Arch Enemy is one of my all time favorite bands. They are a band that seem to get a lot of hate in the death metal community. The fact is that Arch Enemy are a band based on melody and not brutality. Arch Enemy may not be for everybody but they combine heaviness with melody in an amazing way. Among melodic death metal bands they have their own sound which is an important thing many bands don’t do. Arch Enemy started a bit later than the early pioneers of melodic death metal and this is because back then Michael Amott was busy helping lay the foundation for melodic death metal with Carcass. From there he took what he had started and continued it with Arch Enemy.

How this works; Songs are rated on a 5 star rating with each star having a value that is averaged together for the album rating. Average album rating will equal the band’s rating

1 star=0, I hate it! The world would be better off without this.

2 stars=25, I don’t like it but it could be worse

3 stars= 50, decent song but not special

4 stars=75, good song but is missing something that might make it amazing

5 stars=100, Amazing!

Live albums, demos, cover albums and EP’s are not included.

Note: Popular doesn’t mean great and importance doesn’t mean it’s good either. A chart topping song only means it is watered down enough for a mainstream audience.

Why pretend otherwise?

Note:
Arch Enemy uses short guitar intros on many albums. Unless they are stand alone pieces rather than an intro track I won’t add them into the rating.

#10

Black Earth - 77.778%

This was the first album from Arch Enemy. It starts to make the bridge between the Carcass sound into what Arch Enemy would finally get to. It is for sure the most raw sounding album. This is also one of the least melodic albums and has more of a Swedish death sound at times similar to bands like Entombed or Dismember.

The Good - There are some great melodies and grooves through out this album. My favorite tracks are “Bury Me An Angel”, “Cosmic Retribution”, and “Fields of Desolation”.

The Bad - The vocals. Some people actually prefer Arch Enemy’s first vocalist, but for me he’s always sounded more like a hardcore guy than a death metal guy, particularly on this album. Like I mentioned this album is less melodic than later ones and the vocals not being very guttural hurt the more brutal songs on the album.

#7

Stigmata - 81.25%

Their second album is an improvement from the first but for the most part it still toes the line between the Carcass sound and the Arc Enemy sound without being as enjoyable as either carcass or later Arch Enemy.

The Good - In general the riffing and melodies are more interesting on this album. The first two tracks “Beast of Man” and “Stigmata” are my favorites… “Stigmata” is instrumental.

The Bad - This album isn’t as brutal as the first and isn’t as melodic as later albums so it ends up lacking on both fronts. The vocals are still bad.

#8

Khaos Legions - 84.09%

This a a good album but certainly not one of their bests. For me this album’s best parts sounded to much like the previous albums but not quite as good. If a band is going to put out something very similar to their last than it really needs to push the sound to a new level. This one just seems like inspired relative to the previous albums. This albums has some amazing melodies as always but in general the riffing just seem lacking energy.

The Good - The melodies scattered through out this album are great even when generally everything else is kinda bland. Favorite songs on this one tend to be the fast ones, “Bloodstained Cross”, and “Vengeance is Mine”. “Yesterday is Dead and Gone” has one of my favorite melodies on the album.

The Bad - In general the riffing and songs overall seem uninspired and a re-tread of previous ideas used on the few preceding albums.

#7

Will To Power - 87.5%

I think Alissa is a great vocalist but unfortunately the songs she has been given to sing are a downgrade from previous albums. By no means is this a bad album but compared to previous albums it doesn’t stand out as particularly amazing. The sad thing about this album is that it has Jeff Loomis on guitar both him and Michael are two of my favorite guitarists and I was really hoping for something magic.

The Good - Solid album, favorite tracks are “First Day in Hell” and “A Fight I must Win”

The Bad - “Reason To Believe” the only 3 star track on here. It is also happens to feature Alissa doing clean vocals but this is in no way bad. She’s a great singer and I like her clean singing. For me it’s just not that great of a song. It’s one of those songs that has a message and for me is cringey. It’s like “Hear N’ Aid” cringe for me.

#7

Deceivers - 90%

Now Alissa’s third album with the band. This album doesn’t start out so great with the opening track featuring some of Alissa’s clean vocals again, and suffers similarly the some bad writing to go along with it. However the album picks up over the next couple songs and by the fourth track on this album is firing on all cylinders and kicks total ass.

