Arch Enemy - London Review

Over the past few years, I have seen Arch Enemy live regularly. I have now seen them live seven times overall, but four of those have come since 2022 - starting with a co-headline show at the O2 Academy in Brixton with Behemoth that year. Two shows at the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith followed, once as a co-headliner with In Flames and second as a headliner but backed by a strong bill including Amorphis and Eluveitie, with the band having long established themselves as one of the big hitters of the European metal scene. I started following the band in the late 2000s, when 2007's Rise of the Tyrant was their most recent release, and even then they were pretty big. Of late, though, Arch Enemy seem to have rise through the ranks further - with the Alissa White-Gluz era, that ran between 2014 and 2025, seemingly pushing the band higher up the food chain, even if, in my view at least, some of the albums released during her tenure as frontwoman felt less inspiring than what had come before. That being said, though, last year's Blood Dynasty (which I reviewed here) was an album I enjoyed more than I expected to. The two albums that preceded it may well be my least favourite Arch Enemy releases, despite some strong songs, but Blood Dynasty felt tighter and hookier overall - and it ended up capping the White-Gluz era nicely when she left the band late last year at the end of their European tour. I certainly did not see the line-up change coming, but I was not hugely upset by the news. I liked White-Gluz in the band, but I only genuinely really like two of the four albums that they put out during her tenure, so perhaps a shake-up was no bad thing. I was pretty hyped when it was announced earlier this year that former Once Human frontwoman Lauren Hart was going to be taking her place. Whilst I was never a massive Once Human fan, I always liked Hart as a singer - and I saw her live a few times with Kamelot during the couple of years she acted as their touring female vocalist. The song Arch Enemy released to introduce Hart as their new singer, To the Last Breath, impressed, too. It was very much Arch Enemy-101, but the hooks were strong - and it certainly got me more excited than many of their other songs from more recent years. Not too long after Hart was announced as the band's singer, too, Arch Enemy announced a European tour over the summer - which included some small club shows in between larger festival dates. With a new singer in tow, they clearly wanted to turn the clock back somewhat and play some venues that they had not played for a long time. This tour was not the first run of shows with Hart, as some long-standing Asian dates followed not long after she was announced, but it felt like the first 'proper' tour in a way - given that it looked to be a lengthy trek with something of a unique identity in terms of venues. Two UK shows were included, and when I saw that the band would be playing at The Underworld in Camden I knew that I had to try and get a ticket. They went on sale the same day as the tour was announced, and I was lucky enough to get one. The show sold out in about two hours, which is not surprising considering that the venue is significantly smaller than those the band tend to play these days. They last played The Underworld back in 2002 - so it was with excitement that I headed up to London again yesterday and joined the queue snaking around Camden not too long before the doors were due to open. The venue opened around 20 minutes late, which was annoying, but what was more annoying was the long wait that followed. The door time was 7pm, but Arch Enemy did not come on until 9pm - and there was no support act. This made for a dull couple of hours, but thankfully the venue's air con was doing a good job - and I got a t-shirt whilst waiting.

I got a spot about three-quarters of the way back on the main floor - as I have long learnt that trying to stand in the 'upstairs' bit at The Underworld during busy shows essentially means having very little view. I had a pretty good view from where I was - and, despite the sold out crowd, a modicum of personal space. I had wondered if the floor would essentially turn into one huge mosh pit, but thankfully that was not the case - with excellent moshing etiquette observed, ensuring that everyone enjoyed the show and an excellent atmosphere was present from the off. Given this atmosphere present, the long wait was soon forgotten when Arch Enemy took to the stage - and from the off the sound was excellent. A synth-heavy intro tape soon morphed into the percussive stomps of the brief Tear Down the Walls - which was a clue that the oldie Silent Wars was going to kick things off. Setlist-wise, the next 100 or so minutes were a really treat for classic-era Arch Enemy fans. Lots of songs that had not been played live for quite some time were included - including the thrashy opener Silent Wars and the more anthemic Taking Back My Soul which followed. A number of songs that I had not seen the band do live before were played - with only three songs from the White-Gluz era, which has dominated recent setlists, being retained. It is unclear what future setlists will look like, especially following the band's next album, but it is clear that they wanted to have some fun on this small rooms tour - and treat long-time fans with a setlist for the ages. I have already mentioned how good the sound was, but it really was crystal clear. Everything could be heard in the mix, and Hart powered above the band - her excellent harsh vocals really doing justice to material from all eras of Arch Enemy. In my view, she is a better fit than White-Gluz. Her growls are closer to that of classic frontwoman Angela Gossow's, and she even adopted a guttural bark to sing the one Johan Liiva era number played in full. She came across as humble and likeable, too, something which White-Gluz never seemed - so I feel that Hart is a real upgrade in all departments. This is not meant to dismiss White-Gluz's contributions to the band over the past nine years, as I saw the band numerous times with her and she always gave her all - but she, in retrospect, often seemed a bit standoffish and sometimes there seemed a lack of chemistry between her and the rest of the band. Hart seems a great fit, then, and she was given a huge welcome by the London crowd - with a couple of chants of her name breaking out at various times during the night. This was mostly down to the fact that she just nailed song after song.

