Arch Enemy's 'Blood Dynasty' - Album Review

It is always a shame when a band that you have liked for a number of years takes something of a downward turn. Whilst I am likely more forgiving than most based on the many other reviews and opinions I read, and am quite easily pleased when it comes to my favourite bands, I nevertheless have to accept that sometimes bands drop the ball. Whilst I am not sure that 'drop the ball' is the correct analogy to apply to the Swedish melodic death metal band Arch Enemy's recent output, I have certainly been disappointed with them for a little while. For me, their last two albums have paled in comparison to much of what came before - with both 2017's Will to Power (which I reviewed here) and 2022's Deceivers (which I also reviewed here) not really hitting the mark. Both albums include some strong songs, and Deceivers has actually gone up in my estimations somewhat since reviewing it, but compared to what came before the two albums are patchy and lacking in a consistent energy. Interestingly, the dip in form coincided with the band lacking a creatively-active second guitarist to act as a foil to band founder, principal songwriter, and guitarist Michael Amott. Amott's brother served as that foil for many years, before Nick Cordle took up the role on 2014's excellent War Eternal (which I reviewed here), but the now-departed Jeff Loomis never did. Arch Enemy featuring Loomis' creative input always seemed like an exciting prospect - but over the two albums on which he featured he only contributed a handful of guitar solos. Reading between the lines of a number of interviews with both Amott and Loomis over the years - the former essentially kept the latter out of the creative process. Perhaps fearing that Loomis' progressive mindset would shift Arch Enemy's core sound too much, Amott instead turned to drummer Daniel Erlandsson to be his main sounding board - and the world was robbed of hearing what an Arch Enemy song written by Loomis would sound like. I was unsurprised when Loomis left the band in 2023, then, and I am looking forward to the new-look Nevermore which is currently being put together, to be replaced by a lesser-known name in Joey Concepcion (Symphony of Malice; Armageddon; The Absence). Amott can now underuse Concepcion's talents instead of underusing Loomis' - and on the band's newly released twelfth studio album Blood Dynasty Concepcion has similarly just contributed some guitar solos (although he also played some acoustic guitar, likely when Amott's back was turned). I did not exactly have high hopes for Blood Dynasty, then, but I have to say that I have been really enjoying it since it came out last month. It is easily the band's best since War Eternal, and it feels a lot fresher than the last two albums - with a good mix of classic-sounding Arch Enemy songs as well as a few tracks which do something a little different. I have long said that the band needed to shake things up songwriting-wise, and Amott and Erlandsson have done so here. Whilst there are a number of anthemic, traditional-sounding pieces, these feel fresher than much of the band's other recent work, whilst those songs which do experiment somewhat with the formula help to diversify the album. It is a relatively short release, too, at a shade under 45 minutes long, so it really flies by thanks to this variety.

The difference is not night and day, but it is surprising what a few twists and turns, as well as more of a sense of urgency, can achieve. The band have done better in the past but following a creative slump Blood Dynasty feels like something of a triumph overall. It opens with Dream Stealer, a song which has been floating around for months at this point, and the anthemic piece kicks off the album in fine fashion. I was not a huge fan of the song when it dropped, and I still feel that some of the transitions feel pretty clunky, but it has grown on me a lot. Droning organ and weather sounds set an early unsettling tone, before a slightly symphonic overture takes over - which soon transitions nicely into a thrashy riff, with Amott drawing on his years with Carcass to deliver something abrasive. It is a heavy riff, heavier than the band's core sound these days, and the song's verses are in-your-face from the start - with frontwoman Alissa White-Gluz delivering some of her most intense growls to date. Now on her fourth album with the band, she continues to diversify her approach here. These growls are some of the most abrasive on an Arch Enemy album for a while - but they contrast nicely with her more anthemic approach during a somewhat more mid-paced chorus, which is backed with subtle harmonies to create a real fists-in-the-air atmosphere. As mentioned, there are some strange transitions - with the riff shift between the main verse and the pre-chorus feeling a bit jarring - but I have got used to these moments now and the contrast between the death metal-adjacent verses and the more traditional heavy metal of the chorus is a winner. The hooks are huge, then, and the contrast in guitar soloing between Concepcion's shredding and Amott's more refined leads helps the last moments of the song tick. Illuminate the Path slows things down somewhat and goes for a much more crunching and mid-paced approach. Erlandsson still tends to lay into his double bass drums, but the riffing is generally much more creeping - and there is plenty of room for melodic guitar leads throughout. Arch Enemy have excelled at these mid-paced tracks for a number of years - with Michael Schenker-esque melodic leads clashing nicely with the darker guitar rhythms and drum grooves beneath them. White-Gluz is full of character during these creeping verses - but she really lets rip during a power metal-esque chorus which sees the band continue their experiments with clean vocals. These moments often feel jarring at first, but they bed in over repeated listens - and this chorus is hooky thanks to White-Gluz's soaring delivery, and there are still some growls in the background to add a heavy depth. One of Amott's most melodic and hooky solos is included later on, his old-school hard rock tendencies shining through, which builds nicely on the chorus melodies. March of the Miscreants feels more typical due to the lack of clean vocals, but structure-wise it is not dissimilar to the previous song. It is another mid-paced track, with another very anthemic chorus, but elsewhere the riffing feels a little different - with a mechanical drum groove during the verses which allows Sharlee D'Angelo's bass to actually cut through. The bass and drums play against the guitars to create a different sound, which White-Gluz growls over - before she returns to that more semi-shouted approach she often uses for choruses, to allow the melodies to really sink in. Aided by some snappy gang vocal shouts, the chorus really sticks in the brain - whilst later on the song does speed up somewhat to allow for a thrashy mid-section before Concepcion really lets rip.

