After much speculation, Arch Enemy announced former Once Human vocalist Lauren Hart as their new singer this week. But their ex-frontwoman Alissa White-Gluz has made an announcement of her own, revealing the two guitarists set to supercharge her newly launched solo career.

The powerhouse vocalist, chosen as the replacement for Angela Gossow in 2014, departed the band after four albums last year. She then quickly launched her first solo single as she looked to “express myself in ways that have been dormant for years.”

That song was co-written with Kamelot and Doro six-stringer Oliver Palotai (Kamelot/Doro), while she was seen playing Michael Amott's Dean Tyrant signature guitar in the video.

Now, she’s announced the twin shredders who will be featuring in her band moving forward, including a guitarist Joe Satriani believes “can shred any guy out there.”

“Meet the band,” White-Gluz says in an Instagram post unveiling Alyssa Day and Danielle Sophia.

“Soon, you’ll meet the music,” she adds.

Day, who has also played in metal band Mindscar and instrumental prog metallers Abesntia, arrives with a weighty reputation, having been part of Jackson's artist roster, and a notable guitar influencer for years.

Meanwhile, Sophia has been enjoying an equally rapid ascent on social media, posting videos soloing over Meshuggah and Humanity's Last Breath riffs, as well as slick jazz playing. That’s earned the guitarist an endorsement deal with electronics gurus Fishman, and caught White-Gluz's attention in the process.

The announcement has been met with approval of Alice Cooper and Los Angeles Rams guitarist, Nita Strauss, who commented, “SHEEEEESH bringing out the heavy hitters!” There have also been supportive comments from Kiko Loureiro, Kiki Wong, and Arch Echo's Adam Bentley.

Other champions of the double appointment include Lacuna Coil vocalist Christina Scabbia, Mercyful Fate bass player Becky Baldwin, and Sepultura frontman Derrick Green.

It's not lost on us that Sophia is clutching an eight-string Jackson, either.

Now we have to play the waiting game to hear the Day-Sophia partnership. Given how quickly White-Gluz’s first single came after her Arch Enemy departure was officialised, surely we won’t be waiting too long?

Swedish melodic death metal mainstays Arch Enemy have announced the departure of vocalist Alissa White-Gluz, who steps away after more than 10 years with the band.

White-Gluz replaced golden era vocalist Angela Gossow in 2014, who pivoted to become their manager. Jeff Loomis joined the group at the same time, with both debuting on the band’s ninth album, War Eternal, later that year.

While White-Gluz features on the band’s latest album, Blood Dynasty, Loomis, who left in 2023, only features on its bonus tracks, Break the Spell and Moths. Joey Concepcion, who had previously filled in for Loomis for a host of European festivals in 2018, has assumed his place.

In the band’s official statement on White-Gluz’s departure, the Swedes, led by guitarist Michael Amott, said they were “thankful for the time and music that we’ve shared and wish her all the best”.

They added, “Wherever there is an end, there is also a beginning. See you in 2026.” It’s currently unclear who will take her place in Arch Enemy.

White-Gluz, meanwhile, took the opportunity to hint at her next chapter.

“After 12 years in Arch Enemy, we have parted ways,” she stated. “I am forever thankful to the thousands of amazing fans I have met along the way. Stay tuned for big news in 2026 and see you very soon.”

Fans didn’t have to wait long to find out what that was. Her debut solo single, The Room Where She Died, followed quickly. It was co-written with Kamelot and Doro six-stringer Oliver Palotai (Kamelot/Doro), and for its music video, she’s paid homage to her former outfit by donning Michael Amott’s Dean Tyrant signature guitar.

“The Room Where She Died is a song that feels truly satisfying to me; like I get to express myself in so many ways that have been dormant for years,” she says of the track.

In a 2022 interview with Guitar World, Michael Amott professed his love for Depeche Mode and Jimmy Page, but admitted he'd never dip into their respective musical waters for his own material.

Amott also debunked the myth that he's an aggressive player, while name-checking the player who helped him take his chug game to the next level.

Seymour Duncan has just announced the Noumenon signature humbuckers, in collaboration with the former Arch Enemy and current Alcatrazz guitarist Jeff Loomis.

The Noumenon signature humbuckers call back to Jeff Loomis' formative years and promise “tight low-end and smooth treble” as well as “dynamic control and a powerful tone for both six-string and seven-string guitars.”

Active pickups, like his signature Blackouts. became synonymous with Loomis' sound, particularly in Nevermore, Arch Enemy, and his solo work. However, prior to this, Loomis spent years crafting a metal tone that heavily relied on passive humbuckers, bought from 1980s guitar catalogs. The Noumenon signature humbuckers take inspiration from that era, with a few modern upgrades.

“The idea behind the Noumenon pickup kind of happened by accident during an Arch Enemy soundcheck,” reveals Loomis.

“I had an issue with one of my guitars that had my active set in it, and I needed a B guitar really quick to use. I had a Made In Japan Jackson with me on the road that had a passive Seymour Duncan in it, strapped it on, started playing and I just really love the feel and sound of those pickups.

“And being a player that's come from 20 years of playing active pickups, that whole soundcheck was kind of the turning point for me to relive the moments of using passives again.”

The six-string set is built with Alnico 8 magnets, which provide high output and thick bass and maintain definition without getting too shrill when it comes to the high register. The seven-string set is built with Alnico 5 magnets, delivering a tight low-end and sharp attack.

Both signature humbuckers come with triangular feet bottom plates for standard humbucker routes. Direct mounting is included if you happen to own one of Loomis' signature Jackson guitars. The sets will set you back $278, with single pickups starting at $139.

For more information, head to Seymour Duncan.

Arch Enemy have announced they’ve split with guitarist Jeff Loomis. The American joined the Swedish melodeath band in 2014, having established himself as a modern great across seven Nevermore albums and three solo releases.   

"It’s been a joy having Jeff play with Arch Enemy for close to a decade. We truly had a blast touring around the world together,” reflected Arch Enemy guitarist and founder, Michael Amott, in a social media post.

"We were friends long before we played music together and we remain even-closer-buddies, now, which feels great. We respect that he’s in a place and time in life where he needs to step out of Arch Enemy and we all wish him nothing but the best moving forward.”

Loomis became part of a new-look Arch Enemy, with The Agonist vocalist Alissa White-Gluz brought in to replace Angela Gossow, who moved into a management role.

The pairing of Loomis and Amott was met with great excitement. Fast-forward nine years and some may be left feeling Loomis’ talents were underused across his three-album tenure, with Loomis bereft of any writing credits on those records.   

"The only constant is change,” Amott adds on the band’s reasoning for the change. “This is one of those moments where things had to change a little to move forward in a satisfactory way for everyone involved.”

Loomis has also provided a short statement, saying: "My time in Arch Enemy has come to an end. I have had a great time (9 years!) of playing and touring with them, but now it’s time to enter a new chapter in my life."

Joey Concepcion has been announced as his replacement. The Connecticut-born guitarist has been playing alongside Amott’s brother, Christopher, in Armageddon since 2014, producing two albums together.

He’s also toured with Jamey Jasta (Hatebreed) and recorded with Dee Snider, Yngwie Malmsteen vocalist Michael Vescera, and death metal band, The Absence. In August 2018, he was a live stand-in for Loomis and in 2023 released his second solo album, Divine Technical Machine. Fittingly, it features a guest spot from the man whose boots he has been chosen to fill.

Says Amott: "Joey’s a phenomenal talent and has been a friend of the band for a long time, he even filled in for Jeff on a couple of European festival shows back in 2018. We have touring and a myriad of other exciting things coming up on the horizon with Arch Enemy for 2024 and beyond and are thrilled to move forward, creating the next chapter and keeping the metal flowing!”

"It’s an honour and a privilege to be working with Arch Enemy,” Concepcion adds. “I’m very much looking forward to shredding stages across the globe together, playing for and meeting all the fans!"

Save for any as-yet-unannounced festival performances, Concepcion’s second debut with the band will take place in October. The band have joined forces with fellow Swedes In Flames for a European tour, starting 3 October and winding up on 5 November. 

In Flames have recently gone through a key lineup change, too, with ex-Megadeth man Chris Broderick joining for last year's acclaimed album, Foregone.

Speaking to Guitar World back in October, Björn Gelotte called his new co-guitarist a "wizard", saying that "it didn’t take him long to learn those older songs. 

"As soon as we heard Chris’ name, I knew we were good," he added. "Nobody works harder or learns songs quicker. It was like I had my teacher with me every day.”

Loomis, meanwhile, remains a part of Graham Bonnet’s Alcatrazz, having joined in 2021. He follows in the footsteps of Malmsteen and Steve Vai, who were part of two of its lineups in the ‘80s. With Loomis, the outfit has released two albums together in V (2021) and Take No Prisoners (2023).

Jackson has unveiled a new limited-edition signature guitar for Arch Enemy guitarist Jeff Loomis – the Pro Series Signature Kelly HT6.

It is the third signature six-string to arise from the pair’s decades-spanning partnership, and notably the second to feature the none-more-metal ergonomics and aesthetics of Jackson’s Kelly template. 

After putting their heads together to create a more traditional yet equally wild seven-string Soloist in 2022, Loomis and Jackson have now gone back to their roots to revisit the Kelly body shape, turning in a limited-edition metal machine that has been described as “a meticulously designed powerhouse for today’s players”.

At first glance, you’d be forgiven for thinking this was a simple reissue of the original Loomis signature model, but further inspection reveals there is one key difference that differentiates the two siblings from one another – and the clue is in the name.

The “HT6” part of the model tag indicates this is indeed a hardtail version of the original Loomis Kelly, swapping out the Floyd Rose 1500 tremolo for a Hipshot Hardtail bridge, supposedly drafted in to help the guitar survive “the rigors of the road”.

This has the potential to come as a pleasant addition for those Loomis – and all-round metal – fans who had been wooed by the stunning instrument but put off by the maintenance burden that comes with a locking tremolo. That, and some players just prefer hardtails – players who now can unleash their inner Loomis without worrying about the bridge.

Hardware tweaks aside, the Kelly HT6 otherwise retains all the gloriously metal appointments and visuals that made Loomis’ original instrument such a hit.

That means the through-body, graphite-reinforced neck is topped with a 12”-16” compound radius ebony fingerboard, and complemented with Luminlay side dots and classic Jackson inlays, while the basswood body boasts a sandblasted ash top and white binding.

Tones come by way of two Seymour Duncan Jeff Loomis Blackout humbuckers, which can be tweaked via the single volume control and three-way toggle switch.

So, what’s Loomis’ own personal favorite spec? The finish, maybe, or perhaps the new bridge? Nope – it’s something far more humble.

“My favorite feature is the heel mount truss rod wheel,” he admitted. “As a touring musician, it’s perfect if I need to adjust the neck on the fly.”

Naturally, Loomis does reserve some praise for the rest of his new signature: “It’s a seriously metal looking guitar,” he says. “The playability is truly superior and the single volume and pickup toggle switches make it simple yet effective. I’ve played Jacksons from an early age, so working with them again to create this signature model has been incredibly fulfilling.”

The Limited Edition Pro Series Signature Jeff Loomis Kelly HT6 is available now for $1,599.

Head over to Jackson to find out more.

Jeff Loomis made his indelible mark on the metal scene with the legendary band Nevermore, who over their 20 year career released some of the best albums of their time. From The Politics Of Ecstasy and Dead Heart In A Dead World, to This Godless Endeavor, Jeff’s stunning lead work and sledgehammer riffs gave the band their signature sound.

Nowadays, Jeff plays with Swedish melodic death band Arch Enemy alongside guitarist Michael Amott. He also continues to release his own solo albums, showcasing his technical riffing and soloing style.

Our first example deals with the meat and potatoes of metal playing: alternate-picked palm-muted riffs. Contrary to how this aggressive music sounds, the required picking technique should actually be as relaxed as possible. 

Use the edge of the pick to cut into the string for a clear attack, and its tip to strike the strings as this will make the changes smooth so less likely to interrupt the rhythmic flow of notes. Experiment with playing the riff with an open sustaining sound, with palm-muting and increments between the two to create different tones.

One of Jeff’s signature techniques is combining sweep-picked arpeggios with alternate-picked chromatic scales. Example 2 demonstrates how diminished 7th arpeggios (1-b3-b5-bb7) can be connected with chromatic notes for an almost jazz-like tonality over a the static B5 power chord riff.

Example 3 utilises a scale sequence pattern in E Aeolian (E-F#-G-A-B-C-D). The sequence uses all four fingers of your fretting hand and what’s vital here is economy of movement. Keep your fingers close to the strings and only move a digit when necessary; this is the key to being able to build up speed and accuracy together.

The picking style here is also economical, with the pick taking the shortest route from string to string. Contrary to alternate picking (down-up-down-up etc), economy picking utilises sweep-pick motions for string changes, which provides a different tone and (often) smoother note flow.

Jeff is an expert at seamlessly combining techniques during solos. Example 4 shows how he might use sweeping and tapping together to play diminished 7th arpeggios. Here we use sweep picking to ascend the three-string arpeggio, followed by a picking-hand tap, then we use fretting-hand tapping to descend the arpeggio. 

Our final example is a melodic riff using alternate picked arpeggios. Alternate picking is used here for a more mechanical, quantised sound with each note intended to be played with the same velocity. 

Keep your pick slightly twisted so the edge hits the string, but also keep the tip of the guitar pick angled upwards, so any upstroke movement naturally brings the pick away from the strings. This will make the string skips cleaner and more manageable, therefore minimising the chances of accidentally hitting the wrong string. 

Get the tone

Amp Settings: Gain 10, Bass 7, Middle 4, Treble 7, Reverb 2

Loomis uses a classic shred tone. It’s extremely edgy and distorted, and with little in the way of effects, other than wah-wah at times. You’re going to need either an amp with the channel gain cranked to the max, or a heavy metal style distortion pedal – even a distortion and an overdrive together. Go easy on the mids, too, and only use a modicum of reverb.

Example 1. Lydian dominant flat 2 lick

Jeff often uses unusual scales to create unique parts and this particular riff uses F# Lydian dominant b2 (F#-G-A#-B#-C#-D#-E, or 1-b2-3-#4-5-6-b7). Keep your thumb near the centre of the back of the neck to allow your fingers to stretch more easily, and use alternate picking throughout.

Example 2. Diminished 7 arpeggio

Use all four fretting fingers to play the diminished 7th arpeggio and chromatic scale shapes and make sure you take note of the suggested picking and pull-off directions, as there is a mixture of sweep-picked and alternate-picked strokes throughout.

Example 3. Economy picking and palm muting

Use your third finger to play the semitone bend and vibrato. Descend through the E Aeolian mode in a ‘sequence of four’ pattern, using economy picking for smooth string-to-string transitions. Keep the lick clean with light palm muting on the low strings and finger muting on the high strings.

Example 4. Picking and fretting-hand tapping

This lick is phrased in 16th-note quintuplets, or five-notes per-beat. For the five ascending notes use downstrokes and hammer-ons. For the descending five notes start with a picking-hand tap, followed by pull-offs and fretting-hand taps. Repeat the same lick as you ascend in minor 3rd intervals.

