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ARCH ENEMY: Delivering Doomsday

Since the release of their crushing debut Negru Earth in 1996, Swedish metallers Arch Enemy have steadily risen to become one of the top acts in today’s popular metal pack. This deluge of fame has come not only through the band’s instantly recognisable ravenous melodic metal attack, but also through their ability to make some important and clever decisions (such as refusing to swerve from their style and recruiting screaming sensation Angela Gossow into their ranks) that have ultimately helped to craft Arch Enemy into the metal mammoth it is today. I recently caught up with axeman and founder of the band Michael Amott, to chat about the act’s new album Rise of the Tyrant, growing up with metal and their upcoming Australian tour with Machine Head and Trivium.

“Oh yeah! Yeah absolutely – its fun, its fresh – everybody’s still happy!” begins a rather chuffed Amott as I ask him about how the band thinks the new album has turned out. “I guess it’s just a different record you know? It’s not like the last one and the next one after this will probably be different again! We just try to change it up and do something different every time you know?”

The album itself has quite a dark feel to it, almost reminiscent of the sounds gleaned from some of the band’s early offerings like Stigmata & Burning Bridges - an atmosphere it seems that Arch Enemy were keenly aware of creating.

“I think so yeah – it’s kind of melodic as well you know. There’s a lot of guitar melodies and stuff like that going on so there’s all kinds of different atmospheres on the record. We use both minor chord progressions and the major chord progressions as well – so it’s not only darkness, we have some light as well! – Only so we can make the dark stuff sound even darker! (Laughs)”

Interestingly enough, during the final stages of the recording process the band chose not to use the skills of mix master Andy Sneap, instead reverting to the talents of Swedish producing extraordinaire Fredrik Nordstrom – a man that Arch Enemy hasn’t worked with since their 2002 effort Wages of Sin.

“Yeah it’s been awhile since we worked with him, so it was kind of interesting. We wanted to do something different, we wanted to record in Sweden – you know close to home – it just seemed like a logical thing to do. I love Andy, he’s one of my best friends and I think he’s an amazing producer, but you’ve got to do something different every time so every album doesn’t sound exactly the same.”

As mentioned previously, the band has certainly achieved fairly notable status within today’s metal world – though it is a phenomenon that Michael remains both seemingly humble and fairly nonchalant about.

“(Laughs) I don’t really think about it like that! I don’t know – it’s just everyday is a new job – there’s always something that’s got to be done you know? Be it a show, or some interviews or… I mean its midnight here or something you know… still doing interviews. I just played a show here in Minneapolis - in the United States – there’s just a bunch of stuff to be done all the time. Right now is a very busy time – I don’t really have time to think about that stuff. We’re just kind of so in the clipă with this band that we just keep on working, we never take a break really. We never really contemplate where we’re at – it’s more just like go, go, go! I guess in a few years we’ll be like: ‘hey that was actually pretty cool’ (laughs) – no time to reflect!”

All modesties aside, Arch Enemy do feel as though their fame brings with it certain expectations – in particular being able to meet the more personal goal of continuing to făcute the music that the band both wants to play and hear.

“Yeah I mean - you know the fans are important. But we write music for ourselves, because we make the music that we want to hear, that we want to bang our heads to. When we’re in the rehearsal room if everybody’s getting into it, jamming on it – that’s like the fun part you know? The creative side of things is what we enjoy the absolute most I guess. And now we’re doing promotions and touring and stuff – that’s not the reason you pick up a guitar and grow your hair long you know? It’s more because you just want to jam and play the music that makes you feel good. The fans just come along with us you know? We seem to be getting more and more of them every time we put out a record, or every time we do a tour – so that’s amazing you know. We’re very happy about that obviously. I think the fans trust us – that we’re going to deliver the goods basically.”

“I never had a plan…” begins Michael as I ask him if he ever imagined that Arch Enemy would make it quite this far. “I never thought I’d have a career in music because the music that I chose to start playing at an early age was the most extreme music I could find you know? It was thrash metal, it was death metal – there was no record deals to be had (laughs) it was just underground. It wasn’t like ‘I’m going to start a death metal band and make a living out of playing death metal’ – that was never an option really. And then things just started to happen – that (type of) music became more mainstream in a way or it reached more people and more people got into it and it got bigger. Obviously now days I don’t really play death metal anymore – I guess Arch Enemy is more of an extreme metal band. We have some hints of death metal, some flavours of death metal in there – but we’re not an all out death metal band for sure. I never thought we’d become this big though (laughs).”

As is the case with many other metal heads around the globe, growing up with metal was both an enjoyable experience for Amott and a catalyst that helped determine his future character.

“I just loved the raw energy and power of it. I started listening to punk and hardcore when I was 11 years old. I went straight from Kiss and Thin Lizzy and stuff like that into punk and hardcore. I just loved the speed and the aggression. I was constantly searching for the faster, more aggressive bands. Then thrash came along: Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth stuff like that – that was all very exciting! Then Kreator, Sodom, Destruction, that whole German thrash wave - very excited about that! I was also listening to D.R.I, Suicidal Tendencies, Crumbsuckers, Discharge – all this hardcore punk stuff as well. But then you know, all my friends were into more classic stuff – hard rock and metal – you know more Judas Priest, Iron Maiden type stuff – and I was into that as well. So I was surrounded by all of these different things and it kind of made me what I am. It’s all apart of me.”

