Album review: Arch Enemy – Blood Dynasty

Thirty years since their formation, Arch Enemy have an extended family tree with which few bands could compare. From iconic long-term vocalist Angela Gossow and esteemed guitarist Christopher Amott to six string wizard Jeff Loomis – who ended his decade with the outfit on amicable terms in just before the making of this 12th album – you could fashion a dominating supergroup just from players no longer involved.

The titular Blood Dynasty is not a reference to that vertiginous line of past personnel, but it the record feels like proof of Arch Enemy’s knack for cross-generational consistency as the decades roll by.

Key to that is the steady hand of bandleader – and Christopher’s big brother – Michael Amott, who delves deep into his impressive box of tricks here. Ferocious opener Dream Stealer feels initially like a throwback to his work in the glory days of his former employers Carcass, daring singer Alissa White-Gluz to be her most unhinged, before spiralling into fret-melting grandiosity.

Illuminate The Path is perfect modern Swedish melodic death metal, packing enough high-sheen stomp to keep pace with In Flames or Amon Amarth. A Million Suns mixes things up with an intricate, unruly ode to the nuclear age before Don’t Look Down brings us back to white-knuckle basics, all gnashing lyrics and juggernaut instrumental momentum. It’s pummelling stuff.

Credit to ex-Armageddon axe-man Joey Conception, who doesn’t just plug the gap left by his predecessor, but manages to impose a little of his own personality. Adding atmospheric punch to the excellent title-track and effortlessly navigating some of the record’s leftfield twists and turns, like a sumptuous version of French-language anthem Vivre Libre, he’s already worthy of his place in the pantheon.

Invigorating as it is to see the machine rumbling on, mind, the flipside is the overwhelming sense of having heard this all before. Nothing about Blood Dynasty is anywhere close to bad, but neither is there one bar-raising stand-out that feels like it’ll be challenging My Apocalypse or War Eternal for a spot on the setlist in five years’ time. Case in point: full-throttle closer Liars & Thieves, which packs serious punch but feels like it could’ve been Frankensteined together from spare parts belonging to Arch Enemy and a dozen of their Scandi contemporaries.

With their legacy long since secured, however, it’s hard to begrudge these old – and new – masters for simply luxuriating in the awesome sound their band helped pioneer.

Verdict: 3/5

For fans of: Carcass, In Flames, Kreator

Blood Dynasty is released on March 28 via Century Media