Arch Enemy
Blood Dynasty
You know that Arch Enemy album? You know, that one? Yeah, well, here’s some more of it. Not to heap too much admonition on the paragons of melodeath consistency, but sometimes, it does need to be pointed out. The last development of note in the Arch Enemy camp was the changeover from Angela Gossow to Alissa White-Gluz on 2014’s War Eternal, and even then, squaring up the two is hardly an apples-to-oranges comparison. In other words, the easiest opportunity imaginable to do something different was given to Arch Enemy on a silver platter, and they just put it to one side. But why wouldn’t they? They’re now at their 30th year of existence and still seeing success through melodeath in this exact fashion—what impetus is there to stop?
So, yeah, Blood Dynasty—it’s an Arch Enemy album. It sounds exactly as you’d expect, on every front. It’s big and melodic and heavy enough, and White-Gluz continues to fill the Gossow-shaped hole perfectly with her gutturals. Surprise, naturally, is thin on the ground; in the case of musicianship, it’s practically nonexistent. It’s what an Arch Enemy album always sounds like—often fast, powerful and overt in its death-metal leanings, though always keen to pack in a whole load of melody. If you want ‘different’…well, listening to something else might be a good start, but within this band’s parameters, Paper Tiger sounds more Judas Priest-esque than usual, and Illuminate The Path sees White-Gluz’s oft-sprinkled clean singing blossom into a full-blown chorus for her.
For the in-aggregate biggest deviation on Blood Dynasty, it’s probably Vivre Libre, a cover of an ‘80s hard rock song by French band Blaspheme. The wow factor isn’t so much that it’s here at all (not when, including digipak bonuses that are no included on regular streaming tracklists, three of the four White-Gluz albums feature covers), but the fact it’s actually sung in French. So is it this that’s the long-awaited new string added to Arch Enemy’s bow? Well, when there’s no indication it’s ever going to show up again, probably not. It’s a swerve by a couple of degrees tucked deep into the album’s back half; that’s the extent that Arch Enemy are willing to risk disturbing their tried-and-tested formula by. And you can’t really blame them for that, at the end of the day. They’re still incredibly competent at what they do, and have kept it all well-maintained even after this long.
It’s where a lot of metal bands end up, especially those who’ve found their calling through blanketed ‘metal stuff’ as Arch Enemy have. Lyrically, there’s not an idea that sets them apart; it’s all widely applicable melodeath subject matter. Combined with the rest of an ouevre less prone to shake-ups than a Japanese skyscraper, Blood Dynasty really is just the next piece of Arch Enemy to drop. If you like the sound of that, fill your boots; anything less and you won’t be swayed even slightly. Regardless, it’s good to see a long-standing band like this continue to do well and pump out their predetermined material with enthusiasm for what they’re doing. Even after another 30 years, neither that, nor this sound, would’ve likely changed.
For fans of: In Flames, Soilwork, Children Of Bodom
‘Blood Dynasty’ by Arch Enemy is out now on Century Media Records.
Luna Kills
DEATHMATCH
You know when a new band comes around and you can just tell that, by hook or by crook, the full might of the industry and the music media will be behind them to get them big? Well, Luna Kills are that with a bullet. Here’s Finland’s newest metal sensation, apparently, taking the baton from the…stellar stylings of Blind Channel, though fitting tighter to the ‘Miss Edgy-Girl & Her Anonymous Band’ archetype. There’s a lot of nu-metal and alt-metal and big, gnashing, shuddering swipes of contemporaneity, all at the perfect ratios to feel borderline lab-grown for the scene’s new favourite band.
And after all of that, they are…fine. Just fine. Look, there’s been a million-and-one bands who’ve done this exact thing, and it’ll take more than the million-and-second of them to blow the roof off. To Luna Kills’ credit, their singer Lotta Ruutiainen brings them a bit closer, where all the previous attention on the ferocity and technique of her fry-scream hasn’t been for nothing. She’s undoubtedly the killer element of this band, the best thing they’ve got up their sleeve. Granted, it’s a quality that’s heightened by nothing else being remotely as impressive. It’s modern nu-metal and alt-metal at the end of the day, reliant on the slam, groove and tempos that everyone seems to plug into their work. It’s rarely bad, but it’s even more rarely distinct.