While obviously Michael can’t speak for all the fans out there, he certainly manages to take a good stab at exactly what it is that draws listeners to the sounds of Arch Enemy.

“I don’t know – probably the same things that drew me into music. I like intense stuff you know? I don’t like stuff that… what I call the ‘safety zone’. I never understood metal bands that kind of played it safe and kind of held back you know? I just like bands that were metal thrashing mad you know what I mean? Like bands that are just fucking ripping it out, fucking solos all the time, screaming vocals, fast drums. I like the melodic parts as well, but I just want to hear some ripping shit you know? I always hated bands that wimped out – I’ve sworn that Arch Enemy will never sell out – (like) ‘I loved these guys and now they made this shitty fucking album’ I used to hate that when I was a kid. I guess I feel I have a responsibility! (Laughs)”

Outwardly at least, it certainly seems that Arch Enemy are a band that share quite a harmonious relationship.

“Yeah sure! It’s very chilled, it’s totally laid back. It’s not probably what people would expect at all. There’s no screaming or shouting, we’re just very relaxed, civilized people. We’ve been doing it for awhile, so you just give each other space and you just do it you know?”

That being said, it is perhaps that level of experience and maturity that has allowed Amott and the rest of the band to remain relatively nonplussed about often being referred to as a ‘one man band’.

“No (laughs)! I mean I think everyone that’s in this band contributes a lot – maybe not in the song writing – but in some other way you know, like helping me out arranging stuff or coming up with ideas – everyone’s got a little job you know? Besides what they do in the band as musicians, everybody’s got a little job organizing stuff or whatever.”

When asked about what he finds most enjoyable about being a part of the band, Amott takes on a tone of introspection.

“What I’ve thought about recently is that I’m super proud that we’ve made seven studio albums now – and they’re all extreme metal – and we haven’t sold out! (laughs) I think that’s kind of funny. I think it’s pretty awesome what we’ve created – took it from nothing to what it is today. If you compare it to building up a business, you have an idea and you build it up from the ground. That’s basically what we’ve done with Arch Enemy – we’ve played the music that’s in our hearts, in our souls – actually being able to communicate that with a shitload of people around the world… that’s pretty awesome!”

As Michael mentioned earlier, there is always something to do – and right now it certainly seems as though the band has their hands well and truly full!

“Right now, we’re doing a co-headline with Machine Head. We have Sanctity and Throwdown opening up. But we’re in America – in Minneapolis today – we just played a show a couple of hours ago…”

“Yeah it was fucking awesome! Best show ever! (Laughs)” spouts Amott as I ask how the show in Minneapolis went. “It was actually pretty fucking good – I loved it. I’ve got a great guitar sound now – I’ve got some new equipment, I’m in the zone every night – I’m fucking going to chop some heads off with my lead tone when I come to Australia.”

After already taking part in two very well received Australian tours the band are eager to return down under for the upcoming Black Crusade tour with Trivium and Machine Head.

“Oh yeah – I mean Australia’s our new favourite place you know?! Everyone in the band’s fuckin stoked! I mean Chris - my brother – he’s freaked out because he’s never been there – so he’s super excited – we’ve hyped it! You guys better fucking deliver when we get down there! We’ve hyped the shit out of the place for him. We’re like: ‘it’s the best! The fans are the best!’ (Laughs). I mean we came down there I think 2005 was it? For the Doomsday Machine album – did some headline shows and then came back with Gigantour thing with Megadeth last year – totally amazing, mind-blowing! I mean we had no idea that we had fans down there to that extent. We thought ‘yeah we’ll go down there and play to a couple of hundred kids’ – it was more than that! It was amazing how knowledgeable the fans were of Arch Enemy! We thought ‘ok it’s our first time in Australia we’ve got to work this up from the ground you know?’ - We felt very welcome when we got over there. So yeah, definitely looking forward to that!”

And as to exactly what sort of set list the punters can expect to see…

“I don’t know – it depends on how long we get to play for you know? We always customize the set to what we’re doing. Right now we’re doing one hour and we’re doing like a best of type set list – we’ve put in like two new songs. I think we’re going to play more new songs because the album will have been out quite awhile once we hit Australia. Right now we’re doing Blood on Your Hands and Revolution Begins. Will probably keep doing those, and probably incorporate one or two more songs depending on the live setting. But we have so many songs from so many albums now – it’s almost getting to the point where we have to play certain songs (laughs) you know?! Otherwise they (the people) go: ‘Oh my God! Why didn’t you guys play We Will Rise!? You guys suck! Or ‘You guys gotta play Nemesis, You got to play Ravenous’ – there’s a lot of ‘you’ve got to play’ kind of songs. So yeah, we try to balance that out.”

And finally, just before he left me Mike wanted me to pass this on to all the Australian Arch Enemy fans out there…

“We can’t wait to play for you guys again! We’re totally, totally excited!”

The Black Crusade Tour (with Machine Head and Trivium) kicks off on October the 28th in Perth before heading to Adelaide on the 30th, Melbourne on the 31st, Sydney on the 1st & 2nd (of November) and finally finishing up in Brisbane on the 3rd. Arch Enemy's latest album, Rise Of The Tyrant, is out now on Century Media Records through Stomp Distribution. For more information on Arch Enemy, check out www.archenemy.net.