Die-hard fans loved hearing songs like The First Deadly Sin after so long - but even setlist staples of recent years such as Ravenous and War Eternal sounded fresh. Bandleader Michael Amott (guitar/vocals) seemed really fired up, too. His Michael Schenker-on-speed guitar playing style was on full show, with solo after solo hitting the spot - whilst Joey Concepcion (guitar/vocals) played the shreddier side of the band's leads with aplomb, even if one of The Underworld's famous pillars meant that I did not always have a great view of him. I have already mentioned To the Last Breath, but it really shows that the future of Arch Enemy is bright - with the new anthem being greeted as warmly as any of the classics. The White-Gluz era songs were also well received, with The Eagle Flies Alone later in the set getting plenty of love. The band largely just let the music do the talking, but Hart spoke to the crowd a few times - and it is clear that she already feels at home in Arch Enemy, despite coming across very humble and happy to be there. She joked with those in the front row and had a great stage presence throughout - hyping up a return to the dark past during the oldie Bury Me an Angel and bringing out a flag to fly during Under Black Flags We March before realising there was barely any space to do so. The size of the room did a lot in terms of shaping the show, then, with everyone in attendance soon drenched in sweat despite the air con doing its best. The band seemed to love it, though, with plenty of jumping during the anthemic No Gods, No Masters - with even Amott at some point taking the microphone to briefly talk to the crowd about how special the show was. As the set reached the final quarter, there were still surprises to come. The brief instrumental I Am Legend was another rarity, but instead of being paired with Out for Blood as it is on 2005's Doomsday Machine it was paired with Dead Bury Their Dead - which featured an extended bass-led instrumental mid-section which allowed Sharlee D'Angelo (bass guitar) a moment in the spotlight. The choppy and melodic Burning Angel was another oldie that was great to finally hear live - before the main set came to a close with We Will Rise, a song which does not feel like it has been played live in recent years as often as it should have been. This was the end of the main set, but there was, of course, time for more - with the band coming back on stage after a couple of minutes to launch into the thrashy Blood on Your Hands - a personal favourite of mine that I was really happy to finally hear live. The crowd loudly shouted the chorus back at the band, in a fashion which made its lengthy absence from the setlist seem strange, before there was a brief respite in the form of the melodic instrumental Snow Bound. This was Amott's guitar showcase - but, as it so often is, it acted as the intro for Nemesis, the closing anthem that rounded out what was a truly excellent night, capped off by a instrumental rendition of part of Fields of Desolation as is often the case. The setlist was:

Tear Down the Walls

Silent Wars

Taking Back My Soul

The First Deadly Sin

Ravenous

War Eternal

To the Last Breath

Blood Dynasty

Bury Me an Angel

Under Black Flags We March

The Eagle Flies Alone

No Gods, No Masters

I Am Legend/Dead Bury Their Dead

Burning Angel

Dead Eyes See No Future

We Will Rise

-

Blood on Your Hands

Snow Bound

Nemesis

Fields of Desolation

Enter the Machine

I have enjoyed seeing Arch Enemy each of the previous six times, but number seven last night was the best by far. Seeing the band in such an intimate setting was a real treat - with a setlist that was so different from anything else the band had been doing in recent years. I imagine that some of these songs will go back into hibernation again after this tour, which makes last night extra special - but I do hope that the band is not as neglectful of some of their older albums as they have sometimes been going forward. I was pleased to see My Apocalypse dropped, too, as it has never been a favourite of mine - although I do note that is included in the festival set being played on this tour, which differs quite a lot from the setlist shown above. Arch Enemy have survived another member change, and, so far, seem to have come out the other side stronger - and I cannot wait for what is to come.