Example 5. Palm-muted, alternate-picked string skipping 

This melodic riff is based in A Aeolian (A-B-C-D-E-F-G), which switches to A harmonic minor (A-B-C-D-E-F-G#) in the third bar. Use palm-muted alternate picking to play through this intricate string-skipping part. Use the tip of the pick to glide across the notes and jump cleanly from string to string.

With his long black hair covering his eyes and much of his face, Arch Enemy founder Michael Amott sports a wide grin that belies the savagery of the band’s melodic death metal as he saws into his white blood-spattered Dean Tyrant Bloodstorm signature guitar. 

Whether rooted in place next to vocalist Alissa White-Gluz, swaying along with fellow Swedish extreme metal veteran, bassist Sharlee D’Angelo, or playing back to back with guitarist Jeff Loomis, Amott unfurls rapid-fire riffs and sky-piecing solos with equal finesse, delighted to be onstage again in front of thousands of fans. 

This particular gig, August 14 at the Alcatraz Festival in Kortrijk, Belgium, comes two days after Arch Enemy released their 11th studio album, Deceivers, one of the band’s strongest and most eclectic offerings – which is saying a lot. 

Since he formed Arch Enemy in 1995, Amott has been the primary writer for the band’s 11 consistently high-caliber albums, and the architect behind nine other records by his and D’Angelo’s soulful stoner metal supergroup, Spiritual Beggars. 

Working with such a diverse range of rock has kept Amott creatively sated and helped him to weather various storms: stressful lineup and label shifts, shifting industry trends and, most recently, the Covid pandemic that prevented Loomis, the band’s lead guitarist, from joining Arch Enemy in the studio.

“I don’t like all the complications, of course, but writing a new album is super fun for me every time, no matter what,” says Amott from his home in Sweden. “And I enjoy it so much, so there’s never any lack of interest or ideas.”

Amott’s enthusiasm is infectious, and his abundant energy – at age 53 – resounds through Deceivers, the band’s first album since 2017’s Will to Power. Deceivers capitalizes on Arch Enemy’s greatest strengths – crushing riffs, hooky guitar licks and an abundance of crafty rhythmic shifts, atmospheric arpeggios and multifaceted vocal cadences  that create a striking balance of euphoric energy and unrelenting aggression. 

As soon as it was released, Deceivers was greeted with universal praise and continues to enthrall listeners, whose devotion has turned Arch Enemy into one of the most popular extreme metal bands. 

Deceiver, Deceiver has been streamed almost 7.5 million times on Spotify, and two other songs from Deceivers, Handshake with Hell and House of Mirrors each have accrued more than five million streams. For Amott, the goal wasn’t to increase the band’s profile or craft Arch Enemy’s raison d’etre, but simply to use familiar elements to create a new batch of great authentic songs.

“We still have the same team and it’s the same chefs in the kitchen,” Amott says with confidence. “We all know what we can make, so we just said, ‘Okay, let’s come up with a new menu for this season.’ And then you try to use all your ingredients in the best way possible.”

In addition to talking to Guitar World about the excitement that fueled the creation of Deceivers, Amott addressed the challenges of being unable to get Loomis into the studio, Arch Enemy’s unique approach to writing and recording, and whether there’s any life left in Spiritual Beggars.

Five years have passed since you released Will to Power. Were you itching to put out a new record?

“Absolutely. This has always been my passion. It used to be a hobby and then it became a career, so I’m really lucky. But I’ve always really enjoyed making new music, whatever I’m working on.”

Were there any challenges you faced in creating the songs for Deceivers?

“The only time it’s a little bit daunting is in the very beginning when I have no ideas and it’s just like I’m staring at a blank piece of paper. But then before you know it, you have half a song together. Soon after, you have two or three songs. And then you’ve done six or seven and you think, ‘Okay, shit, we’re halfway there.’ And you keep on going.”

What effect did the pandemic have on Arch Enemy?

“We were not so badly affected. We ended our tour for Will to Power on December 15, 2019, and we always planned to take a year off and write an album, so we were not going to play any shows during that time anyway. I guess we got away easy in the beginning. Then, of course, moving into 2021, it became more of a problem for everybody.”

You and drummer Daniel Erlandsson started working on new songs in January 2020. Did you finish writing the album before Covid shut down the music business?

“We accumulated a bunch of riffs and fragments of songs, and over the beginning of the year we put most of the songs together before we got stuck in Sweden. But Sweden didn’t have a lockdown the way the rest of the world did, so me and Daniel could still meet up and work on the demos. We did that through the summer and then we got over to Denmark and recorded the drums. Then, of course, I did my guitars, and we did the bass and vocals.”

Why didn’t Jeff Loomis join you in the studio to record his parts?

“We tried to get him over. We had the correct paperwork, and everyone was tested, but Jeff was not allowed to board the plane. We booked three different flights for him, but it was at a time when everything was shut down and they wouldn’t let him fly to Denmark.”

Did you and Jeff send files back and forth or work over the internet?

“I sent him the parts where I wanted him to record a solo, and then we worked remotely on them. I prefer to record face to face, of course, because in person you can see exactly what’s happening and give immediate feedback based on what you both just experienced in the room. 

“When someone’s in America and you’re in Sweden and he’s uploading solos while you’re sleeping and then overnighting them, you don’t have that kind of feedback. When we’re all together, maybe I get inspired by the last part by something he plays. And I’ll go, ‘Well, fuck it. Why don’t you do something at the end of the song as well as an outro. You can just let it fly.’ 

“That doesn’t work as well when you’re not both there. We tried and did our best and I think his solos on the record are great, but I missed the vibe of recording together.”

You both play solos on the record. How would you compare your styles?

“We have very different, contrasting styles, and I’ve always loved that. It’s like in Iron Maiden. I’ve always liked Adrian Smith’s style compared to Dave Murray’s. Sure, I like Dave Murray, too, but I enjoyed Adrian’s more hard rock, blues style compared to Dave’s legato stuff. I always make sure Jeff has a whammy bar to play with, so we have a lot of Floyd Rose dives. 

“I don’t do that, but I like to hear it in the music. He’s in a category of his own, but it comes more from the ’80s shredders. And then, I have the wah pedal, which fits nicely with my sound because my main influences are the classic hard rock guys like Michael Schenker, Uli Jon Roth, Gary Moore and Frank Marino.”

For your rhythms, you draw from classic thrash in addition to Swedish death metal.

“I think my main influences rhythmically are thrash people like James Hetfield, Dave Mustaine and Slayer. That’s the stuff I grew up on and I love that intensity and that very speedy riffing style. But I also really like Florida death metal guys like Chuck Schuldiner [Death] and Trey Azagthoth [Morbid Angel]. 

“I’m also influenced by a lot of Judas Priest, Saxon and the other New Wave of British Heavy Metal bands, plus the first few Motörhead records and Accept guitarist Wolf Hoffman. I love a lot of kinds of metal, and I think it all finds its way into the sound of Arch Enemy.”

Did Jeff record any of the rhythm tracks on Deceivers or is that all you? 

“I always do them all. I think it works for straight-ahead rock bands to have both guitarists play the rhythms, but this isn’t the Rolling Stones. There’s not that playful interplay between guitarists. It’s more about getting everything really tight. And since I’m writing it, I know exactly how I want it played and sometimes it’s hard to teach that to someone else so it’s as precise as it needs to be on the album.”

Do you write songs one at a time or do you work on multiple pieces simultaneously?

“I always find it really easy to start a song, and then it’s more difficult to wrap it up. You have to come up with the right middle eight, the solo sections, the outro. That’s a lot of stuff that’s got to work together. We usually go into the verse, the pre-chorus, and the chorus and that happens quickly. And we often write a bunch of those before we decide what other parts work in the song. It’s a very emotional process. It’s from-the-heart songwriting. It can’t be a methodical or mechanical thing. For me it’s got to be instinctive and mean something.”

When you hit a creative obstacle, did you ever dip into the riff vault for inspiration?

“No, it was all fresh from the ground up on this record. Daniel also writes music so there are always ideas going around. And I never get tired of playing and playing until something strikes me, so there’s never a shortage of riffs.”

What was the hardest song to play? 

“In Sunset Over the Empire, the riff on the verse is a bit demanding. There’s a rapid pattern, and you need a bit of stamina to keep that going.” 

Is it ever hard to replicate something onstage that you recorded?

“That happens a lot. I write this stuff and then when we’re rehearsing for the tour, it’s just, ‘Holy shit. What have I done?’ In the studio, I’m sitting down and playing, and it’s very comfortable for me. There’s no pressure. If I make a mistake, I can start again. But then you’ve got to pull all that stuff off live in one take and you’ve got to try to look cool doing it. You can’t look lost or flustered.”

There are more soaring clean vocals and beautiful melodic passages on Deceivers than there were on Will to Power. Is there ever a point where you’re resistant to toning something down too much, or do you like the way the softer parts contrast with the heavier passages?

“I’m very die-hard. I want to keep that metal edge and that heavy vibe, so we don’t experiment with electronic beats and samples and we’re not going to work with pop singers. We don’t hear new bands and get influenced by them to do something more modern. 

“When I formed Arch Enemy in 1995, I knew what I wanted to do. There was always an agenda and we’re still on the same path, so the basic formula is the same. The goal now is just to write great songs within the framework of extreme metal and have a lot of melody present, especially in the guitars.”

You were in Carcass in 1993 when the band recorded Heartwork, which is widely considered a breakthrough in melodic death metal.

“I was right there when there was a movement to make death metal more melodic. I’m still proud of what we did on that album and I’m still that simple, stubborn son of a bitch that’s happy doing what I do. I like Depeche Mode, but I don’t ever want Arch Enemy to sound anything like them. I love Jimmy Page, but I don’t want to play like him. I’m pretty happy being me.”

When you worked on Heartwork, did it feel like you were breaking new ground?

“When I was writing This Mortal Coil and Heartwork with [Carcass guitarist] Bill Steer I remember thinking, ‘Shit, Carcass is such a brutal band. I wonder how people are gonna react to this.’ I had never heard any death metal that was that melodic before. 

“On Heartwork, we had guitars playing all the harmonies. That had never been done before. Now, it’s commonplace but somebody had to be the first and I think, maybe, that was one of those very first times when that happened. It was pretty cool to be a part of that. Of course, a lot of people who liked early Carcass couldn’t stand that record. They said I ruined the band.”

With Arch Enemy back at full tilt, have you and Sharlee considered working on a new Spiritual Beggars album? 

“No, not really. We did our last record, Sunrise to Sundown, in 2016 and right now we have nothing planned. To be honest, it just kind of ran its course. Maybe we haven’t officially split up or anything, but I haven’t really felt inspired to write anything in that style in a long time.” 

It sounds like there was a point where you lost interest. Did something happen internally with the band?

“I think it has a lot more to do with Arch Enemy. If I can blame anything for the end of Spiritual Beggars, it’s probably our busy schedule. Arch Enemy has become a much bigger band than it was before. It takes a lot to keep it going and I can’t physically be doing multiple bands anymore. 

“But that’s a good thing. I’m not a frustrated guitarist who dreams of doing a solo album so everybody can hear the real me. Because what I do in Arch Enemy is who I am. I get all my energies out with the band. So, this is my real journey.”

• Deceivers is out now via Century Media.

One of Sweden’s premier metal exports, Arch Enemy are led by guitarist Michael Amott, who combines his love for classical motifs alongside ferocious heavy metal thunder on the band’s new album Deceivers. 

He tells Total Guitar how he was influenced by Michael Schenker and Dave Mustaine, and how modern technology has given him more flexibility in the studio.

The new album’s opening track Handshake With Hell starts with some neoclassical tapping and also features some baroque-style chord movements.

“Those chord progressions are a very Bach thing to do. Sequences like that mean you can bring in the harmonic minor scale – ultimately, they’re melodic and help break you out of the standard blues or metal feel. Of course we had a big guy come out of Sweden once upon a time who specialised in that – and I really loved Yngwie’s early stuff. 

“It’s good to have that influence in there, but not too much. I just use it as another flavour because Arch Enemy is a kind of hybrid situation for me as a guitar player. We’re not focused on just one thing – there will be riffs from my death metal days, plus old school influences like Iron Maiden or Judas Priest. They’re all different flavours I picked up along the way.”

Where does your fascination with classical music stem from?

“I guess it all started in my childhood. My mother’s favourite music is classical and we’d listen to the great composers. She wanted me to know my stuff! But then later I got into rock, metal and punk – that became my rebellion!”

Your leads often mix bluesy pentatonic phrases with searing diminished runs. Which guitarists rubbed off on you most? 

“I loved what Dave Mustaine was doing on Megadeth’s Peace Sells... record because that was when I was learning how to play lead stuff. I’m a big Michael Schenker fan, too. Those were the 80s players taking guitar to new levels when I was growing up. I’ve always loved Adrian Smith from Iron Maiden, who inspired a lot of our modal minor runs. 

“I actually play quite soft – I’m not as aggressive as people might think. It sounds aggressive because I use a hard pick, but I have a very soft touch. I don’t like to thrash my guitar too much, I prefer to explore the dynamic range. I’m less into every note sounding the same. I prefer to be a bit more sexy with my phrasing and vibrato!”

You signed with Dean guitars back in 2008. We’re guessing Schenker may have had something to do with that?

“Probably! I figured if they are good enough for him, they’d work well for me! At the time, Dave Mustaine was playing them as well, so it made sense for me to trust in them. The first guitar they gave me was actually a Schenker V in black and white. It sounded great. 

“I didn’t like the neck profile that much at first, but I did eventually get used to it. More importantly, the tone was incredible. I loved the string-through body, which helped get this really nice sustain. It felt like a big step up for me when I started playing those guitars.”

In the videos for the new singles, you’re seen playing your Tyrant Tin Man, Burgundy and X Splatter signatures. What else are we hearing on the record?

“I’m a big fan of the Marshall JCM800 2205 50-watt head, and there’s one I own which is an especially magical amp with this crazy tone to it. But on this new album, for the first time, I didn’t use that head. I used an Engl for most of the recordings. I did the rhythm tracks through a Kemper or plugin and then we re-amped the clean signal at the end.

“It’s different to the old days where you’d search for your tone and then have to commit to it. Technology has made the recording process more open-ended. For the leads and melodies, I prefer to go into a real studio and mic everything up in stereo. The solos come out better that way – the sound of a real amp will influence my next note or lick. I’ll also bring out my favourite pedals like the MXR Phase 90 and my Boss Dimension C chorus pedal for extra depth.”

What kind of exercises helped get you to where you are as a player?

“The funny thing about us guitar players is that we’re all still playing those same pentatonic scales we grew up with! It’s not really about getting better; it’s just about keeping those skills so that they don’t fade. I played along to a lot of records growing up.

“There was no Internet in the 1800s! You couldn’t see what people were doing; it was more like something magical from another world. Somebody in my village would figure out how to do the Gary Moore thing, where you slide mute with your picking hand while pulling off to create these rolling harmonics. And we’d all be like, ‘Oh shit, that’s how you do it!’ 

“You’d share secrets and rumours about what gear our favourite guitarists were using. And hearing Metallica and Megadeth made me realise I needed to lock in more!”

