"I AM WHO I AM, TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT!!! - NO GODS, NO MASTERS!!! MY TIME HAS COME!!!"

ARCH ENEMY - "DAWN OF KHAOS"
("Century Media Records" / "Savage Messiah Music" / "Metal Hammer Magazine"; CD):

This here is a gratis promotional release that comes (or came) as a free garnish with the (still) current (?) issue of the "METAL HAMMER" titled music magazine and so you should get already a pretty good impression what's now coming for ya (in case you don't know about ARCH ENEMY by now) and this is a dose of Metal music. This shall be a exclusive and non-commercial CD that features two brandnew songs, one KISS cover (that was before solely released as a Japan Edition Bonus song) and a bunch of live songs and some compiled older songs (maybe a fan of the band would call them their classics, I don't know). I never really listened to ARCH ENEMY (to say it precise beside some few songs I know nothing from them, and I mean really nothing) before this one here but I decided to grab this CD anyhow and so I took it with me... A bad guy I am, I know... But you also know that I'm just revolting against the status quo of the capitalistic system we're forced to live in and its rules, haha;-). Founded in the middle of the 1990's as a offspring of the almighty and immortal CARCASS they developed to a pretty impressive successful Metal band from Sverige (?) that pretty soon became pretty famous (on a global level) for being one of the more or less very few female fronted Death Metal bands. Okay, for all what I do hear now I wouldn't label them Death Metal anyhow anymore. It's some sort of heavy and very, very skillful Power Metal between some heavy loads of traditional stuff and also big doses of modern impressions, and yes, with some deep and intense guttural female lead vocals. Big harmonies and melodies, symphonic leads and very gifted solos, the guitar work is really impressive and damn fucking skillful and well-versed, no doubt about it and much respect for that, even I have to say that for me personally it's some huge doses too playful. Anyway, great skills and work at and with the guitar(s). The guttural lead vocals are pretty charismatic and also still pretty 'clear' so that you can really understand what's sung about. The rhythm section is working damn precise and fucking heavy. All is done with a lot of heart and passion, and after (for what I know) the band is around since something like 1996 or so it's all still really damn enthusiastically done. I like it even it's definitly not my favorite music anymore (for at least 15 years or so), especially not that kind of melodic and playful, surely hard but yet damn 'sweet' style of Metal music, nah, I can't really rely to it. Anyhow, that's a good record. The two new songs are good and especially the second one called "NO GODS, NO MASTERS" is really a great anthem, without one single doubt!!! The KISS cover sucks, sounds like your ordinary Power Metal song between MANOWAR and ICED EARTH with some Death Metal drumming and rhythm work to it and not really like a KISS tune anyhow... The live and/or 'older' songs I didn't know before but some are really good and some are not that really good at all, Melodic Death Metal (or better melodic Power metal with guttural vocals) on a very high technical level and with some good songwriting ideas, yehp, and all very 'playful'... Lyrically they deal with issues like freedom and individuality and they seem to use the Anarchy "A" as their (new) band logo. Seems more like a thing of a general meaning and not like a political or ideological agenda, so thank Buddha for that you don't hear any political preachings here on this one by this band. The lyrics are okay and (far) better (again: "NO GODS, NO MASTERS") and the artwork looks really cool, yes, and the production (studio) as well as the recording (live) sound is a damn good one. So, yes, it's a CD for free so if you see it grab it (which way ever;-)...) at least if you like the described music. If you're a (Death) Metal head I would bet that in at least 80 out of 100 cases this CD will make you hungry for more new stuff of or from ARCH ENEMY and you'll be left curious about their new coming full length album (shall carry the title "KHAOS LEGIONS") after listening to this record here and so it's a good done one and you can easily and surely say: "Mission accomplished!!!" (8 of 10 points)

(http://www.archenemy.net/)

(http://www.myspace.com/archenemy)