Arch Enemy – Blood Dynasty Review

By Dolphin Whisperer

Incepted as an offshoot of Carcassian lineage, early breakout albums Wages of Sin (2001) and Doomsday Machine (2005) spread like wildfire in the emerging world of digital accessibility. In particular, clips from the 2006 DVD Live Apocalypse, popped around early YouTube further quenching the thirst for the powerful live performances that the once ravenous act possessed—at least that’s my memory of how the melodeath-leaning Swedes came to be a global powerhouse. Arch Enemy’s current incarnation does not lack stage-ready talent, of course—professionals thrive on the tour. The still vicious Alissa White-Gluz (ex-The Agonist) and youthful shredder Joey Concepcion (ex-Armageddon,1 ex-The Absence) round out the strength of time-tested veterans. But with the hunger of success so satiated, what left does Arch Enemy have to fuel their 12th album, Blood Dynasty?

Succeeding primarily on the flash of sticky songs and not engrossing albums, Arch Enemy has little reason to play anything more than a bit of what their fans want and a bit of what they want. In this sense, founding guitarist and primary songwriting contributor Michael Amott feeds off of his second guitarist for energy. While Nevermore shredder Jeff Loomis2 is far from a slouch on the fretboard, his histrionic contributions seemed to follow Arch Enemy down a path of slower builds, chunkier riff platforms, and moodier atmospheres that didn’t always gel with the typically brighter appeal that cemented their lofty status. Particularly on 2022’s preceding Deceivers, the pace had grown so slow that getting to any of blistering guitar heroism—whether from Amott or Loomis—felt like a chore.

In fresh character Concepcion’s ’80s tinged trades with Amott bring a lot to the Blood Dynasty table, with Arch Enemy breezing through certain tracks with the fanciful flair of guitar pyrotechnics. Early cut “Dream Stealer” brings with it a Judas Priest-indebted whammy-to-meltdown solo tirade that highlights the axeslingers’ chemistry well. And later cuts “Don’t Look Down” and “Blood Dynasty” lead with the synth-boosted, mid-paced power/melodeath fist-pump that you’d hear in a galloping Kalmah or late era Dark Tranquillity piece. Truthfully, though, Blood Dynasty’s biggest hit, in its soulful and faithful cover of olde French heavy metal act Blaspheme’s “Vivre Libre,” comes when Arch Enemy, quite literally, is not trying to be Arch Enemy at all, White-Gluz eschewing any harsh vocal stylings for a gruff and joyful croon. But this kind of fun feels right in a late career album—quick hitters loaded with light-hearted riffage and falsetto wails (“A Million Suns,” “Paper Tiger,” respectively)—and a full load of it could have spelled well for Arch Enemy decriers.

However, true to the typical Arch Enemy experience, a number of songs still exist in the too familiar or too uneventful realm that weigh down the whole of Blood Dynasty. There’s an irony to the theme of “March of the Miscreants,” a festival-ready machination—complete with a bridge ready for “Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey” call and response—about how the underdog can’t be sold and can’t be bought, an ethos that doesn’t sit well while listening to one of the largest metal bands in the world. And between that conundrum, the alternative rock anthemics of “Illuminate the Path,” and the only slightly deathened power metal romps that close the journey (“The Pendulum,” “Liars & Thieves”), Blood Dynasty trips over its most cohesive and swaggering elements to pump out tunes that feel rollicking enough to appeal to fans of modern acts like Unleash the Archers or Frozen Crown without letting harsh vocal moments steer them too far astray. White-Gluz has a diverse and practiced voice that ensures that none of these detours ever sound unpleasant, but the frequent urge to skip these painted-with-broad-strokes cuts persists.

Arch Enemy has nothing to prove at this stage. Blood Dynasty holds a higher than expected percentage of fun-inducing tracks that should serve plenty for long-time fans—high bombast, easy-to-digest, chorus-loaded, melodic death(ish) metal. At its most offensive, Arch Enemy simply delivers repeatable words and over horns-up riffs that act as heavy metal placeholders, recognizable as aggressive noise but built to blend in. For those just dipping their toes into the world of amplified abandon, this less extreme endeavor may even be preferable, a shareable, attainable badge of honor. But if your coworker recommends you Blood Dynasty, you can likely blow their mind with something better.3

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Century Media | Bandcamp
Websites: archenemy.band | archenemyofficial.bandcamp.com
Releases Worldwide: March 28th, 2025

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