Like Metallica and Megadeth, your riffs can often be as challenging as the leads...

“That constant picking is a big part of my sound. I did all the rhythm tracks for the album. Our other guitarist Jeff Loomis is a highly accomplished player, and even he tells me he struggles with riffs sometimes, because it’s a merciless onslaught of fast picking. He would probably say the riffs are harder than the solos!

“I love the sound of a palm-muted chug. I played in Carcass in the early ’90s and I picked up a lot from Bill Steer. His technique was great for that. Playing riffs really tight became my main way of practising and doing it all by ear was how I learned. I think it helped!”

And do you still practise?

“I’m a self-taught player, so when I hear something in my head I will keep playing until I get there. And sometimes I might stumble across things from just noodling around. I still play guitar for several hours every day. I don’t practise or write... I just play! I’ll collect all these small parts: random riffs, chord progressions or melodic ideas, and then start piecing together. Occasionally it might even be a full song in one go.”

• Deceivers is out now via Century Media.

Announced at the beginning of this year, the all-new Jackson Pro Series Signature Jeff Loomis Soloist SL7 looks like one glorious beast of a metal machine. 

Following on from the Arch Enemy guitarist’s six-string Pro Series Kelly, which we described as “one of the best metal signatures in recent years” in our 2021 review, it features the same jaw-dropping sandblasted ash top that we likened to “an Ikea shelf from hell” and Loomis’s delicately balanced signature Seymour Duncan Blackouts.

With the same tonewoods and Floyd Rose system, even Loomis himself admits the new addition is pretty much the exact same guitar, just reimagined as a seven-string Soloist – which is certainly an enticing proposition for fans of his extended range playing…

“We kinda went for the same vibe and look,” Loomis tells Guitar World, surrounded by all kinds of instruments and amps in his home studio. “In Arch Enemy, I’m solely using six-strings, but a lot of my repertoire outside of that has featured a seven-string. 

“Given my history with Nevermore, the band I played in from 1992 to 2011, it felt like a lot of people wanted to see one come out. The body is made out of basswood, with the sharkfin inlays you find on most Jacksons. The binding is around the whole body, which I think makes the guitar really pop. The neck is thin and the frets are extra large, which makes bending and vibrato a whole lot easier…

“Then there’s also the wheel truss rod adjuster at the bottom of the neck. In Arch Enemy, we fly around the world and doing that can sometimes mess around with your necks. This makes it easy to adjust with an Allen wrench, though mine have graphite-reinforced necks which means they really don’t move compared to other guitars. 

“The Luminlay side dots are perfect for dark smoky stages where you can’t see where the heck you are – you can always navigate through the fretboard in any live situation! It really is my perfect guitar.”

You signed with Jackson in 2018. What exactly prompted the move?

“I was initially with a different company and was planning on being a bit of a free agent. I’m a guitar collector, just like anyone else, and have all sorts of different things. 

“I was thinking about playing Strats and Gibsons at one point but Jackson really goes back to my roots when I was a teenager playing metal. They were the guitars I had at that age, so I feel right at home working with them. 

“Being able to design stuff with [Senior Master Builder] Mike Shannon, sitting one-on-one with him to sculpt the neck dimensions and everything else, was a very cool process.

“The SL7 really is the perfect guitar for my needs. Anyone that follows me and likes my playing and music is more than welcome to purchase one. You’re not going to sound like me, but maybe it’ll help you get closer to my way of playing! 

“I’ve got a bunch of Eddie Van Halen guitars sitting around here, but nothing can make you sound exactly like Eddie. Guitars like this are more about getting one step closer to your guitar hero, rather than the whole way.”

We have to say, the sandblasted ash top is one of the most metal finishes we’ve ever seen! What inspired that?

“That was basically an idea I had with Peter Wichers, who used to play in Soilwork. He works for Fender/Jackson now, in the artist development department. We wanted to put our heads together and think of the most metal thing you could possibly see on a guitar. 

“And we came up with this idea of charred earth, where you can actually feel the rough grooves in the wood with your hand. I love it because it looks so metal, but at the same time it doesn’t fingerprint up with sweat marks and all that stuff. It just has this natural wood like on the top all the time.”

That’s not the only thing visually striking about your signatures…

“One of the biggest features for me is the raised logo. Most Jackson logos tend to be inscribed into the headstock, while this one is actually sitting on top of it. We called it the refrigerator aesthetic, because it’s steel sitting on top of wood and looks so nice. 

“And then having the sandblasted top throughout, from the base to the headstock, gives it that really finished look. I couldn’t be happier: it’s a phenomenal guitar with awesome playability. It doesn’t just cater to metalheads, though! If you look at a guitar like this, you might think you need to play in a metal band to use one, but no. It’s well-rounded and sounds great for all styles… it’s for anyone, really!”

A lot of that comes down to your signature pickups, which are more tonally versatile than regular Seymour Duncan Blackouts, using Alnico 5 magnets instead of ceramics...

“I agree with you! They’re very musical. When I was designing the pickups, I wanted to make sure I had lots of output. Mainly playing metal, that’s what I tend to like, but if I need to play other styles, these Blackouts clean up easier. I can just dial back the gain on my amp or on my guitar volume, and I can get any tone I need.

“I’m constantly switching between my pickups for leads, so I like the selector really close to my picking hand along with one simple volume knob. The guitar has a Floyd Rose 1500 which is important because they come with a push/pull arm, while most Floyd Roses have the screw-in ones.

“I’m so aggressive with the whammy arm that it can often loosen up and start making this clicking noise that comes through the pickups… and I hate that! So having one that stays in position and never gets loose is very important to me.”

What do you remember about the first time you picked up a seven-string?

“I started playing seven-strings around 2000, so I’ve been playing these things for over 20 years. I started listening to bands like Meshuggah and Korn, who had this mammoth heavy guitar tone. I kinda wanted to replicate that, looking to do something new with that kind of sound. 

“I had a friend of mine build me a seven-string which even had an 80-gauge string, which is for bass! And I used that guitar for the first seven-string Nevermore record, Dead Heart in a Dead World. I still have that instrument to this day! That was the start of my seven-string journey.”

What were the main challenges compared with the six-strings you’d been playing before that?

“Mainly I just had to get used to the wider neck, which felt different. Once you get an understanding of the instrument, however, it’s really just an extra low B – which comes in handy for chords and chord extensions. 

“I quickly realized it’s not that big a deal switching over from six. You just need to get used to it and stretch out your hand a little bit, and familiarize yourself with riding on that low E with another string behind it.

“For me, it was a little tedious to start with but all in all it was an easy transition. I play six and sevens so much these days – I don’t even think about switching between them. Though I only play six in Arch Enemy, a lot of my instrumental stuff and other projects feature sevens. 

“Eight-strings, however, felt too different. I had one lying around for a bit and never really picked it up. You have to set your amp differently because it’s so much closer to bass. You need to dial in a whole different gain structure and yeah… it’s just too much for me. We’ll leave that for other people!”

The new Arch Enemy single, Handshake With Hell, features some clean vocals from Alissa White-Gluz. That certainly turned a few heads!

“We wanted to do something different with this new album and show a new side of Alyssa that people haven’t really heard in Arch Enemy. Lo and behold, she has this beautiful clean singing voice. It’s turned out great on this new album. We’ll be heading on tour in mid-April to the end of May, and then we have a bunch of summer festivals, followed by a big European tour at the end of the year. It’s going to be a busy year!”

So what kind of gear will you be taking out with you?

“I used to have real amps for live shows, but when you’re using heads from a backline company, quite often what you actually get can be rather inconsistent. I decided to go for something that’s way more consistent on a nightly basis, switching to the Line 6 Helix. I love it for many reasons. 

“Firstly, it’s consistent and sounds the same every night. Everything is MIDI-automated and hooked up to my drummer’s laptop, which does all my preset changes. I don’t need to do the tap dance on stage or find the right button to kick in effects in the dark. It’s all done for me…

“I just have my guitar and my in-ears, and all I need to worry about is playing the best show ever. It’s a big plus! Sure, it’s a little time-consuming to program, but at the end of the day, it’s a massive time-saver and means I don’t need to stress. 

“In the studio, I tend to stick with real amps. I’ve got an arsenal of heads at home, from Marshalls and EVH to Lenz, Revv and Omega. One of my favorites is the Jake E. Lee signature Friedman [the JEL-100], which sounds amazing.”

What’s the last pedal you acquired, out of curiosity?

“Gosh, I have so many pedals. The latest one I got is the Ibanez [40th Anniversary] Tube Screamer, but I’ve also got tons of Maxon pedals and other overdrives. I’m a big fan of chorus and reverbs for lush clean tones – there are hundreds here with me at home… it’s pathetic! [laughs]”

It has to be said, you and Michael Amott make a great team. He tends to write more classic metal-sounding, Michael Schenker-esque runs, while you’re more of a modern technical player…

“Totally! It’s a very nice balance. Michael has such great intonation with his bends – he always hits things so beautifully. It was really hard for me at first to match the harmonies, because it’s a perfection thing. You’ve really got to hone in on everything to make those moments shine. 

“Wearing in-ears really helped, because I can always hear the nuances of his playing. And he’s phenomenal… like you said, I tend to be the faster, more aggressive guy and he’s more of a bluesy and classic metal player.

“Together it makes for a wonderful chemistry that really shines during our live shows. I’ve had so much fun with that guy. I’ve known him for so long. We met in 1998 or 1999, so it’s been a long time. We’re friends first and foremost and then after that the band stuff comes in. And that goes for Arch Enemy as a whole: they’re a great bunch of people. I love being in this band and couldn’t ask for a better gig.”

Many of your solos over the years have featured blazing alternate picking runs. How exactly did you master the technique?

“I started examining it by watching Yngwie Malmsteen in that famous live show in Japan he played with Alcatrazz. There are a lot of close-ups of him at a time when he was setting the world on fire, around the age of 23. I noticed that it was all in the wrist with him; he’s never moving his whole arm. 

“You even see that in a lot of gypsy jazz players, it’s all very fast and fluent and from the wrist. Another great wrist player was Eddie Van Halen: he always had the greatest tremolo picking sound back in the day.

“Then there are other players who use their arms, which I do too, but mainly for rhythms when I’m doing James Hetfield kinda stuff. When I play leads, I use three different styles – economy, alternate and some legato – and I can combine all three. 

“To build my alternate picking I do what I call ‘flutter bombs’, where you pick one note as fast as you can for 20 seconds. Then you move up to 30 seconds and more, and before you know it, you’ve started to build up muscles in that area of your wrist. It becomes second nature.

“Ultimately, the less effort you need, the better your picking will be because it’s all about being relaxed. That’s how you blast! These days, I’m more of a slower and emotional player. I prefer my leads to have memorable lines rather than just shredding really fast.”

It’s interesting how you’ve said you’re not much of a theory buff in the past – your solos definitely feel informed…

“It’s so funny, I come from a family of music lovers. My dad had a huge record collection and was a guitar player himself. Both my parents were teachers and they knew I loved playing so much that they let me stay at home and skip school to play! [laughs]

“Then my dad suggested taking some theory classes to move further, which I did and completely failed at. I could not understand one thing! My friend would be sat next to me whispering, ‘That’s an A dominant arpeggio, Jeff!’ and I’d be like ‘What?!’ 

“I understand the basic fundamentals of the modes, but that’s really about it. I see music more as colors. It’s all about what sounds good. I’ve been blessed with a really good ear – even when I was a kid, I’d jam along to the jingles on TV and instantly replicate them. My dad would be like, ‘How did you do that?!’ 

“So I’ve focused on my ear alone for my entire music career, going with what sounds good. I have friends who tell me, ‘Dude, I’ve seen you play a diminished line; you know that stuff!’ and I realized that I know how to play these things but I don’t know what they’re called. I just hear notes that sound nice to my ears!”

Well, Dimebag didn’t know much theory and he pretty much wrote the book for modern metal guitar.

“Exactly. I’m almost afraid of learning theory now. I’m almost scared that understanding more and figuring it out will take away the mysteriousness of everything. I like navigating around the fretboard, not really knowing where I’ll go until I hear the phrase that sounds best to me. That’s the fun of guitar playing! 

“I don’t really have a big vocabulary of lead stuff. I’ve always just wanted to be a songwriter, and somehow I got lumped into the whole shred thing! I love coming up with riffs and writing a good song…

“That’s actually what I’m doing right now with the legendary Graham Bonnet from Alcatrazz. He’s a fantastic dude – we’ve become really good buddies over the last year or so. I’m halfway done with the writing for the album and will be finished by the time Arch Enemy start touring, which will give Graham 10 songs to work on, and hopefully we’ll record that album later this year.

“I also have an instrumental record coming out this year, while spending most of my time touring with Arch Enemy. It’s going to be a busy one!”

• The Jackson Pro Series Signature Jeff Loomis Soloist SL7 is available now. Arch Enemy's new album, Deceivers, arrives July 29 via Century Media Records.

Prog metal giant Jeff Loomis and Jackson both enjoyed the popularity of the former’s Pro Series Signature Kelly. Now they’ve reunited to produce the guitarist’s first signature seven-string, the Jackson Pro Series Jeff Loomis Soloist SL7.

The new model is an aggressive, utilitarian beast equipped with a through-body graphite reinforced-neck made of three-piece maple, alongside a 12-16” compound radius ebony ‘board, with jumbo frets and Luminlay side dots.

The basswood body is paired with a sandblasted ash top, finished in Satin Black. Hidden around the back is a heel-mount truss rod adjustment wheel and a Loomis headstock logo.

Things are kept simple and effective on the electronics front, with a pair of Seymour Duncan Blackout humbuckers – Loomis’s signature set of active pickups – plus a three-position toggle switch and a single volume control. 

Elsewhere, there’s a Floyd Rose 1500 Series double-locking tremolo (also in black) and black hardware, including Dunlop dual-locking strap buttons and seven-in-line sealed die-cast tuners mounted on a – you guessed it – black headstock. 

The aesthetic certainly oozes power and the Loomis SL7 looks like the sort of guitar that can handle a nationwide tour before breakfast. You’ll see the virtuoso pulls no punches in putting the model through its paces in an extensive demo below.

“Working with Jackson has been absolutely amazing,” says Loomis. “I couldn't be happier. Being able to work one on one with the legendary Mike Shannon – Jackson’s Principal Master Builder – on the overall shape and dimension of the neck was incredible. We were able to really hone in on every little fine detail, down to the glow-in-the dark fret markers for playing on dark stages. 

“But this isn’t an over-elaborate guitar: we stripped down the controls to make pickup changes dead-easy. There’s only one volume knob and you’re going to leave that on 10 anyways. This is a beautiful, aggressive guitar that I love and I know Jackson fans will too.”

Jackson says it is similarly pleased with the results. “We collectively conceptualized and then delivered for Jeff a guitar that matches who he is as a player: technical prowess meets brute force,” says Jackson’s Jon Romanowski.

“Not every guitar can handle what Jeff and those inspired by him have in mind. Meeting his standards was a fantastic challenge. We can’t wait to hear what he and his fans will create with his Signature Soloist SL7.”

Expect to find the Loomis SL7 retailing around $1699 (or £1,649/€1,899). 

