Arch Enemy – Will To Power.

After witnessing a crushing set by them last month at Bloodstock Open Air Festival, expectations were high when I came to review Will To Power, the tenth studio album from Swedish melodic death metal band Arch Enemy. Since joining the band in 2014, lead vocalist Alissa White-Gluz has made them into a much more fierce animal, point proven by her performance on this latest album.

Featuring some stunning fretboard histrionics from founder member Michael Amott and Jeff Loomis, following the brief guitar dominated instrumental ‘Set Flame To The Night’, ‘The Rage’ is aptly titled as a drum battering from Daniel Erlandsson propels it along backed by dizzying riffing as Alissa stamps her authority immediately with a Hellish vocal. ‘Blood In The Water’ is pure guitar heaven as buzzsaw like riffs have Blackmore tinged fills weaving throughout. A truly lung shredding vocal is the icing on the cake. ‘The World Is Yours’ is a blur of riffs that head into the stratosphere from the off, backed by some fast footed drums. Raging solos set the bar high as a brief, moody midsection sees the song end on a twin guitar overload. The pace is brought down by the catchy chug of ‘The Eagle Flies Alone’ with a surprisingly catchy chorus. An almost heavy power ballad titled ‘Reason To Believe’ has moments of clean vocals amongst the rage.

The brutality returns with the breathtaking ‘Murder Scene’. The vocals seem to suffocate, such is their menace. The spine tingling intro to ‘First Day In Hell’ morphs into a full on chugger, making it my album highlight. Alissa delivers her most demented vocal as it gallops to a drum dominated end. A brief piano/guitar lead instrumental ‘Saturnine’ is the calm before the storm for the sure fire mosh pit opener ‘Dreams Of Retribution’. It’s a non stop adrenaline rush of multi tempo time changes until it eases out to a laid back outro. ‘My Shadow And I’ is a frenetic blustre of churning riffs backed by an acid gargled vocal and piercing guitar solos. The album ends on a high with the six minute long epic ‘A Fight I Must Win’. It’s slow burning call to arms mood pounds and pounds to a finish offset by stirring orchestral passages.

Released on Century Media Records, Will To Power is available on the following formats. A deluxe CD +LP + seven inch box set, a limited CD Digipak including a poster and stickers. A standard jewel case CD, a gatefold black vinyl LP + CD + digital album and various coloured vinyls.

Album track listing :-

Set Flame To The Night.

The Rage.

The World Is Yours.

Blood In The Water.

The Eagle Flies Alone.

Reason To Believe.

Murder Scene.

First Day In Hell.

Saturnine.

Dreams Of Retribution.

My Shadow And I.

A Fight I Must Win.

Arch Enemy band line up :-

Alissa White-Gluz – Vocals.

Michael Amott – Guitar.

Jeff Loomis – Guitar.

Sharlee D’Angelo – Bass guitar.

Daniel Erlandsson – Drums.