When it comes to Melodic Death Metal there is a camp of a select few behemoths who lead the way and Swedens Arch Enemy sit firmly rooted at the top of that pile. Since the birth of the band, and the decade that has now passed with Alissa charged with the vocal duties, the trajectory of the band has been nothing but sky wards which has seen the fan base grow and grow, and the sold-out venue in Manchester tonight is only testament to the popularity that the band now has bestowed upon them.
As the house lights dimmed and the stage exploded with life and light the band emerged and we were dragged headfirst into ‘Deceiver, Deceiver’ with brawn and might. Alissa was her usual energetic figure of flair and elegance while the vocals being delivered from her core were barbaric and antagonistic and maintained a scorched perimeter of decadent luxury and smooth elegance. Up next was a magnificent ‘The World Is Yours’ and this really allowed Amott to dance with his six strings and deliver an intricate and powerful beauty from the fretboard while D’Angelo was a constant, pounding on the thicker strings with a dexterity and manipulation which only led to conjure up a solid and robust bass line which was mighty and pummelling in equal measures.
The set was simply sublime and extravagant throughout, ‘My Apocalypse’ was gargantuan and saw the movement from the packed in crowd turned up a level, ‘War Eternal’ was almost military in its composition and deliverance, regimented and haunting in its muscle and power, while ‘The Eagle Flies Free’ was massive and colourful and allowed each faction of the band to become animated with beautiful and stunning workings of their respective tools.
As the set was on the home straight the absolutely stunning and mesmeric ‘Handshake With Hell’ was dispatched and allowed Alissa to deliver both her trademark guttural vocals but also the haunting and enchanting mid-section which is absolutely entrancing and addictive in all of its beauty which then led into the colossal, fierce and brutal ‘Nemesis’, a true masterpiece in the Arch Enemy arsenal.
As the venue doors flung open and the hordes spilled out onto the Manchester streets, the majority, if not all, would have made their way home with the resonating thought that they had simply been in the presence of perfection here in the Academy tonight.