For more information on the Jackson Pro Series Jeff Loomis Soloist SL7, head to Jackson.com.

Welcome to Guitar World’s weekly roundup of the musical highlights from the, erm, world of guitar. Every seven days (or thereabouts), we endeavor to bring you a selection of songs from across the guitar universe, all with one thing in common: our favorite instrument plays a starring role.

Red Hot Chili Peppers – Black Summer

What is it? John Frusciante’s first new music with the Red Hot Chili Peppers in a decade and a half, taken from new 17-track full-length Unlimited Love, set to drop on April 1. It’s a mid-tempo radio-rocker in the vein of RHCP’s Stadium Arcadium era, but one that foregrounds Frusciante’s inimitable playing in a way that will send chills down the spine of any guitarist who has missed hearing that ’62 Strat in his hands.

Standout guitar moment: The track runs the gamut of Frusciante-isms, from Hendrixian embellishments to lashings of modulation effects, but the fuzz solo that lands at after the song’s first chorus is a beautifully executed reimagining of Anthony Kiedis’s vocal line, with wide, expertly controlled bends and neat passing notes.

For fans of: Red Hot Chili Peppers, John Frusciante, Jimi Hendrix

– Michael Astley-Brown

The Fearless Flyers – Patrol Acrobatique 

What is it? The first single from Fearless Flyers III – the upcoming LP from Cory Wong and Mark Lettieri’s Fearless Flyers project. The pair are in devastating form, and need only 98 seconds to floor you with their top-of-the-game techniques. Blistering right-hand rolls, super-tight cleans and some surgically precise note selection – Patrol Acrobatique has got it all.

Standout guitar moment: The last 30 seconds, for sure. For a fleeting moment, the two guitarists hone in on their respective specialties, with Wong serving up a none-more-funk rhythm bed for Lettieri’s trademark low-string riffage.

For fans of: Vulfpeck, Snarky Puppy, Louis Cole

– Matt Owen 

Halestorm – The Steeple

What is it? Redemption’s the name of the game on this, the second single from Halestorm’s newly-announced fifth studio album, Back From the Dead. Singer/guitarist Lzzy Hale’s been through “hell,” but she’s back, and certainly ready to rock from the sounds of this anthem.  

Standout guitar moment: That opening riff’s got good bones, as they say. It makes an entrance like the Kool-Aid man and is bound to be a crowd-pleaser once Halestorm take this record on the road. Joe Hottinger’s solo, with its effective blend of expressive, bluesy cries and thrash-y speed, is also the perfect cherry on top. 

For fans of: Tremonti, Evanescence, Mammoth WVH

– Jackson Maxwell

Arch Enemy – Handshake With Hell

What is it? The third single from Arch Enemy’s recently announced 11th studio album, Deceivers. No less heavy than the record’s two previously released singles, Deceiver, Deceiver and House of Mirrors, Handshake With Hell once again finds guitarists Michael Amott and Jeff Loomis in top form. But then again, when are they not?

Standout guitar moment: The opening tapping lick of the solo at the 4:40 marks serves, whether knowingly or not, as a fitting tribute to Eddie Van Halen, before transforming with an abundance of shreddy rapid-fire passages and soaring bends.

For fans of: In Flames, Amon Amarth, Bullet For My Valentine

– Sam Roche

Nova Twins – K.M.B. 

What is it? The second single from UK-based rock duo Nova Twins’ forthcoming sophomore album, Supernova. In fitting with the album’s theme, K.M.B. – Kill My Boyfriend – unleashes an interstellar explosion of battering buzzsaw guitar riffs, the ferocity of which are only rivaled by lead singer Amy Love’s earth-shattering vocals. The results, as you can imagine, are quite spectacular.

Standout guitar moment: The brooding bass/guitar double-act mischievously simmers away throughout the track, but comes to a head during the outro exchange, which is an all-out riff-fueled throwdown.

For fans of: Royal Blood, Dinosaur Pile-Up, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes

– Matt Owen

Lucy Dacus – Kissing Lessons

What is it? A sub-two-minute standalone single, this song is – with its focus on a formative childhood crush – thematically connected to the Virginia native’s stellar 2021 album, Home Video.  

Standout guitar moment: For this writer’s money, Dacus and Jacob Blizard are one of the most underrated guitar tandems in rock right now, and they’re in fine form on this tune, with Dacus giving the song its buzzing, rhythm guitar pulse and Blizard adding some twinkly leads in the second half that color the edges of this nostalgic trip back in time beautifully.

For fans of: Phoebe Bridgers, Christian Lee Hutson, Tomberlin

– Jackson Maxwell

Painted Shield – Dead Man’s Dream

What is it? Pearl Jam rhythm king Stone Gossard’s riffs-meets-electronica side-project returns sooner than expected, and with an altogether rockier edge – vocalists Mason Jennings and Brittany Davis really let rip, while Gossard indulges his love of The Who and Led Zeppelin with chunky Les Paul tones and windmill-worthy ringing chords.

Standout guitar moment: It has to be that chromatic opening riff, which bears all the groovy hallmarks of Gossard’s early Pearl Jam playing, with added hard-rock swagger.

For fans of: Pearl Jam, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin

– Michael Astley-Brown

The Devil Wears Prada – Watchtower

What is it? A masterclass in drop-tuned, pit-spinning riffs from Dayton, Ohio metalcore stalwarts, The Devil Wears Prada. A standalone track which follows 2021’s ZII EP and subsequent single Sacrifice, Watchtower offers little in the way of respite throughout, as it hurls riff after glorious riff at your speakers with unbridled energy.

Standout guitar moment: The breakdown at the 2:25 mark, which quite frankly has so much weight that it could send a planet off the course of its gravitational orbit.

For fans of: August Burns Red, Memphis May Fire, We Came As Romans

– Sam Roche

Liam Gallagher – Everything’s Electric 

What is it? The latest single to be lifted from Gallagher’s forthcoming studio album C’Mon You Know – the third installment of his solo repertoire. Co-written by Dave Grohl, the track also features the Foo Fighters frontman behind the kit, and sees the pair combine their respective expertise for a guitar-driven, heavy-hitting pop-rock extravaganza.

Standout guitar moment: The guitar department is plenty busy through Everything’s Electric, and when it's finished offering up an ocean of arena-filling rhythm guitars it delivers a sizzling solo that closes the track out in style.

For fans of: Oasis, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Beady Eye

– Matt Owen

Luna Li – Silver Into Rain (feat beabadoobee)

What is it? This woozy indie slow-burner is set to make a star of Korean-Canadian multi-instrumentalist Luna Li, who is due to release her debut album on March 4. Silver Into Rain taps up the talents of London-based Fender fan beabadoobee, but Li needs no help in the six-string department, deploying a wealth of psychedelic embellished chords and crunchy single-note leads.

Standout guitar moment: We’re suckers for a clean phased guitar, and there are stacks of ’em here. But don’t let the dreamy tones lure you away from the smart chord turnarounds and rhythmic twists: this is indie songwriting par excellence.

For fans of: Nilüfer Yanya, Girl in Red

– Michael Astley-Brown

Illuminati Hotties – Sandwich Sharer

What is it? A beautiful new single from Sarah Tudzin’s Illuminati Hotties project, released just prior to the first headline tour in support of her fantastic 2021 album, Let Me Do One More.

Standout guitar moment: Sandwich Sharer’s graceful tempo changes are stunning to behold, specifically the beautiful, all-enveloping guitar tone Tudzin – an in-demand engineer by day – gets on those ringing chords she plays whenever the song slows itself down.

For fans of: Charly Bliss, Waxahatchee, Best Coast

– Jackson Maxwell

Cage Fight – Shine Don’t Fade

What is it? The high-octane second single from Cage Fight, a band which features TesseracT guitarist James Monteith and former Eths vocalist Rachel Aspe. Cage Fight might be a new name, but Shine Don’t Fade is an unrelenting display of force from these seasoned heavy metal vets.

Standout guitar moment: Just when you thought the track was in the highest gear, Monteith shifts it one notch further, putting his formidable shred skills on display with a dizzying solo at the 2:19 mark.

For fans of: Arch Enemy, Venom Prison, TesseracT

– Sam Roche

After the release of Deceiver, Deceiver – their first original music in four years – and followup single House of Mirrors, which blends death metal with '80s-style lead guitars, Arch Enemy have officially announced their 11th studio album, Deceivers.

An 11-track record described as “ruthlessly catchy and mercilessly violent”, Deceivers is the band's first original full-length since 2017's Will to Power. And a third single is on the way, too. Handshake With Hell, the album's opener, is set to arrive next Friday (February 4), so mark your calendar.

“Having just celebrated our 25th anniversary as a group and now releasing our 11th studio album, one could easily assume that we would be cruising along and going through the motions at this point,” says guitarist Michael Amott. “In reality, nothing could be further from the truth when it comes to Arch Enemy and our new album, Deceivers.”

He continues: “It is without a doubt always a challenge to raise the bar each time in both the songwriting and production side of things, and it can feel a bit daunting before we get into it. But once we do get started and fully immerse ourselves in the creative process, it's really like there is nothing else in the world and we are very focused.

“Creating Deceivers, we shut out the outside world and went deep into the artistic zone. I believe we pulled out some really interesting musical and lyrical themes this time, a few things might even raise an eyebrow or two – while retaining all the signature elements of the band. In the end, it's Arch Enemy at full speed and power!”

As vocalist Alissa White-Gluz explains, creating the LP took “a lot of travel, uncertainty and risk”.

“In the end, I think that helped fuel the extreme dynamics of the album,” she says. “We all had three more years of touring together under our belts since the last album, plus a year of pandemic isolation. It's safe to say we had a few more things to unleash in our writing.”

She concludes: “I think it's a very diverse album that will please long-time Arch Enemy devotees as well as intrigue new listeners... I can't wait for everyone to dive into this album.”

While Deceivers will be Arch Enemy's first album of original material since 2017's Will to Power, the band issued a covers album in 2019, Covered in Blood, in which they offered renditions of Judas Priest's Breaking the Law, Megadeth's Symphony of Destruction and Iron Maiden's Aces High.

Deceivers is yet to receive an official release date, though preorders begin on February 4. In the meantime, you can check out its tracklisting and artwork below.

1. Handshake With Hell
2. Deceiver, Deceiver
3. In the Eye of the Storm
4. The Watcher
5. Poisoned Arrow
6. Sunset Over the Empire
7. House of Mirrors
8. Spreading Black Wings
9. Mourning Star
10. One Last Time
11. Exiled From Earth

Hot on the heels of their latest single, and first new music in four years, Deceiver, Deceiver, Swedish death metallers Arch Enemy have issued a new track, House of Mirrors.

Doubling down on the momentum of Deceiver, Deceiver, the new track commences with a series of enveloping harmonized leads from electric guitar duo Michael Amott and Jeff Loomis, before bassist Sharlee D'Angelo, drummer Daniel Erlandsson and vocalist Alissa White-Gluz enter the fray with '80s-inspired, galloping double-kick-driven rhythms and powerful guttural screams.

True to form, Amott and Loomis carve out space for their own respective solos, with the former serving up nimble two-handed tapping lines and the latter letting loose with a series of wah-touched pinpoint bends and rapid-fire alternate-picked lines. Check it out below.

“Musically, this is an idea that has been bouncing around in my head for a while, and finally it got finished,” says Amott. “It all started with the guitar motif that kicks off the track, which naturally leads to the galloping '80s-metal feel of the verses. As is always the case with us, we had quite a few different arrangements and demos of this song until it was, dare I say, fuckin' perfect!”

Adds White-Gluz, “House of Mirrors is a song that twists its way into the human psyche. I wrote the lyrics during a dark time of strict, dystopian lockdown, and I think people will be able to relate to that feeling of being totally alone – but never truly alone – when you are surrounded only by past and future versions of yourself as company.”

Despite two songs being released in quick succession, we've yet to hear word on any new full-length material from Arch Enemy. 

While the band issued a covers album – Covered in Blood – in 2019, featuring new renditions of Judas Priest's Breaking the Law, Iron Maiden's Aces High and Megadeth's Symphony of Destruction, their last original LP was 2017's Will to Power.

Though we’re all excited for Halloween weekend here at GW HQ, our weekly obligation to bring you planet Earth’s most exciting new guitar music stops for no holiday. (Okay, maybe it does for a couple, but not for this one.)

This week’s lineup includes a breathtaking slice of metal guitar from Sasami, the awe-inspiring recorded debut of John Petrucci’s new signature 8-string Ernie Ball Music Man Majesty, the riff-heavy return of Slash Ft. Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators, and a whole lot more.

Let’s not waste any more time, then, for ample guitar greatness awaits…

Slash ft. Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators – The River Is Rising

With the news that Guns N’ Roses have yet to write any original music since reuniting – their recent releases being reworks of old Chinese Democracy material – we’re pinning our hard-rock hopes once more on the eternally reliable pairing of Slash and Myles Kennedy.

Along with the rest of the Conspirators, the group have dropped the first blast from 4, the band’s no-nonsense fourth album and the first to be released on Gibson’s newly launched record label.

It won’t come as a surprise to hear that The River Is Rising, sounds like, well, Slash and Kennedy, all full-fat LP-into-Marshall tones and wailing vocals. But there are plenty of neat touches: the way the Top Hatted Axeman-in-Chief sneaks a few cheeky pentatonic licks and chromatic riffs into the chorus chord progression and the Paradise City-esque double-time solo section, to name but two.

Indeed, when the Gibson Brand Ambassador is releasing material like this, GNR can most certainly wait. (MAB)

Dream Theater – Awaken the Master

Prog titans Dream Theater this week released their 15th studio album, A View from the Top of the World, and beyond its abundance of time signature-fluid, characteristically out-of-this-world arrangements, it marks the first instance of John Petrucci playing an eight-string electric guitar on record.

The album’s sixth track, Awaken the Master – which clocks in at nine minutes and 47 seconds, a middle-of-the-road runtime by Dream Theater’s standards – sees Trooch tap into almost every available resource in his arsenal, using a prototype of his recently released signature Ernie Ball Music Man eight-string Majesty to deploy a clutch of devilishly low-register riffs and soaring guitar solos, reminding us once again why he’s the unrivaled master of modern prog-rock guitar. (SR)

Spoon - The Hardest Cut

What do you get when you take the ample swagger and strut of ‘70s boogie-rock and filter it through the sometimes cynical but ultimately empathetic eyes of a band like Spoon? Something, it would seem, like The Hardest Cut.  

The lead single from Lucifer on the Sofa – the Austin natives’ first album of new material in almost five years – The Hardest Cut is no mere period piece or simple homage.

Lead singer and guitarist Britt Daniel lets his signature Telecaster Thinline do a lot of the talking, imbuing the song with Billy Gibbons-informed riffing and chord stabs that have bite, growl, and attitude for days, while never straying from their core rhythmic purpose.

The unexpected star of the show, however, is Gerardo Larios. Having only joined the group as a full-time member in 2019, he puts the bow on top of this rocker with a smokin’ solo anchored in blues and rockabilly tradition and powered by jet-fueled punk aggression. 