Speeding things up somewhat, A Million Suns feels like the sleeper hit on this album. I remember The Watcher being an anthemic stand-out on the last album - and A Million Suns feels like that song's equivalent here, the difference being that this album is much stronger overall. It is a song which very much sits within the band's classic core sound, and does not really do anything different, but the hooks are so strong that it does not really matter. The chorus could well be the album's best, although it is hard to say as there are many strong contenders here, but it is clearly a song which Amott wrote just to be an anthem. The riffing and arrangements are perhaps less interesting here than some of the other cuts, which does set it behind some of them, but the overall lasting impression is due to the massive chorus and the song's overall accessibility - which is later built on by an excellent solo section. Concepcion launches it with some neo-classical shredding, before Amott closes it with some trademark well-placed melodies. Don't Look Down is probably the only song here which is yet to fully grab me. It is certainly not a weak song, but it is perhaps a bit too close to the typical formula without having a real standout chorus - which puts it behind a track like A Million Suns as a result. Despite this, though, the song still feels fresher than a lot of the material on the last couple of albums. There is a strong energy throughout, with a couple of standout riffs, but there is a bit of a lack of guitar leads which is a shame - and the slower-paced chorus reminds me a bit of the vibe of My Apocalypse, which has never been a favourite of mine despite it being seen as a classic. There is nothing really wrong with it, it is just a weaker cut in what is otherwise a strong collection of songs. Following the brief acoustic-based instrumental Presage, the album's mid-paced and anthemic title track takes over - opening with a heroic guitar lead which forms the song's main hook going forward. The song is perhaps less heavy than some of the others here, with more of a strident hard rock feel to the opening riffing - whilst the verses feature a strong keyboard presence to add a dense atmosphere despite the slightly thrashier riffs which then take over. Even these thrashier verses are still pretty mid-paced, though, and the tone remains a creepy one thanks to the synths, but the song is built around its anthemic chorus - which sees a return of the opening guitar lead and some of White-Gluz's most fist-in-the-air vocal melodies on the album. Adding to the atmospheric vibes, too, there is a later creepy spoken word bridge section - and the whole thing closes out with a big Concepcion solo. Paper Tiger then ups the pace again and the snappy, riff-happy track is a real headbanger - with strong grooves throughout and some venomous White-Gluz vocals. She even unleashes something of a power metal scream early on, which helps to set the upbeat tone, but she generally just sticks to her typical growled approach - with razor-sharp vocal hooks filling each verse, whilst occasional guitar leads and shredded moments add depth. There is quite a bit going on here guitar-wise, then, with the chorus also backed by some hooky melodies - and it is another pretty anthemic chorus thanks to the song's overall energy and upbeat vibe.

Vivre Libre then changes the tone considerably - and it is easily the biggest departure from the band's core sound. The song is a cover of a Blaspheme song from 1985 - and it is essentially a clean-sung power ballad which retains the band's usual darkness whilst also going for something of an anthemic approach. I cannot say that I am familiar with the French metal band, but Arch Enemy rework their song nicely to fit in with the album's overall flow - despite it not sounding at all like anything else here. White-Gluz sings the French lyrics with a mix of a floaty atmospheric approach and a more gritty hard rock style - whilst clean guitar melodies and keyboards add depth. The rhythm section add a groove, too, and Amott later lays down one of his trademark, slow-burning, solos, but generally this song is all about White-Gluz and her vocal prowess. She has sung clean elsewhere on this album and on other albums, but this song features her clean singing in a much more prominent way - and I like what the cover brings to the album. The Pendulum returns to something more typical - but it is also a song which takes some twists and turns compared to the norm. On the surface it is a pretty standard-sounding Arch Enemy song - but there is a much more prominent role given to synths throughout. Erlandsson is responsible for the album's keyboards - and I really like the atmospherics and electronics which sit behind the song's main riff. They really help the song to stand out, despite it not shifting from the band's core sound that much, whilst a dynamic arrangement also adds a lot of life to the piece. Mid-paced sections with aching guitar leads sit nicely side-by-side with thrashier sections - and the anthemic chorus is faster than is typical for the band, and built around another memorable guitar lead. Shredded guitar solos later build on these leads - but this is a song which excels due to its arrangement and the subtle use of keyboards. It was not a song which stood out at first, but it has grown on me a lot - and it is now something of a favourite. The album then comes to a close with Liars & Thieves, another song which has been floating around online for quite a while at this point. It is generally a fast-paced and intense track, but it opens with some dual guitar leads, which are fairly slow-burning, and the song overall leans more into the band's extreme metal side and rarely lets up. There is no slowing down to allow anthemic melodies to shine through - and this is one which just lets its energy run rampant. The thrashy riffing throughout is intense, and Erlandsson really lays into this drums here, but the snappy chorus still stands out despite the intense speed. The band is full of life here - and a surprise bridge section later sees White-Gluz singing clean, although the pace does not slow down so the track never lightens as a result. Shredding solos are unsurprisingly thrown in later to keep the pace up - with even Amott upping his general soloing speed to compete with Concepcion. It is ripping end to the album, which has largely been anthemic rather than fast-paced - and it works well having the two heaviest tracks bookend the album. Overall, then, I am impressed with Blood Dyansty and it feels like a real return to form following two weaker albums. Every song here sticks in the brain somewhat - with most really excelling at the vibe they set out to create. The handful of subtle twists do enough to shake up a formula which was feeling a bit stale - and the performances throughout from all, particular White-Gluz, are excellent. I can see this album getting a lot of spins over the coming months and I am looking forward to hearing some of these songs live later in the year.

The album was released on 28th March 2025 via Century Media Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Dream Stealer.