful, without getting bogged down too much in self-indulgent displays of virtuosity”. In 2005, the band finally broke onto Billboard Top 200 Albums chart at number 87, with their sixth alum ‘Doomsday Machine’. Produced by Rickard Bengtsson, Eduardo Rivadavia, AllMusic thought of it as “yet another immaculately produced ARCH ENEMY album, forged first and foremost by the vision of Michael Amott's guitar”. ARCH ENEMY continued their upward chart climb with 2007's ‘Rise Of The Tyrant’. The album, portrayed by Michael Amott as “the ultimate ARCH ENEMY, pure fucking metal at its absolute best, the ARCH ENEMY way!” peaked at position number 18 in Finland, at number 20 in Sweden and at number 84 on Billboard Top 200. ‘Rise Of The Tyrant’ was co-produced once again by Fredrik Nordström. A compilation album, ‘Manifesto Arch Enemy’, preceded another compilation album ‘The Root Of All Evil’, both issued in 2009.

ARCH ENEMY features: Angela Gossow – vocals, Michael Amott – lead guitar, Nick Cordle – lead guitar, Sharlee D’Angelo – bass and Daniel Erlandsson – drums

ARCH ENEMY – courtesy of Century Media Records