Spoon’s flirtation with electronic textures on their last LP, 2017’s Hot Thoughts, wasn’t unwelcome, of course. This no-holds-barred groove-guitar-rock fire, though? We can’t get enough of it. (JM)

Moon Tooth – Nymphaeaceae

With their second album, 2019’s Crux, the Long Island hard-rock outfit took guitar circles by storm, and we’re expecting similar results from their forthcoming third effort.

Nymphaeaceae displays the band’s knack for weaving progressive traits into a rock-meets-metal context, as Nick Lee’s right hand goes into overdrive with some outrageously tight palm-muting that simply does not let up for four glorious minutes.

In fact, Lee’s formidable fretboard dexterity shines throughout, whether tackling relentless thrash riffs or Hendrixian arpeggios. Basically, it’s brilliant. Just don’t ask us to pronounce the song title (it’s the scientific name for water lilies, don’tcha know). (MAB)

Sasami – Skin A Rat

The debut album from one-time Cherry Glazerr synth player Sasami Ashworth was one of 2019’s most unexpected musical gifts, with powerful songwriting and meticulously-constructed layers of guitar that dazzled on first listen and only got better with further exploration.

Skin A Rat is one of two simultaneously released lead singles from the LA native’s upcoming sophomore album, Squeeze – the other being the riff/fuzz-tacular The Greatest – and marks a distinct sonic shift, to put it mildly. 

Featuring Megadeth’s Dirk Verbeuren on drums, this blistering, sub-three-minute tune is ready for any metal festival. Guitar-wise, Sasami’s simply on fire – leading off the song with a brutal riff and coloring its chorus with a slithering, thrash-y figure that really sneaks up on you.

Skin A Rat leaves a trail of destruction in its wake and doesn’t stop to blink an eye along the way. It’s breathtaking stuff. (JM)

Arch Enemy – Deceiver, Deceiver

Deceiver, Deceiver might be Arch Enemy’s first original music in four years, but they’re back with a vengeance.

The new track sees formidable guitar duo Michael Amott and Jeff Loomis serve up a six-string tour de force, incorporating everything from thunderous riffs – which complement the rapid-fire stick work of drummer Daniel Erlandsson – to a face-melting lead guitar battle, in which Loomis plays whammy bar dives and frantic alternate picking runs while Amott explores melodic two-handed tapping. (SR)

Arch Enemy have released their first original new music since 2017's Will to Power, a new single entitled Deceiver, Deceiver.

True to form, the track sees the Swedish death metallers – composed of vocalist Alissa White-Gluz, guitarists Michael Amott and Jeff Loomis, bassist Sharlee D'Angelo and drummer Daniel Erlandsson – serve up a clutch of stellar electric guitar riffs, machine gun-esque rhythms and ever-chaotic arrangements.

There's plenty of lead guitar work to digest, too; Loomis and Amott trade soaring solos from just before the three-minute mark, with the former offering whammy bar dives and alternate picking runs, and the latter delivering more melodic, but equally virtuosic two-handed tapping lines.

Its accompanying music video is directed by Patric Ullaeus – who has also worked with At the Gates, Danko Jones, Europe and others – and finds the quintet tearing the roof off a graffiti'd-up warehouse. Check it out below.

Says guitarist Michael Amott: “Has it really been four years since we last released new Arch Enemy music? Time flies... especially when you tour the world for a couple of years, decide to take some time off, and then we all get hit with a global fucking pandemic!

“Everyone's been through hard times these last couple of years, and it's beautiful to see everything coming back now. This very much feels like the right moment to return with a brand-new song. Deceiver, Deceiver is not the happiest of tunes, but believe me – we're ecstatic to be back!”

While Deceiver, Deceiver is Arch Enemy's first original music since 2017, the band did release a covers album – Covered in Blood – in 2019, which featured new renditions of Judas Priest's Breaking the Law, Iron Maiden's Aces High and Megadeth's Symphony of Destruction, to name a few.

Arch Enemy have shared the official video for "Reason to Believe,” directed by Patric Ullaeus of Revolver Film Company. You can check out the clip above.

Guitarist Michael Amott talked about the motivation behind writing "Reason to Believe," which comes off Arch Enemy's most recent album, Will to Power: "Growing up, I guess I was what would be considered the 'different kid,' the odd one out at school, etc. I fled into my own shell and the music that I loved. Not having a lot of friends and not being popular made me who I am today. My passion for music is really where I found my identity and also the strength to pull through those not always so easy times as a young teenager.

“Luckily, I was always obsessed with music, I had a lot of ideas for starting a band even before I hit puberty! When I finally saved up enough money to buy my first guitar at the age of thirteen, I started creating my own songs immediately and started my first band soon thereafter. I haven't stopped since. Music has been with me every step of the way through life and is still, to this day, my best friend and greatest passion. I'm sure a lot of people out there feel the same way. 'Reason to Believe' is a song that was born out of reminiscing about my own youth and also the stories from our fans around the world. This one’s for you... Always keep on fighting, my friends!"

“Reason to Believe is released today, December 7, as a limited, hand-numbered seven-inch single as well as a digital single. Both formats feature the Tears for Fears cover, "Shout," on the B-side.

Arch Enemy—featuring guitarists Michael Amott and Jeff Loomis—have premiered a new music video for their song, "The Race."

"This was actually the last song written for the Will To Power album," Amott said of "The Race." “Listening through all the material we had up to that point we agreed that the album needed one more song that would be a relentless and fast paced counterpoint to some of the more epic compositions we already had.”

"We sent Alissa the music and she came up with a thought provoking set of lyrics with an intense vocal arrangement that complemented the music perfectly," he continued.

"We've been having a blast playing this song on the current tour and we had our video director Patric Ullaeus come out to capture the mayhem at our recent show in Helsinki, Finland."

Check out the new video for yourself below.

“Well, there’s a first time for everything, right?” says founding guitarist Michael Amott from his home near Gothenburg, Sweden, where he’s taking a few days to decompress before Arch Enemy meet up at their rehearsal space in Frankfurt, Germany.

There, they’ll practice their summer festival set, which includes “The World Is Yours,” the first single from their new album Will to Power.

“You know, sometimes things don’t work out,” Amott says. “I don’t really want to elaborate on that. At the time, it was, of course, surprising. But I called my brother, [band co-founder] Christopher [Amott, who has been in and out throughout the group’s history] and he finished the tour with us. What’s really surprising is that we didn’t miss a show.”

When asked about the incident, Cordle had no comment. “Not interested in anything to do with them,” he texted.

Putting out fires and overcoming challenges has become a regular task for Arch Enemy. The band is currently on its third vocalist; 14-year screamer Angela Gossow quit in 2014 before Cordle left; she currently manages Arch Enemy from her home in Germany. When Christopher Amott wasn’t in the band, Fredrik Åkesson and Cordle played for two years each, the former from 2005 to 2007 before leaving to joining Opeth, and the latter from 2012 to 2014 before joining Sanctuary.

But with every lineup shift came change and, frequently, growth. Gossow’s replacement, Alissa White-Gluz, the 32-year-old former vocalist for the Canadian metalcore band The Agonist, is a personable, charismatic growler with a ferocious death metal roar and a surprisingly pleasant singing voice. As difficult as it is to replace a vocalist, Arch Enemy fans have taken to White-Gluz, partially because Gossow introduced her to the band, and in part because her exuberance and blue hair appealed to the Hot Topic crowd.

The most recent band recruit, ex-Nevermore cofounder and ace lead guitarist Jeff Loomis (who replaced Cordle in 2014) might be the most technically gifted player to join the AE ranks. And he’s stepped in at a great time. Twenty-one years into their career, Arch Enemy could be at the top of their game.

Will to Power is a striking, musically diverse album that combines elements of thrash, Gothenburg-style melodic death metal and stomping traditional metal with progressive touches. The tracks are highlighted by Amott and Loomis’ abundant guitar harmonies and fiery leads.

The video for the fiercely melodic “The World Is Yours” had accumulated nearly 4.5 million views less than a month after it was posted, and Arch Enemy just announced a co-headline U.S. tour with Trivium that runs through December 6 in Houston and could expose Arch Enemy to a younger, more mainstream following.

“I never considered Arch Enemy to be a death metal band, and I didn’t start Arch Enemy with the intention of being death metal,” stresses Amott. “I’ve already done that type of stuff [as a member of Carnage and Carcass], so I wanted to focus more on melody, while still keeping the music heavy. And I think this record does that.”

(from left) Arch Enemy's Daniel Erlandsson, Michael Amott, Jeff Loomis, Alissa White-Gluz and Sharlee D'Angelo

While Loomis was Amott’s first choice to fill in for Cordle, Arch Enemy’s architect was afraid Loomis wouldn’t accept the offer. “I always tell Jeff he’s overqualified for the gig,” Amott says, then laughs. “But having a high-profile guitar player join was really great for us. He plays amazing stuff almost without effort, and I’m still sitting here struggling to figure out how to hold a guitar pick.”

Loomis first met Amott in 1999 when Arch Enemy and Nevermore were playing some of the same festivals. The two bands toured Europe together in 2003, though Arch Enemy had to pull out of the last few shows after their bus was infested with blood-sucking insects and some of the members became ill. Impressed by Loomis’ playing, Amott asked him to join Arch Enemy in 2005, when Christopher quit for the first time, but Loomis was committed to Nevermore and turned down the offer.

When Loomis broke up Nevermore in 2011, largely because he was having problems with alcohol and needed to dry out (“Moderation definitely wasn’t in the dictionary next to the Nevermore name”), he went cold turkey until he was sober, then started looking for another gig. Come November, he will have been sober for five years. Staying sober was easier for Loomis than finding the right project. He staged clinics and put out the solo album Plains of Oblivion in 2012, but it didn’t connect with Nevermore audiences the way he had hoped it would. Besides, he wanted to play in a band again, so when Amott called him for the second time, Loomis leaped at the opportunity.

“Being a big fan of Arch Enemy and knowing most of their catalog already, and all their songs, I was really blown away when Michael asked me to be in the band again,” says Loomis. “It was definitely a no-brainer. I said yes immediately because I loved their music and they seemed to be getting bigger. I was like, ‘Yeah, man. Let’s do it!’ ”

There was no time for Loomis to celebrate, even with non-alcoholic beverages. Arch Enemy had a European tour booked with Kreator in two weeks and Loomis had to learn numerous guitar parts. “Everything happened so fast, it was crazy,” he says. “By the time I felt somewhat confident with the material, I was already on a plane to France.”

Before he learned the solos note-for-note from the band’s past albums, he sometimes had to improvise the middle part of a lead. Even so, he fit right in, his virtuosic playing style complimenting Amott’s cutting, bluesy Michael Schenker–esque approach.

“Once Jeff came into the band you could definitely feel a shift from gray clouds to blue sky,” White-Gluz says from her home in Montreal, Quebec. “He’s so chill and polite and he’s such a nice dude. And he’s so humble, even though he’s crazy-talented.”

For Loomis, the greatest challenge was playing six-string guitars instead of the seven-strings that have been his go-to instruments since 2000. So Loomis, who practiced for 16 hours a day as a teenager to learn his craft, applied some of that discipline to breaking in his Schecter JL6, the six-string model of his signature JL7. In no time, he was as adept on a six-string as he is on a seven.

“The only thing that was a little weird was that when I played six-string guitar in the past I was used to A440 tuning, and the tuning for Arch Enemy goes down to C standard, which is two whole steps down,” he says.

He thought finding the right string gauge would do the trick. He tried out extra heavy Ernie Ball strings and it felt “like playing piano wire.” So he switched to lighter strings—.060 to .01—which were just substantial enough so he could use a tremolo on his leads and bend the strings without breaking them very often. He replaced his light picks with a heavy, pointed plectrum to give his playing a more aggressive attack.

Once Arch Enemy had played around 300 shows to support their 2014 album, War Eternal, their first to feature White-Gluz, the band’s label execs encouraged them to record a new album. In mid-2016, Amott presented the company with a demo of “The World Is Yours,” which he wrote in 2014. They loved it and asked to hear more, and he admitted he only had bits and pieces of other songs.

So, after playing a few shows in Mexico in late 2016, Amott and band co-founder and drummer Daniel Erlandsson rented an apartment in Cancun to write for 10 days. A winter party mecca south of the border might seem like a strange place for a couple of Swedes to work, yet Amott and Erlandsson were motivated, diligent and productive.

“We didn’t get drunk once!” Amott insists. “It was great because being away from home, there weren’t the usual distractions from making music. Every day we just went for a swim in the morning and had breakfast and then started writing metal.”

The two came up with some great passages, but no full songs. Then they put together the framework for the mid-paced, steady-riffing “The Eagle Flies Alone,” and the doors of creativity opened up.

“I came up with practically the whole thing completely on the spot and it turned the record around,” Amott says. “I have found that when you have that first song that you’re really happy with, you go, ‘Alright, now we can start making the record.’ ”

Amott wrote four other full songs in Mexico, then flew back to Sweden and, between gigs, continued writing in his home studio. At one point, he asked Loomis—who was the primary songwriter in Nevermore—if he had any songs to contribute and Loomis was almost ashamed to admit he hadn’t written anything.

“When they started writing, the album came together really fast,” Loomis says. “I did submit three songs, but I think I might have missed the deadline. I feel really bad about that, but at the same time, I didn’t want to be the new guy coming in saying, ‘Okay, here’s a bunch of new songs I wrote. Let’s go record them.’ So I only did those three and honestly, I don’t think they were in the Arch Enemy style.”

“I feel lucky just to have Jeff playing solos on the record,” says Amott. “I know he is such a high-profile guitar player and his role in Arch Enemy is not what people might expect. I’ve always written most of the music in this band and that’s what I do. Right now, he is more about playing guitar solos and he seems to really get that.”

While Amott fine-tuned the demos in Sweden, Loomis mapped out his solos at his home studio in Seattle. Since he had been playing every lead on tour exactly as it appeared on the albums, he looked forward to putting his own signature on the new tunes. “Michael sent me the demos and I really listened to the songs and tried to match them with my playing,” Loomis says. “It wasn’t like in Nevermore when I just went into the studio and improvised. I planned everything out. Like, ‘The World Is Yours’ is extremely aggressive, so I did the math in my head and utilized really fast picking and played in harmonic minor so it flowed with the song.”

Loomis recorded his solos using his Schecter signature JL6 and a Line 6 Helix modeled after an old Peavey 5150. Then he used effects to boost the gain and added reverb and chorus. “I want to achieve that sheer metal tone, so there’s a lot of distortion with a gate in front of it for double stops,” he says.

Amott unfurled his Dean Tyrant V. He recorded the rhythms over a three-week period at the Sweetspot Satellite Studio in Halstad, Sweden, using a Kemper Profiler. Once the rhythms were tight enough, the DI tracks were re-amped through Marshalls and Mesa/Boogies by mixing engineer Jens Bogren.

In April 2017, Loomis flew in to track his solos at the Sweetspot Studio in Harplinge 90 minutes south of Gothenburg. Amott blocked out a week for Loomis to track, and before he arrived he constructed a variety of different tones using live amps, including the JCM800, 2205, a JMP 100-watt head and a JVM 50-watt head. Once they started tracking, though, it took Loomis only two days to finish his solos. More than half of the leads he had pre-written worked perfectly, and the guitarists worked together to tweak and fine-tune the others.

