Arch Enemy is a band that has shown consistency throughout their career ever since the early days with Johan Liiva. Now many moons after the release of Angela Gossow’s debut “Wages of Sin”, the band showcases great performances with each album they release. “Rise of the Tyrant” is another strong album that boasts great melodies and heaviness, creating a great balance between both. It’s impossible for the band not to show their strong Swede roots but it only makes them seem more focused and aware of a movement they helped improve and in some ways create along with other bands.

The album features everything you’d expect from this band. Starting with “Blood On Our Hands” the band moves ahead with their anthemic choruses and probably what is Gossow’s best performance. Her vocals aren’t as layered as they where in past releases and it gives her a chance to give a more introspective and personal performance. Lyrics have never sounded so honest and pure in this band as they do now. This are also Arch Enemy’s catchiest songs ever, check out the chorus on “Revolution Begins” and you’ll see what I mean.

Musically this album doesn’t stray from their past albums. The return of Christopher Amott to the ranks helps the twin guitar attack; it seems that whenever the Amott brothers play together, their guitar work rises to another level that is nothing short of brilliant, the guitar duel in the title track is almost breathtaking and insanely fast. Daniel Erlandsson’s drumming is impressive as usual, with a double-bass control that most drummers wished they had. Sharlee D’Angelo seems to always find a way to sneak in his bass lines which somehow seem to keep things in place whenever the guitars let loose and run amok.

Arch Enemy’s latest album is another strong point in the band’s catalog, with some of the finest songwriting in Swedish melodic death metal. Sometimes it may seem as if some bands need to change things up a bit, but in Arch Enemy’s case they know what they’re good at and are not a afraid to show it.