Sweden’s own genre-blending power/symohonic/eletronic/heavy metal band Amaranthe are back with their first album in nearly four years. Anticipation is pretty high after some fantastic singles, two of which I have become addicted to, so I cannot wait to check out the rest of the album! Let’s get straight into it!
The opener/title track kicks things off in grandiose fashion with an extended synth intro. It’s very Stranger Things. The heaviness soon explodes in with the massive guitars and heavy scream, Amaranthe ‘s signature sound being immediately present. Elize’s powerful clean vocals soon come in for the verse, duelling with the other two vocalists just as masterfully as ever. The dynamics between the three of them really sets the band apart from others and adds a constantly interesting element to their music. It all builds to a HUGE, powerful chorus, the harmonies between the vocals being perfect. We get a short but pretty great solo tucked in the middle too, alongside a heavy bridge part. It’s a fantastic opening track that gives a little bit of everything Amaranthe is about, sound wise!
Single ‘Insatiable’ keeps things rolling perfectly with an incredible, industrial-style riff. I’ve had this track on a lot since it was first released and honestly haven’t gotten bored of it yet! Again, the dynamic between all the vocals are so fun, while when they all come together for the choruses it makes it infectiously catchy. And between the huge chorus, the main focus on clean vocals and the three minute-length, it may be their most accessible, radio-friendly track yet. Having said that, it still has time for a fantastic, impressive solo and some awesome screams from newcomer Mikael. It was one of my favourite singles of last year, and easily makes our playlist!
Next up is another single. ‘Damnation Flame’. The opening immediately gave me Castlevania vibes, which I am fine with. The riff comes in over the top, the melody of that and the subsequent vocals keeping the almost halloween-like vibe. It all builds to yet another fantastically written chorus, catchy and built for arenas or huge festivals. The Nightmare Before Christmas vibes return for the bridge, almost having a folky element to it all too. And then the heaviness slowly builds back up over the top. Man, I can’t wait to see this live! A second track in a row to make our playlist!
‘Liberated’ is another great track, though after a run of three fantastic ones it does feel like the first time you can breath a little. Still, I LOVED all the screams throughout, them feeling like more of a focus than the other tracks. And it’s a typically great chorus by this point, too. Meanwhile most recent single ‘Re-Vision’, is another fantastic track with a heavy leaning towards their more synth/electro sounds. It’s still a metal track for sure, the heavy guitars and fantastic screams make sure of that. But there’s a lot of synth too. I’m loving this new evolution of the power metal sound that these and Metalite are doing recently, like a sci-fi power metal. It’s another good song and a really interesting choice for a single!
The album tracks between ‘Interference’ and ‘Breaking the Waves’ are all good. However, for the most part, they all follow a pretty standard formula that the band have for this album. It’s not a bad thing at all that a band have a signature sound and stick to it, and Amaranthe are fantastic at said style. However, when listening to a full album, the whole duelling-vocalled verses, massive choruses and guitar solo/heavy screamed bridge in the standard rock song structure can get a little old by the 8ish tracks in.
The exception to this is the beautiful piano-led ballad ‘Stay a Little While’ and, to a lesser extent, ‘Breaking the Waves’. The former is fantastic; slow and emotional and full of some incredible vocals from Elize and Nils. The two’s vocals somehow fit even better with this track, too, feeling more like a romantic duet this time. And of course, the chorus is phenomenal. It honestly gave me Goosebumps and easily makes the playlist, what an incredible song! Meanwhile the latter, while heavier than the former, also doesn’t feature any of Mikael’s screams untilt he bridge, having much more of a power/symphonic metal lean to it. Also the drop-down parts in it are nice.
Back to the singles with ‘Outer Dimensions’, it’s another one I am very familiar with by now. THAT vocal hook from the opening/choruses has been routinely stuck in my head on and off for months. The song is all about that chorus and I don’t even care, it’s fantastic. And it very much reinforces my point from earlier about it being a modern, sci-fi spin on the symphonic/power metal sound. I love it!
The closing two tracks, ‘Resistance’ and single ‘Find Life’ are two more awesome Amaranthe tracks. I LOVE the heaviness of the former, again focusing on more of the screams, and some of the riffs behind them are brutal. It doesn’t overstay its welcome too, being a high pace and in-and-out in under three minutes. Elize almost does some Poppy-style rapped delivery at times too which was sick. It honestly makes our playlist, it’s that good. That breakdown/bridge is amazing. Meanwhile the closer and lead single is the perfect representation of an Amaranthe track. The vocals are fantastic, the riffs and drums are heavy and the chorus is massive. It’s a very good way to close an amazing album!
Overall: This is an incredible album. As I said, a couple of the tracks in the middle did get a tad repetitive, but they were also broken up perfectly by ‘Stay a Little While’. And there isn’t a bad track on the album, while some of the tracks are some of my favourite the band have ever produced, and some of the top in their genre. It’s my favourite album the band have put out, for sure, and any fan of the band or the genre as a whole will love it!
The Score: 9.5/10