“For some of the leads I wanted a slightly different flavor than what Jeff came up with,” Amott explains. “Making a record is kind of like directing a movie. When the vocals stop, the lead guitar takes over and it’s got to have a dramatic flow. It’s got to tell a story. So I had some ideas for parts for him to play to help keep the songs moving. And Jeff was super open-minded. He has zero ego. He just wants to play for the song and make everything work as well as it can.”

In addition to featuring a new caliber of guitar solos, Will to Power contains Amott’s first metal semi-ballad, “Reason to Believe.” The track features undistorted guitar arpeggios (the only part recorded with a Gibson SG), wispy keyboards and a slow beat before bursting into a chunky midsection and an anthemic chorus. The song provided White-Gluz the opportunity to balance her grizzly-bear growls with clean, melodic singing.

“I’ve always been fearless when it came to vocal techniques, but in the context of Arch Enemy I hadn’t really explored all these colors before,” White-Gluz says. “But I do think with Will to Power we had a natural evolution where I unleashed a little bit more. It’s so easy to go all-out all the time in metal, but having dynamics is what makes for a great album.”

Amott wrote “Reason to Believe” with his brother Christopher (who’s now living in New York) when the family got together last Christmas. Following some stilted conversation and awkward silences, the siblings excused themselves and picked up acoustic guitars.

“The only way we communicated was by playing guitars at my parents’ house,” Amott recalls. “We came up with that piece of music and the next day we recorded it at my place.”

Amott’s not about to let Arch Enemy turn into a mainstream, progressive or symphonic metal band, and Will to Power, while more concise, is just as heavy as War Eternal. At the same time the guitarist admits he had more fun writing the fragile parts of “Reason to Believe,” the emphatic guitar harmonies on the instrumental “Saturnine” and planning the sweeping orchestral section for “A Fight I Must Win” than he did writing and playing the thrash/death riffs on “Murder Scene” or the galloping, descending guitar passages on “First Day in Hell.”

“Having melody in the music is what interests me the most,” says Amott. “The heavy stuff is super-easy. It just flows naturally from my mind. Sometimes I get an idea for lyrics or a melody and I instantly hear all of the guitars and the rest of the song in my head. I don’t know if that makes me the Paul McCartney of death metal, but I’ve been doing this a long time.”

Listening back to Will to Power, Loomis is content with the thumbprint he made with his leads and is looking forward to busting out more of his original playing live. He also hopes to contribute more songwriting to the next record. At the same time, he’s planning to keep himself balanced creatively by experimenting with extreme instrumental music, both with his long-delayed solo album and the second record by his side project Conquering Dystopia, which features guitarist Keith Merrow, bassist Alex Webster (Cannibal Corpse) and drummer Alex Rüdinger (ex–the Faceless).

“I’m so lucky I’m able to play these shows in front of thousands of people with Arch Enemy and then go off into another side of myself guitar-wise and explore a different kind of music,” Loomis says. “It keeps me really busy, but I couldn’t ask for more. I feel right at home with Arch Enemy. They’re my metal family. I think it’s gonna last for a while—as long as we can do it, anyway.”

Amott, too, looks to the future with optimism. Arch Enemy plans to tour for Will to Power for at least the next 18 months, but during weeks off he hopes he and Loomis will be able to write together. And he’s not at all concerned that Loomis will be another member who leaves two years after playing on his first Arch Enemy album.

“It’s so easy to work with Jeff and he has such a great attitude that I can’t imagine having any problems,” he concludes. “And I can see him having a bigger part writing in the future. Of course, that won’t change the band. We have been around for a long time and we have a certain sound, so our direction is always pretty similar. It’s just evolving and becoming more refined, and I think Jeff will be able to be a big part of that.”

Arch Enemy—featuring guitarists Michael Amott and Jeff Loomis—have premiered a new song and music video, "The Eagle Flies Alone." You can check it out below.

The song is from the band's new album, Will to Power, which is due out September 8 via Century Media Records.

"Strangely enough, this is a song I wrote in sunny Mexico last year, but fear not—Arch Enemy hasn't gone mariachi on you," Amott says.

"On the contrary, this song is steeped in classic metal and melancholic Scandinavian atmosphere. Lyrically, this is an anthemic war cry to all fellow individualists around the heavy metal world. We shot the video with our director Patric Ullaeus in Sweden on the coldest outdoor shoot I can recall ever doing! The end result was totally worth it, it turned out beautifully. I guess sometimes you really have to suffer for the art!"

In this Guitar World exclusive, we’ve gathered together Mustaine and his Megadeth coguitarist, Glen Drover, Lamb of God’s Mark Morton and Willie Adler, Arch Enemy’s Michael Amott and Fredrik Akesson, and Trivium’s Matt Heafy and Corey Beaulieu to teach you the essential skills of modern shred.

Using their own examples, we’ll show you everything from rhythm and lead playing to speed picking and sweep arpeggios. So grab your guitar and get ready for the ultimate lesson in shredding—21st century style.

[Note: Due to an unforeseen issue, there are gaps in the figure numbers in the following lesson. Rest assured, however, no content is missing!]

CHAPTER 1 “Sport Metal”: Modern Rhythm Methods

All the guitarists involved in this lesson have one thing in common: they are passionate and dedicated players who write great riffs, many of which are quite challenging to play. In fact, Arch Enemy’s Michael Amott described this type of playing as “sport metal.”

“Michael’s right: it is sport metal,” says Willie Adler. “There’s a real finesse to a lot of the riffs, and they’re physically challenging every time you play them. With the new songs we’re playing from Sacrament, I’ve got to warm up for at least an hour before we go onstage.”

We asked Adler’s co-axman, the always eloquent Mark Morton, to explain some of the rhythm playing differences between metal’s “old-school” and “nu-school.” Despite a brutal hangover, Morton not only stepped up to the plate but also came up with “the hangover riff” to illustrate his point.

“Here’s an example of what I would consider more of a late-Eighties, Bay Area–thrash take on the riff. And here’s a more contemporary style of doing the same riff,” Morton says as he performs FIGURE 1:1 then FIGURE 1:2. “As you can see, they’re the same pattern, the same note choices, but with a different and faster right-hand cadence, giving it a more modern, ‘deathy’ feel.”

As you can see and hear, the “right hand cadences” Morton is referring to involve “gallop” and “reverse gallop” picking patterns plus double picking a lot of the notes.

We asked all our guest teachers to name a few albums that they consider vital references to great metal rhythm work. In addition to Metallica’s seminal Master of Puppets and Pantera’s Vulgar Display of Power, Megadeth’s classic Rust in Peace topped the tally. Says Amott, “That album definitely set the bar pretty high for music like this. It’s full of ‘Hall of Fame’ riffs.”

Glen Drover, Megadeth’s lead guitarist, has a pretty challenging role—not only does he have to perform leads by his virtuoso predecessors Chris Poland and Marty Friedman; he also has to double Mustaine’s vast repertoire of “Hall of Fame” riffs. “Some of the rhythm patterns are equally demanding to play as the solos,” says Drover. “Take a song like ‘Holy Wars’—it’s incredibly busy, and there’s so much stuff in there that you’ve really got to be on top of your game.”

In addition to his ultraprecise picking and knack for writing riffs, Mustaine is the master of rhythmic nuance. “One thing I’ll often do with my rhythm playing is slide into a chord,” says Mustaine as he plays FIGURE 1:4. “That makes the chords really growl, like in ‘Ashes in My Mouth.” Another must-know Mustaine technique is his “spider finger” chord-grabbing technique, which he demonstrates in FIGURE 1:5 and PHOTOS A and B. “Alternating pairs of fingers like this is definitely easier than having to move your entire hand back and forth [see the “regular” fingering under the tablature]. If you have to move your hand, your timing is gonna be off and there will be string noise. Plus, you’ll be relying too much on guesswork.”

Like all metal masters, Mustaine uses palm muting (p.m.) to great effect. Palm muting is the technique of rolling the fleshy part of your palm [PHOTO C] forward from the bridge to dampen the strings. But as Mustaine points out, there is another way to stop notes from ringing, and you can do it with your pick. “So many people think picking is just about moving the pick up and down,” he says. “But you’ve also got to think about how to kill the string’s vibration to give the line articulation. On a riff like the one from ‘Hanger 18,’ I’m not really palm-muting the D string with my right hand; I do it all with pick articulation.”

Mustaine explains that this involves playing in a strict staccato fashion. “The note dies when the pick touches the string again,” he says. Furthermore, it requires using less of the guitar pick’s point. “When I’m really pedaling, the amount of pick sticking out from my fingers is minute [PHOTO D],” says Mustaine. “But when I’m doing percussive stuff, like ‘Train of Consequences,' I slide my fingers away from the tip of the pick [PHOTO E].”

In conclusion, Mustaine offers this advice: “I think the secret to accurate picking is slowly speeding up. It’s really easy to play rhythm super fast, but with most guitarists, if you slow down their recordings you’ll see that they aren’t very accurate at all. Most of the time they’re terrible. If you want to be fast and accurate, learn your rhythm parts by playing them slow and then gradually bring them up to speed, concentrating the whole time on being accurate. There is no other way.”

CHAPTER II “No Pain, No Gain”: Warming Up

As Lamb of God’s Willie Adler has already stated, warming up for an hour or more is vital for “Sport Metal” participants. “We’ve got some riffs similar to this that are hard as shit,” he says while playing FIGURE 2:1. “So I have to warm up for an hour or more before every show, mainly by playing the riffs in our set that I find the most demanding. I work on my picking speed and stamina by doing simple, quick chugs with triplets [gallops] thrown in [FIGURES 2:2a and b], repeating them over and over and speeding them up as fast as I can. I’ll also do string jumping and wide-stretch riffs [PHOTO F and FIGURE 2:3].”

Michael Amott has a similar and equally lengthy pre-gig warm up. Two Arch Enemy riffs he often uses in this ritual are from “I Am Legend” (FIGURE 2:5) and “Nemesis” (FIGURE 2:6).

FIGURE 2:7 is a cool, off-kilter offering from Trivium’s Matt Heafy that uses all six strings, “gets all your fingers working and also gets a gallop pick going.”

FIGURE 2:8 is from Heafy’s bandmate, Corey Beaulieu, and is a great F# minor example of “getting a picking pattern going and then throwing in a same-key, scale-type run to make it more interesting,” a ploy endorsed by Dragonforce.

This section closes with a riff offered by Fredrik Akesson of Arch Enemy. “This is a rhythm riff I came up with [FIGURE 2:9]. It’s got gallops in the first part and 16th notes and octaves in the second part. I also use my second finger to fret the bass notes on the bottom string [PHOTO K].”

CHAPTER 3 Lead Workout I: Speed Picking

There’s only one way to master this: “Practice…a lot of fucking practice,” says Megadeth’s Glen Drover. “It takes dedication and a sense that you’re never totally comfortable with your skill level. That’s absolutely a healthy attitude for growth as a guitarist.” Drover then proceeds to show us three simple “start out slowly and build up speed sensibly” alternate (down-up) picking exercises in E minor, FIGURE 3:4 a–c , that enable you to focus on your picking technique and “really get the blood pumping.”

Once you’ve paid your dues practicing these essential chop builders, you’re ready for the big leagues and FIGURE 3:5, a blistering, exotic-sounding E minor based workout from Akesson that involves the “Hungarian scale [FIGURE 3:6] combined with some chromatic stuff and alternate picking all the way.” FIGURE 3:7 is a simpler but equally effective E minor, Hungarian-spiced lick.

CHAPTER 4 Lead Workout II: Sweep Picking Arpeggios

Sweep picking is probably the most famous shred technique out there. Yngwie Malmsteen is its undisputed master and the guy who put it on the metal map. But as he explains, most players don’t know or employ the necessary rules.

“Most guitarists have a general idea of how to approximate the technique, but only a few do it correctly,” he says. “The rest of them let the notes ring too long or try to play too fast and sacrifice precision and clarity. Either way, it sounds like shit.” As he explains, the only way to correct these errors is to separate the right- and left-hand components of sweep picking, master them separately and then coordinate them with one another. Of course, it’s not easy. You’ll have to put in a lot of practice time to get it right.

To get a feel for the right-hand picking technique, says Yngwie, “You have to let the pick ‘fall’ from string to string, as if you were strumming a chord. It’s important that you don’t separate the pick strokes. When executing an upward sweep, drag the pick upward over the strings in one fluid motion. Again, it’s imperative that you don’t use individual upstrokes.”

The fret-hand component is equally important. “You need to mute each string with the fret-hand immediately after picking it by lightly lifting or ‘rolling’ your fretting finger to keep the notes from ‘bleeding’ into one another and sounding like a strummed chord.”

Heeding Yngwie’s words, work on FIGURE 4:4, a three-string A minor arpeggio from Trivium’s Matt Heafy. Once you’ve mastered that, check out the more challenging five-string version he offers in FIGURE 4:5. As Heafy says, “It’s all a matter of starting them off really slow and working your way up.” When you have those under your belt, try FIGURE 4:10, Fredrik Akesson’s slippery Bm7f5 diminished arpeggio (B D F A) that continually goes back on itself and repeats.

CHAPTER 5 Lead Workout III: Legato Leads

“Legato” is a fancy Italian musical term for “smooth.” For shred guitarists, playing legato requires using numerous hammer-on and pull-off combinations to make lines sound as smooth as possible. Once again, there is no magic shortcut. Mastering this way of playing will take practice, and lots of it.

When pulling off, pull the string slightly in toward the palm. This will help keep the string vibrating and prevent the note from dying. When you’re ready, check out the molten-lava example from Glen Drover in the key of F# minor shown in FIGURE 5:5 and the demented, diminished-flavored FIGURE 5:7, a lick inspired by what Glen calls the “Randy Rhoads diminished run” (FIGURE 5:6) And don’t be afraid to break these phrases into “bite-size chunks” and chew them slowly.

CHAPTER 6 Lead Workout IV: Pentatonic Power

With sweep arpeggios, diminished licks and Hungarian scales being tossed about, let’s not forget the almighty minor pentatonic and blues scales. Sure, they’re simple and ubiquitous, but these five- and six-note scales are responsible for more great metal riffs and leads than all other scales combined. Sometimes, the best way to break up all the sweep-picking, legato and speed-picked madness is with a burst of pentatonic purity or ballsy blues.

Check out Michael Amott’s simple but effective E minor blues scale (E G A Bb B D) wide-stretch burst in FIGURE 6:5a. As he correctly points out, it’s merely an extension of the more common E minor pentatonic (E G A B D) cliché shown in the first half of FIGURE 6:5b, but it definitely makes a mark.

The undeniable impact of pentatonic and blues scales is illustrated perfectly in FIGURE 6:6, a brilliant blast from Dave Mustaine. Similar to a lead he plays in “Holy Wars,” this is a textbook example of “less is more.” As he points out, his wide-stretch, six-bar chromatic climb is made even more climactic by the fact that there’s an “almost subliminal overtone from the high E string because that string is also fretted while I’m fretting the G and B strings.”

