ALBUM REVIEW: Deceivers – Arch Enemy

A few years have passed since the release of Will To Power and it’s been a little quiet at the ARCH ENEMY camp. While it was a generally well-received album, you could argue that the band had hit a creative slump in their illustrious career. As it turns out, making the least ARCH ENEMY-sounding ARCH ENEMY record was the best thing for the band’s career going forward. A bigger focus on musicianship and their arena-busting anthems prove that even as they hit their 10-album mark, the band are still a melodic death powerhouse.

While Handshake With Hell might win the award for worst titled track of the year, the song itself is one of the best opening tracks they have written since Blood On Your Hands from 2007’s Rise Of The Tyrant. It opens with some tapping that builds alongside the drums before the riff roars into life. The first signs of change are shown here as Alissa White-Gluz is finally allowed to shine with her soaring clean vocals. At first, hearing cleans is a little jarring, but after the second pre-chorus and beautiful bridge hit, it feels completely organic. Those familiar with Alissa’s past work will be fully aware of her stunning singing voice and it’s truly refreshing to see it finally feature here.

The pace quickens further with the melodic thrash tinge heard throughout Deceiver, Deceiver (So nice they named it twice) which doesn’t let up throughout. The momentum is halted slightly by the mid-tempo stomp of In The Eye Of The Storm, which on first listen, could be mistaken for a cover of Robert Tepper’s No Easy Way Out. The 80s hair metal pomp on this track is also scattered throughout the album and is an intriguing style change but one that suits the band’s power metal influences that have slithered their way into their sound over the years. That 80s DNA can be felt mostly in the stadium-sized anthem, Poisoned Arrow, which stands as a highlight within the first half of the album.

Since his inception within the band, shred king Jeff Loomis hasn’t really had a chance to really shine. Everyone who knows of Jeff’s previous work knows what the man is capable of and fans have been impatiently waiting for his style to influence the band. Sadly again, while he proves a valuable asset, he’s still being kept under wraps. There are moments of brilliance however in tracks like House Of Mirrors, where he’s allowed to break through that creative barrier.

Sunset Over The Empire opens with a dirty bass lick before it spits venom in riff form. Its thrash-fuelled verses rocket through until they give way to the hulking chorus. This should be a live staple in the future due to its chant-a-long vibes. It’s not all aged fine wine and cheese throughout though. While there is a sense of slight deviation, it still feels very ‘been there, heard that.’ Which for some may be acceptable but to others, it may be met with a disappointed sigh. Each track follows a similar pattern and flow, which can sometimes leave the album feeling predictable. The Watcher is your standard melo-death fare that lacks any real thrills and One Last Time aims for the emotional gut punch but ends up swinging and missing.

Luckily Exiled From Earth ends the album on winning form. The intro builds into a menacing gallop before Alissa eventually joins the fray just past the minute mark. This is power metal meets melodic death done right. It’s gigantic in size and forceful in nature. The chorus is catchy and this time hits the landing which One Last Time was aiming for. There are plenty of moments within this album where the band are trying to break free from the mould they placed themselves in and during these moments is where they are most compelling.

While some may find it hard to still be truly excited by an ARCH ENEMY release this far into their career, give Deceivers a chance. There may be just enough surprises for you to become invested. As for the band themselves, they don’t show any signs of slowing and Deceivers is another solid album in their already well-established repertoire.

Rating: 7/10

Deceivers is set for release on August 12th via Century Media Records.

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