The Good - “The Watcher” and “Poisoned Arrow” are probably my favorite of the tracks. “The Watcher” has probably some of the best melodies on the album, and I love the guitar slides in “Poisoned Arrow”.

The Bad - Really the first track “Hand Shake With Hell” is the worse it has the most “clean” vocals and I’m not of fan of how they are used. The bridge of the song breaks with some really cliché lyrics that really kill what moment the song has. The clean vocals aren’t bad here but suffer from bad writing. The next two songs are a pick up but the album doesn’t really hit its stride till track four.

#6

Burning Bridges - 90.625%

This is the third album and the last with Johan on vocals. Although I’m not a big fan of him I think he was much better on this album than the first two. This album seems like Arch Enemy really started to hit their stride and figure out their sound.

The Good - This is a shorter album with only 8 tracks and for me the first 5 songs are all fantastic.

The Bad - The last three tracks don’t seem quite as amazing as the other songs but I wouldn’t consider them bad.

#5

War Eternal - 93.18%

We all were probably nervous when we found out Angela had stepped down from vocals, but Alissa did not disappoint. I feel she has a bit of a lower register than Angela. With Burning Bridges Arch Enemy probed you can put out a good album even if you don’t have the best vocalist so what is most important here is that the songs are incredible. The opening track kicks you square in the chest with blasting drums which aren’t typical for the band. The intensity remains consistent with scattered melodies as good as any.

The Good - It would be quicker to name the weak points because so much of this album is complexly awesome.

The Bad - “Stolen Life”, “Down To Nothing” and the instrumental “Not Long For This World” are the only songs that didn’t get five stars. (excluding the intro track and guitar track “Graveyard of Dreams”.

#4

Wages of Sin - 95.45%

The first album featuring Angela on vocals, this one is an album I know a lot of people really love. It is packed with great songs but I find I don’t go back and listen to it as much as many of the others because the production isn’t the best. It’s a shame, and I would love this one to get remastered.

The Good - Fantastic songs on this album and improved vocals

The Bad - Production isn’t very good, there’s to much high end.

#3

Anthems of Rebellion - 97.27%

This album is a must own for Arch Enemy fans. If there is such a thing, this album is the most mainstream with songs that are easy to scream along to. Memorable songs that are easy to sing along to and you get a classic album. It is one of the albums I go back to the most maybe even more so than the two albums ranked higher on this list. If I used “Marching on a Dead End Road” in the rating for this album, it actually would bring it up slightly and push this album to #2.

The Good - Awesome memorable songs and the ones I find myself singing along to the most.

The Bad - “Saints and Sinners” is the only song that didn’t get five stars from me but is close and still a great song.

#2

Doomsday Machine - 97.72%

This one edges out Anthems by less than a percentage and it could go either way for me. With that said this album was my first Arch Enemy album so I’m probably slightly biased toward it. I know for some this album isn’t as good as others. This album just sound incredibly tight and the production is very smooth and warm. That actually has a lot to do with why I like this album so much; it gives it an atmosphere that sucks you in. Although this album might not have vocal lines as memorable as Anthems, I think the riffing is just as memorable if not more so and the guitars are thicker and smoother than ever.

The Good - The production makes even songs that might not otherwise be as good compared to some from other albums but the guitars sound so thick and smooth that it makes this album just incredible to listen to. This is absolute one of my favorite albums when it comes to guitar tone.

The Bad - There are certainly amazing and memorable songs on this album but perhaps to a lesser extent as some others. But, as I said before other qualities of the album make up for it.

#1

Rise of the Tyrant - 100%

This album is flooring, kick you in the teeth intensity with some of the most beautiful and memorable melodies. Harmonized melodies under great vocal lines make this album just overwhelmingly amazing. I don’t know If I should sing to the vocal lines, guitar melodies, sit with my mouth a gape, or just cry from the shear incredible maelstrom that is this album.

The Good - Everything, this is one of the best metal albums every produced.

The Bad - The only thing bad about this album is that it’s impossible for Arch Enemy to every top it. This is a true masterpiece.

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