CONCLUSION: The Journey Never Ends

For every serious guitarist, playing the guitar is a lifetime achievement. As Mark Morton wisely notes, “There’s no time spent playing guitar that’s wasted time."

Arch Enemy have revealed a teaser video for the Summer Slaughter 2015 Tour. The video features footage of the band performing "Avalanche" live at Hellfest.

Fans who attend the tour will have the chance to purchase several "Summer Slaughter" exclusive items, including a special edition of Arch Enemy's War Eternal LP (black & blue splatter on white vinyl; limited to 500 copies).

You can check out the video, and the Summer Slaughter 2015 tour dates, below.

Summer Slaughter 2015 tour dates feat. Arch Enemy, Born Of Osiris, Veil Of Maya, The Acacia Strain, Obscura, After the Burial, Cattle Decapitation, Beyond Creation

• July 28, 2015 - The Summit Music Hall - Denver, CO
• July 29, 2015 - The Cotillion Ballroom - Wichita, KS*
• July 30, 2015 - Val Air Ballroom - Des Moines, IA
• July 31, 2015 - Skyway Theater - Minneapolis, MN
• Aug. 1, 2015 - Mojoes - Joliet, IL
• Aug. 2, 2015 - The Agora Theatre - Cleveland, OH
• Aug. 3, 2015 - The Northland Performing Arts Center - Columbus, OH
• Aug. 5, 2015 - Electric Factory - Philadelphia, PA
• Aug. 6, 2015 - Club 77 - Hamilton, ON
• Aug. 7, 2015 - Heavy MTL - Montreal, QC
• Aug. 8, 2015 - The Palladium - Worcester, MA
• Aug. 9, 2015 - Starland Ballroom - Sayreville, NJ
• Aug. 11, 2015 - Ziggy's - Winston-Salem, NC
• Aug. 12, 2015 - Webster Hall - New York, NY w/ The All Stars Tour
• Aug. 13, 2015 - Rams Head Live - Baltimore, MD
• Aug. 14, 2015 - Gwar-B-Q Fest - Richmond, VA
• Aug. 15, 2015 - The International - Knoxville, TN
• Aug. 17, 2015 - Gas Monkey Live! - Dallas, TX
• Aug. 18, 2015 - Empire Control Room & Garage - Austin, TX
• Aug. 20, 2015 - The Marquee - Tempe, AZ
• Aug. 21, 2015 - House of Blues - San Diego, CA
• Aug. 22, 2015 - City National Grove Of Anaheim - Anaheim, CA
• Aug. 23, 2015 - The Regency Ballroom - San Francisco, CA
• Aug. 24, 2015 - Regent Theater - Los Angeles, CA
• *=with Arch Enemy, Veil Of Maya, Cattle Decapitation, Beyond Creation only

Got a question for your favorite guitarist? Let us be your go-between. The concept is easy — you submit your queries and we pass them on to some of the world's greatest guitarists. Only the sharpest and funniest questions will be used.

This month, we're giving you the chance to ask progressive metaller Jeff Loomis anything you want! From his solo shredding skills to his time in Nevermore and his most recent joining of Arch Enemy...nothing's off limits!

Just email your questions to dearguitarhero@guitarworld.com and put "Jeff Loomis" in the subject line. Remember to include your name in the email body, so you can get credited in the magazine, and impress and annoy your jealous friends!

Here's Jeff Loomis' amazing cover of "Perpetual Burn" by Jason Becker:

Arch Enemy have released a pro-shot clip of "As The Pages Burn" as performed at the Masters Of Rock festival July 12 in Vizovice, Czech Republic.

Arch Enemy played their first show with singer Alissa White-Gluz May 23 at Turbohalle in Bucharest, Romania. Angela Gossow, who joined the band in 2000 and made her debut on 2001's Wages Of Sin, has stepped down as frontwoman and will focus on management, while Alissa takes her place.

Anyway, check out the clip and let us know what you think of it in the comments or on Facebook!

ARCH ENEMY: live in North America with KREATOR, HUNTRESS, STARKILL

• Nov. 6, 2014 - Commodore Ballroom - Vancouver, BC *
• Nov. 7, 2014 - Studio Seven - Seattle, WA *
• Nov. 8, 2014 - Hawthorne Theater - Portland, OR *
• Nov. 10, 2014 - Regency Center - San Francisco, CA
• Nov. 11, 2014 - House of Blues - West Hollywood, CA
• Nov. 12, 2014 - House of Blues - Anaheim, CA
• Nov. 14, 2014 - The Marquee - Tempe, AZ
• Nov. 15, 2014 - Sunshine Theater - Albuquerque, NM *
• Nov. 16, 2014 - Ogden Theatre - Denver, CO
• Nov. 18, 2014 - Mill City Nights - Minneapolis, MN *
• Nov. 19, 2014 - Mojoes - Joliet, IL
• Nov. 20, 2014 - The Intersection - Grand Rapids, MI
• Nov. 21, 2014 - Majestic Theatre - Detroit, MI
• Nov. 22, 2014 - Bogarts - Cincinnati, OH
• Nov. 23, 2014 - House of Blues - Cleveland, OH
• *=without STARKILL

Arch Enemy and Kreator have teamed up for a North American tour that kicks off tonight (October 23) in Baltimore. The bands are commemorating the tour with a limited edition split 7-inch single.

Side A will be Arch Enemy’s version of Judas Priest's "Breaking the Law"; Side B will feature Kreator's "Iron Destiny." The artwork for the Arch Enemy side of the 7-inch was done by a fan, Ralfy Nuyles of the Philippines.

"When we do covers, we have a tendency to pick somewhat obscure songs," gutiarist Michael Amott said. "However, the iconic 'Breaking The Law' anthem by Judas Priest is anything but that, of course! This just started with a fun jam in the studio, and during the process we tried to make it sound as Arch Enemy as possible—it turned out pretty f'n cool and here it is. Enjoy!"

Fans will need to go to a show to buy the single, which will be sold at the merch table during the tour. Only 500 copies of the exclusive transparent red vinyl record will be available for the North American tour; 500 copies of a dark red version of the single will be sold during their European tour that begins three days after the North American leg ends.

Michael Amott of Arch Enemy chooses (and discusses) the record that changed his life.

Sex Pistols
Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols (1977)

“I grew up with my parents’ record collection, and they listened largely to classical, along with some jazz, blues, Motown, Stevie Wonder and David Bowie.

"I had a good foundation. When I first found my own music, it was Kiss. They were massive in Scandinavia. I wasn’t playing guitar yet, but I loved their music and image—especially Destroyer and ‘Detroit Rock City,’ with the harmonized guitar.

"Later, when I was about 11 and had started playing music, my friend came over one day after school and said, ‘Mike, we’re gonna be punks now.’ And I was like, ‘Okay! What’s that?’ He showed me a magazine with a picture of the Sex Pistols and played me their first album, Never Mind the Bollocks, on cassette tape. I loved it! And we started a band that day.”

Swedish/American/Canadian metal band Arch Enemy has announced a North American tour this October/November. Support on the tour will come from Kreator, Huntress & Starkill.

This will be the band's first tour in the U.S. since 2011, and the first American run to feature singer Alissa White-Gluz and guitarist Nick Cordle.

Arch Enemy dates with Kreator, Huntress & Starkill:

• Oct. 23 - Baltimore Soundstage - Baltimore, MD
• Oct. 24 - Best Buy Theater - New York, NY *
• Oct. 25 - The Palladium - Worcester, MA
• Oct. 26 - Upstate Concert Hall - Clifton Park, NY
• Oct. 27 - Metropolis - Montreal, QC
• Oct. 28 - Imperial Theater - Quebec City, QC
• Oct. 29 - The Opera House - Toronto, ON
• Nov. 01 - The Garrick Centre - Winnipeg, MB *
• Nov. 02 - Riddell Centre - Regina, SK *
• Nov. 03 - Macewan Hall Ballroom - Calgary, AB *
• Nov. 04 - Union Hall - Edmonton, AB *
• Nov. 06 - Commodore Ballroom - Vancouver, BC *
• Nov. 07 - Studio Seven - Seattle, WA *
• Nov. 08 - Hawthorne Theater - Portland, OR *
• Nov. 10 - Regency Center - San Francisco, CA
• Nov. 11 - House of Blues - West Hollywood, CA
• Nov. 12 - House of Blues - Anaheim, CA
• Nov. 14 - The Marquee - Tempe, AZ
• Nov. 15 - Sunshine Theater - Albuquerque, NM *
• Nov. 16 - Ogden Theatre - Denver, CO
• Nov. 18 - Mill City Nights - Minneapolis, MN *
• Nov. 19 - Mojoes - Joliet, IL
• Nov. 20 - The Intersection - Grand Rapids, MI
• Nov. 21 - Majestic Theatre - Detroit, MI
• Nov. 22 - Bogarts - Cincinnati, OH
• Nov. 23 - House of Blues - Cleveland, OH

In March 2014, fans of Swedish melodic death metal act Arch Enemy were dealt an unexpected blow when the band announced that long-running vocalist Angela Gossow was stepping down to focus on management of the band, a secondary role that she had been performing quietly since 2008.

“It was a very tough and emotional experience,” founding guitarist Michael Amott says of Gossow’s departure.

“It took a while to decide if we were just going to stop the band. But we realized that we still love playing and have a lot of music in us. But where would we go singer-wise?”

The answer arrived in the form of Alissa White-Gluz. Not only had she proved to be a capable performer as the frontwoman for Canadian extreme metallers the Agonist, she also was a close friend of Gossow’s.

In the following interview, Amott discusses how Arch Enemy survived the depature of Gossow, embraced Alissa White-Gluz and came to create their new record, War Eternal.

GUITAR WORLD: The new single "War Eternal" rips. I have to say, I wasn't sure what to expect when I heard Angela had left the band.

Oh cool, thanks. It’s hard for us to pick one song that's representative how the whole album sounds because there’s quite a lot of variety on the album. But we went for something that was kind of very typical of Arch Enemy that had all those classic things we’ve done in the past but with a new twist. You don’t want to shock people too much. Because we have a new singer and all that, so everything is pretty crazy.

Were you worried at all that fans would reject Alissa? Angela had become such a symbol of the band.

I was worried more last year. Back when we were putting it all together and I was sort of like, Okay, it’s not going to be Angela singing. It’s going to be this new girl. Alissa's really great, but still it’s somebody different. Metal fans don’t really take to change that well.

That’s true.

You know, I’m the same. I knew it had to be really good. We had to step it up and deliver something really special this time. So I put a lot of work into the album and the writing process. It was very very rigorous and went on for much longer than what we usually do. We did a lot of preproduction and demos.

So I think at some point last year, I was thinking more like, Hmm, I wonder how people are going to react to this. But once we’d done it and we’d completed the album and filmed the video and we did all the stuff, I was just ready to get the news out there. I was kind of over it. When it’s done it’s done...and I’m really proud of it. And the reaction has been overwhelmingly positive so far. I was expecting it to be more like 50/50, but it’s been a lot more positive. [laughs]

This is also the first Arch Enemy record without your brother [guitarist Christopher Amott]. Can you talk about what the songwriting process looked like this time around working with new guitarist Nick Cordle?

Well, it really started with me and Daniel [Erlandsson], the drummer, just sort of bashing out ideas in the rehearsal room, and doing little demos and drum machine stuff on the road.

So, I already had a bunch of ideas and then Nick joined, and that was a lot of fun because we started jamming with him as well. And then exactly a year ago, I went over to Virginia and brought my ideas over to Nick’s home studio. That was a lot of fun. I was there for two weeks and we were just jamming guitar every day and recording. That was with a drum machine, just knocking some songs together. And I think we came out of those sessions with like five songs, and a bunch of other loose bits and pieces too. One of those five songs was the single, “War Eternal.”

Seems like a very productive collaboration.

Definitely. We’ve really been collaborating. I mean I’ve always written the lion’s share of the music. But I do like to spice the dish with everybody’s ideas. There are some collaborations on there for sure on the album. There’s a lot of Nick. But there’s also arrangement stuff that we worked on together, and it’s quite intricate. There’s a lot of guitar stuff going on. For sure, it’s a different flavor with Nick because Nick is from a different school than my brother. That was just like a breath of fresh air. It took my song ideas in a different direction. It sounds different in a way, although familiar.

There's definitely some great interplay between your guitar parts on the album, especially on the solos.

Yeah, I mean it’s been my ambition from day one to write really quality guitar parts, with themes and melodies weaving in and out of each other and harmonized leads. It’s like classic metal stuff, I guess. Hard rock and metal, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. Stuff like that is a big influence, of course, on those parts.

I like to use technicality like one of the colors we use. I like to have a dash of that, just throw in some face melting riffage or soloing or something like that. But it’s not something I want to do all the time. We play around with time signatures and stuff like that as well, but we always try to do it in a way that is still catchy. I don’t want it to distract from the song. I’ve always liked a lot of melody.

There is a song called “No More Regrets.” We shot a video for that one as well, which has some very fast guitar playing. And then there’s another single we put out called “You Will Know My Name.” That’s one of the songs where I collaborated with an arranger and a conductor as well.

To step back for a minute and provide some context, could you describe what led Angela to leave her role as singer and focus on the band’s management?

Well, she’s been managing the band since 2008. It’s worked out very, very well for us. It’s been a lot more successful than when we were with a professional, sort of big management company. Suddenly we were making money and everything was working out for us. She’s definitely really good at that and it’s something she really enjoys doing as well. As far as the actual singing part, I don’t think it was an easy decision for her.

Were you surprised when she eventually delivered the news to the band?

It wasn’t such a big surprise really when she said she finally wanted to bow out as a front person for the band and singer, because the writing has been on the wall within in our camp. But, you know, the fans really idolize her and she was a very iconic front figure and she was like the first woman in a successful metal band doing it at the level that we’ve done it.

But it took a while for us to get our heads around what we were going to do, like, Were we going to stop the band? But then we realized we actually love playing and we’ve still got a lot of music in us. But where would we go singer-wise? All these songs are written for a woman to sing. And are there any other woman out there who are really strong, and Alissa was the first one we thought of. But I didn’t know if she’d be up for it or that she’d be interested, but when we found out that she was, that all sort of happened as well. She came over here and we did some demos with her as well and stuff like that. I have to say the first rehearsal with Alissa was really strange.

What was odd about those first rehearsals with Alissa?

She sounded so awesome, but I was thinking, like, you know, I wrote this song for Angela and now somebody else is singing it, and it just felt weird. But she sounded great. But it felt, I don’t know, weird. And then I called the other guys later that evening, the other guys, original guys, Sharlee the bass player and Daniel the drummer. They brought it up as well that it felt so weird. It took some getting used to. So I can understand for fans it’s gonna take time for some people to get into this.

The bottom line is that I think the album is fantastic and she is – it was either continue with a new singer — and luckily we found someone totally awesome or stop the band. And I guess we just wanted to keep playing really.

Photo: Patrik Ullaeus

Christopher Abbott, a former guitarist of Arch Enemy, has announced a new lineup and album for his band Armageddon. The official lyric video for "Captivity & Devourment", the title track off of the new album from the band, can be seen below.