It’s also a little frustrating when Luna Kills show that they’re capable of some more variety. The guitar solos on sugar rush and get mad are good inclusions on their own, but the hints of Polyphia-style sharpness in the technique are even better. WAVES, conversely, is a little inconsequential as a misty drum ‘n’ bass track in its first act, though to see it grow into a metal mould (regardless of how similar to the rest of the album it is) shows that potential is there. Other than those examples, DEATHMATCH is a pretty rote listen. It doesn’t take much time to experience the broadest strokes of what Luna Kills are about—a couple of cursory listens and the implications beneath titles like LEECH and slay ur enemies (and the alternating all-caps / all-lowercase stylising that lays it out plain in and of itself). And there is appeal to that, even from Luna Kills themselves. They’re aggressive and stylish, and heavy in the right ways and places to make a play for metal ‘legitimacy’. But in terms of something that only they themselves can bring, they’re sorely lacking.
So what does that means for Luna Kills’ prospective rise into the stratosphere? Nothing. They’re so tapped into their portion of the zeitgeist that uniqueness or innovation doesn’t matter, as long as listeners want more of the same. And given that people are rarely shy about that, Luna Kills’ future is basically set in stone already. It’s the future of nu-gen, i.e. the past of metal, just a little grislier on its superficial levels. There’s a place for that, sure, and Luna Kills probably could find a nice spot all of their own, but let’s not pretend that any revolutions are being led with this one. If the avaricious bean-counters weren’t about ready to pounce, this might even have sat a bit easier.
For fans of: Knife Bride, Cassyette, Lake Malice
‘DEATHMATCH’ by Luna Kills is released on 4th April on Sharptone Records.
Air Drawn Dagger
A Guide For Apparitions
This all feels like it’s coming a bit earlier than it should. Not that you’d expect the band who titled their breakout EP Songs To Fight The Gods To to sit on their hands for too long, but this can still come across as a bit above Air Drawn Dagger’s station. This is an album fashioning a narrative from a mishmash of global myths and folklore à la an entry in a post-Harry Potter young-adult fantasy series. At the same time, it wants to sport big alt-rock accessibility while also dipping into genre chameleonism, though not so much that it’s actively alienating or unwelcoming. Oh, and it’s also Air Drawn Dagger’s full-length debut, if that bar resting in the thermosphere wasn’t already high enough.
It’s a mighty task to expect Air Drawn Dagger to stick the landing on all of that, though said expectation might be coming from themselves alone. They appear to be taking the extrapolations made for where they could go off their last EP and actively aiming bigger. Kudos for the effort, no doubt, but you do have to wonder how much of that is actually feasible. This is still a new band, and while A Guide To Apparitions can definitely chip away at all of their goals, there isn’t a full monument to rock nobility carved out just yet. For one, Air Drawn Dagger are still too anchored to Britrock’s older ways to soar all that much. Maisie Manterfield’s vocals haven’t picked up that much more range, nor does much of the baseline instrumentation carry a feel that lends to the album’s fantastical yarn. If anything, Sweatin’ and Bellyaches feel almost outside the narrative entirely with how standardised they can be, in sound and writing.
So, how about when you readjust to fit closer inside those parameters? Actually, A Guide For Apparitions does work pretty well, even when showing off some flexibility. Note the word ‘some’ there, as Teeth uses creaking hip-hop as its backdrop for a ‘villain’s song’, upon which Air Drawn Dagger’s wheelhouse gets promptly flooded and rescuing most of what was in there becomes a tall order. It’s fortunately the album’s single totally-out-there moment; other blips from the norm, like portions of screaming on Castles and Apparitions, are far more attuned. Otherwise, Air Drawn Dagger continue to do alt-rock flecked with emo well. They know their way around a chorus, as well as filling a mix to create that more imposing sonic profile, all while keeping fairly even-keeled across the tracks that warrant it. A bit more rise-and-fall would be nice to give the album some clearer shape, but it’s not mission critical at this stage.
Perhaps assessments like that are a result of wanting to be more charitable to Air Drawn Dagger than they might otherwise deserve. They’ve got a lot of ideas sketched out, and it does take guts to leap straight in when the final product can barely hope to match up to their scale. It’s also good that Air Drawn Dagger don’t feel totally out of their depth; there is an indication that nailing something like this is on the cards. That’s not now, though. More than anything, A Guide For Apparitions is a valiant proof of concept that can still partially stand on its own. Every grand adventure needs to start somewhere, right?
For fans of: Tigress, Trash Boat, Kite Thief
‘A Guide For Apparitions’ by Air Drawn Dagger is released on 4th April on Long Branch Records.
Words by Luke Nuttall
