ARCH ENEMY

Pure, unhinged metal legends for 30 years, Arch Enemy are a proven formidable force. Founded by Swedish guitarist Michael Amott in 1995, the band has survived three decades without compromise and continues to grow in strength and popularity. In 2025, Arch Enemy return with another magnificent display of virtuosic brutality, Blood Dynasty. The band’s 12th studio album captures them at the peak of their power, as demonstrated by the recently released tracks “Dream Stealer” and “Liars & Thieves,” the brutal, high-energy songs that open and close the record.

Arch Enemy began their journey in the shadows of the metal underground. Defined by intricate, hyper-melodic guitar work and the brutal intensity of death metal, the band’s sound showed enormous potential from the very beginning. After three albums with original vocalist Johan Liiva, however, the band transformed into an even more powerful beast, with the charismatic vocalist Angela Gossow leading the charge. Albums such as Wages of Sin (2001), Anthems of Rebellion (2003), and Doomsday Machine (2005) were met with enthusiasm from critics and fans alike, and by the late 2000s Arch Enemy were firmly established as one of the leading names on the international scene, with an unrivaled reputation for triumphant live performances.

In 2014, Gossow’s amicable departure made way for the arrival of the formidable vocalist Alissa White-Gluz and the release of War Eternal, the first album by the new lineup. Another instant success, it paved the way for even greater popularity and acclaim. The more recent albums, Will to Power (2017) and Deceivers (2022), kept the band’s standard sky-high, with White-Gluz as a striking and captivating front figure, and her bandmates—Amott, drummer Daniel Erlandsson, bassist Sharlee D’Angelo, and since 2023 guitarist Joey Concepcion—displaying impressive levels of chemistry and ingenuity. Returning in 2025 with Blood Dynasty, Arch Enemy are more powerful than ever.

Regarding the latest album, Arch Enemy’s most devoted fans may expect surprises, but the essence of Blood Dynasty comes from the same flawless carnage that made anthems like “We Will Rise” and “Nemesis” so important to the world of modern metal 20 years ago. Arch Enemy have never sounded so grand, so accomplished, or so enthusiastic about their own music.

At the end of 2025, the band announced the departure of vocalist Alissa White-Gluz, bringing to a close a partnership that repositioned the Swedish band at the top of the global melodic death metal scene. The statement released on the band’s social media ends by hinting at the next steps for Arch Enemy: “Where there is an end, there is also a beginning. See you in 2026.”