Armageddon first came to life in Sweden in 1997 as a studio project with the release of Crossing The Rubicon, a sci-fi themed concept album. Two more full-length efforts followed, Embrace The Mystery in 2000 and Three in 2003. Both albums featured different lineups and a change in musical direction, with Amott remaining as the band's sole consistent member.

Due later in the year, Captivity & Devourment consists of 10 tracks.

The new Armageddon lineup is:

• Matt Hallquist - Lead Vocals
• Christopher Amott - Guitar, Clean Vocals
• Joey Concepcion - Guitar
• Sara Claudius - Bass
• Márton Veress - Drums

Arch Enemy have released the music video for "You Will Know My Name," a track from their upcoming studio album, War Eternal, which will be released June 10.

The video was directed by the band's long-time friend and collaborator, Patric Ullaeus. Be sure to let us know what you think of it in the comments or on Facebook!

War Eternal can be pre-ordered digitally in Europe and North America at iTunes and AmazonMP3, with "War Eternal," "As the Pages Burn" and "You Will Know My Name" available as instant downloads upon purchase.

For more about the band, check out the links below — and look for their current tour dates directly below the video.

Arch Enemy online:
• archenemy.net
• facebook.com/archenemyofficial
• youtube.com/user/archenemyofficial
• twitter.com/archenemymetal
• plus.google.com/+ArchEnemy

War Eternal track-listing:
01. Tempore Nihil Sanat (Prelude in F minor)
02. Never Forgive, Never Forget
03. War Eternal
04. As The Pages Burn
05. No More Regrets
06. You Will Know My Name
07. Graveyard Of Dreams
08. Stolen Life
09. Time Is Black
10. On And On
11. Avalanche
12. Down To Nothing
13. Not Long For This World
Bonus track: Shadow On The Wall (Mike Oldfield cover)

Arch Enemy live:
30.05.2014 - New Age Club - Roncade, Italy
31.05.2014 - Rock and Roll Arena - Romagnano Sesia (Novara), Italy
02.06.2014 - L'Etage - Rénnes, France
03.06.2014 - Le 106 - Rouen, France
04.06.2014 - La Laiterie - Strasbourg, France
05.06.2014 - Rosenhof - Osnabrück, Germany *
07.06.2014 - Sweden Rock Festival - Sölvesborg, Sweden
09.06.2014 - Studio USF - Bergen, Norway
10.06.2014 - John Dee - Oslo, Norway
11.06.2014 - Copenhell - Copenhagen, Denmark
13.06.2014 - Colos-Saal - Aschaffenburg, Germany *
14.06.2014 - Conrad Sohm - Dornbirn, Austria
15.06.2014 - Nova Rock - Nickelsdorf, Austria
27.06.2014 - Rock am Härtsfeldsee - Dischingen, Germany
09.07.2014 - RockMaraton - Pecs, Hungary
11.07.2014 - Rock Harz Open Air - Ballenstedt, Germany
12.07.2014 - Masters Of Rock - Vizovice, Czech Republic
13.07.2014 - Seven Festival - Wegorzewo, Poland
17.07.2014 - Devilstone Festival - Anyksciai, Lithuania
18.07.2014 - American Beauty Car Show - Haapsalu, Estonia
19.07.2014 - Dong Open Air - Neukirchen-Vluyn, Germany
02.08.2014 - Wacken Open Air - Wacken, Germany
07.08.2014 - Getaway Rock - Gävle, Sweden
08.08.2014 - Leyendas Del Rock - Alicante, Spain
09.08.2014 - Alcatraz Metal Festival - Kortrijk, Belgium
14.08.2014 - Summer Breeze - Dinkelsbühl, Germany
17.08.2014 - Alt-Fest - Kettering, UK
17.09.2014 - Kerubi - Joensuu, Finland
18.09.2014 - Pakkahuone - Tampere, Finland
19.09.2014 - The Circus - Helsinki, Finland
20.09.2014 - Lutakko - Jyväskylä, Finland
22.09.2014 - Re:Republic - Minsk, Belarus
23.09.2014 - Yunost' - Kiev, Ukraine
25.09.2014 - Arena Hall - Krasnodar, Russia
27.09.2014 - Glav Club - Moscow, Russia
28.09.2014 - Zal Ozhidaniya - Saint Petersburg, Russia
30.09.2014 - Otdykh Club - Novosibirsk, Russia
01.10.2014 - Angar Club - Omsk, Russia
03.10.2014 - Tele Club - Yekaterinburg, Russia
19.10.2014 - Loudpark 2014 - Saitama City, Japan
26.11.2014 - Le Transbordeur - Lyon, France **
27.11.2014 - L'Usine - Istres, France **
01.12.2014 - Le Bikini - Toulouse, France **
02.12.2014 - Le Bataclan - Paris, France **
04.12.2014 - 013 - Tilburg, Netherlands **
05.12.2014 - MHP Arena - Ludwigsburg, Germany **
06.12.2014 - Turbinenhalle - Oberhausen, Germany **
07.12.2014 - Garage - Saarbrücken, Germany **
08.12.2014 - Docks - Hamburg, Germany **
09.12.2014 - Huxleys - Berlin, Germany **
11.12.2014 - Schlachthof - Wiesbaden, Germany **
12.12.2014 - Eventhall - Geiselwind, Germany **
13.12.2014 - Tonhalle - München, Germany **
14.12.2014 - Z7 - Pratteln, Switzerland **
16.12.2014 - Institute - Birmingham, UK **
17.12.2014 - O2 Academy - Bristol, UK **
18.12.2014 - The Forum - London, UK **
19.12.2014 - Academy - Manchester, UK **
20.12.2014 - Academy - Dublin, Ireland **
21.12.2014 - QMU - Glasgow, UK **
22.12.2014 - O2 Academy - Newcastle, UK **
*=support by IZEGRIM and DYING GORGEOUS LIES
**=supporting KREATOR

Arch Enemy have released a new song, "As the Pages Burn."

You can hear it below. Be sure to let us know what you think in the comments or on Facebook.

The band will release their new album, War Eternal, June 10. It will be the band's first album with new vocalist Alissa White-Gluz, former frontwoman of the Agonist, who replaced longtime singer Angela Gossow.

Extreme metallers Arch Enemy have introduced a new member — Alissa White-Gluz, the former vocalist from Canadian act the Agonist.

Angela Gossow, who joined Arch Enemy in 2000 and made her debut on Wages Of Sin (2001), will be stepping down as front-woman and focusing on the band's management.

Now the band have debuted a music video — the title track from their upcoming album, War Eternal, which will be released in June — and you can check it out below. The video was produced by Patric Ullaeus.

"This is a day to remember," says guitarist Michael Amott. "It is such a great feeling to come back with new music and to unleash the first single and video off War Eternal."

Check it out below — and be sure to tell us what you think in the comments! Also, you can see the band's current tour dates below the video.

ARCH ENEMY LIVE 2014

• 23.05.2014 Turbohalle, Bucharest, Romania
• 24.05.2014 Metal Summer Festival, Istanbul, Turkey
• 25.05.2014 Mixtape 5, Sofia, Bulgaria
• 27.05.2014 Majestic Music Club, Bratislava, Slovakia
• 29.05.2014 Rock and Roll Arena, Romagnano Sesia (Novara), Italy
• 30.05.2014 New Age Club, Roncade, Italy
• 02.06.2014 L'Etage, Rennes, France
• 03.06.2014 Le 106, Rouen, France
• 04.06.2014 La Laiterie, Strasbourg, France
• 05.06.2014 Rosenhof, Osnabrück, Germany
• 07.06.2014 Sweden Rock Festival, Sölvesborg, Sweden
• 09.06.2014 Studio USF, Bergen, Norway
• 10.06.2014 John Dee, Oslo, Norway
• 11.06.2014 Copenhell, Copenhagen, Denmark
• 13.06.2014 Colos-Saal, Aschaffenburg, Germany
• 14.06.2014 Conrad Sohm, Dornbirn, Austria
• 15.06.2014 Nova Rock - Nickelsdorf, Austria
• 27.06.2014 Rock am Härtsfeldsee, Dischingen, Germany
• 09.07.2014 RockMaraton, Pecs, Hungary
• 11.07.2014 Rock Harz Open Air, Ballenstedt, Germany
• 12.07.2014 Masters Of Rock, Vizovice, Czech Republic
• 13.07.2014 Seven Festival, Wegorzewo, Poland
• 19.07.2014 Dong Open Air, Neukirchen-Vluyn, Germany
• 02.08.2014 Wacken Open Air, Wacken, Germany
• 07.08.2014 Getaway Rock, Gävle, Sweden
• 08.08.2014 Leyendas Del Rock, Alicante, Spain
• 09.08.2014 Alcatraz Metal Festival, Kortrijk, Belgium
• 14.08.2014 Summer Breeze, Dinkelsbühl, Germany
• 17.08.2014 Alt-Fest, Kettering, UK
• 22.09.2014 Re:Republic, Minsk, Belarus
• 23.09.2014 Yunost', Kiev, Ukraine
• 25.09.2014 Arena Hall, Krasnodar, Russia
• 27.09.2014 Glav Club, Moscow, Russia
• 28.09.2014 Zal Ozhidaniya, Saint Petersburg, Russia
• 30.09.2014 Otdykh Club, Novosibirsk, Russia
• 01.10.2014 Angar Club, Omsk, Russia
• 03.10.2014 Tele Club, Yekaterinburg, Russia

Less than two weeks ago, it was announced that Arsis guitarist Nick Cordle had been tapped to join Arch Enemy after the latest departure of Christopher Amott.

"I could not be happier that Nick landed the gig with Arch Enemy," said Arsis mainman James Malone. "He is by far the best musician I have ever collaborated with."

While Nick seems like a perfect fit to join Arch Enemy, let's not forget that Nick will still be kicking ass in Arsis, who are currently working on the follow-up to 2010's Starve for the Devil.

Not wanting to keep the fans waiting, though, the guys just sent over this pre-production demo of a brand new song, "Choking on Sand." Check it out below!

"I truly feel the new music is some of the best material we have ever written,” Malone added about the band's new music. “I know every band always says that when they are working on new music, but I do truly mean it."

The band's new album is tentatively set for a late 2012/early 2013 release.

Earlier today, we reported that guitarist Christopher Amott had parted ways with Arch Enemy. Amott, a founding member of the band, had previously quit the band for a short period of time between 2005 and 2007.

Amott has now released a statement on his departure, which reads, "I have left Arch Enemy to pursue my solo career. I'm gonna continue to be very active in music, working with all kinds of styles — this does not rule out metal. I have just recorded a new solo album, set to be released in April."

In their previous statement, the band also mentioned that "Christopher simply isn't into playing extreme metal anymore."

Christopher Amott's replacement in Arch Enemy will be Nick Cordle of Arsis.

Amott's last album with Arch Enemy was last year's Khaos Legions.

Sweden's Arch Enemy have officially parted ways with longtime guitarist Christopher Amott. Amott was a founding member of the band back in 1996, and has been when the band on and off since.

The band issued a collective statement on the matter, saying, "We thank Christopher for the time he's worked with the band and of course wish him the very best in his future endeavours. Thankfully, there is no drama behind the scenes here. This is the best way forward for all involved. Christopher simply isn't into playing extreme metal anymore. We have already chosen and rehearsed with a new guitar player and we will complete the Khaos Legions 2012 touring cycle as planned. We are highly motivated and look forward to continue spreading our music around the world! Finally, our deepest thanks go to the Arch Enemy fans, whose amazing support and belief inspires us ever onward."

Filling Christopher's shoes will be Arsis guitarist Nick Cordle.

"Nick was my first choice as he ticks all the right boxes for Arch Enemy with his musicality and technicality as well as his personality and dedication," said Arch Enemy guitarist Michael Amott. "[We are] looking forward to having him join us stage, the rehearsals have shown we have a devastating twin axe attack going on!"

Arch Enemy's latest album, Khaos Legions, was released last year.

Female-fronted Swedish melodic death metal band Arch Enemy have steadily built up their fan following.

They have released nine studio albums in the past 15 years and toured with the biggest names in heavy metal, including Iron Maiden, Motorhead, Megadeth, Opeth and many others.

Today, they are huge enough to embark on North American tours of their own. The last time they ran through the continent was with Exodus, Arsis and Mutiny Within in early 2010, and now they are back on the "North American Khaos Tour" with three excellent opening acts: DevilDriver, Skeletonwitch and Chthonic.

Their latest album, Khaos Legions, was released last June and turned out to be the band's highest-charting album thus far. They are using this tour to present it on stage exactly the way it should be.

A few hours before their September 27 show at Club Nokia in Los Angeles, I had a chance to sit down with guitarists Michael Amott and Chris Amott to talk about this tour, the support acts, gear, cover songs on the special edition of the album and lots more.

Watch the 10-minute conversation below, and check out the band's official website.

Andrew Bansal is a Los Angeles-based writer who has been running his own website, Metal Assault, since early 2010, and has been prolific in covering the hard rock and heavy metal scene by posting interviews, reviews and pictures on his website -- with the help of a small group of people. Besides being hugely passionate about heavy metal, he is an avid follower of jazz music and recently started a blog called Jazz Explorer to pursue that interest.

Arch Enemy have just debuted their new music video for "Bloodstained Cross" over at Revolver's website. You can watch the video, which features never-before-seen live footage, at this location.

The band released their eight studio album, Khaos Legions, back in May via Nuclear Blast Records.

Arch Enemy have also announced a new string of North American tour dates for the fall, which you can find below.

Arch Enemy Tour Dates

• Sept. 08 – Baltimore, MD – Rams Head
• Sept. 09 – New York, NY – Best Buy Theater
• Sept. 10 – Worcester, MA – The Palladium
• Sept. 12 – Quebec City, QC – Imperial
• Sept. 13 – Montreal, QC – Metropolis
• Sept. 14 – Toronto, ON – Phoenix
• Sept. 17 – Winnipeg, MB – The Garrick Center
• Sept. 19 – Calgary, AB – MacEwan Hall
• Sept. 20 – Edmonton, AB – Edmonton Events Centre
• Sept. 22 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom
• Sept. 23 – Seattle, WA – Showbox
• Sept. 24 – Spokane, WA – Knitting Factory
• Sept. 26 – San Francisco, CA – Regency Center
• Sept. 27 – Los Angeles, CA – Nokia Theatre
• Sept. 29 – Phoenix, AZ – The Marquee
• Sept. 30 – Albuquerque, NM – The Sunshine Theater
• Oct. 01 – Denver, CO – The Gothic Theatre
• Oct. 03 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
• Oct. 04 – Chicago, IL – House of Blues

On Friday, July 22, two separate attacks killed nearly 100 people in Norway. A bombing in downtown Oslo and a shooting a youth camp on Utoya Island shook the normally peaceful nation, with Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg saying, "Not since the Second World War has the country experienced such an atrocity."

As of this morning, the death toll in the attacks has risen to 93. You can read the latest developments at CNN.

Members of the music community have already issued a number of statements on the tragic events, which you can read below.

Nikki Sixx (Motley Crue) "My heart goes out to the families and victims in Oslo.Completely pointless & hard to understand what would make someone do such insanity."

Slash "The Norway tragedy is so depressing. Those poor people. My heart goes out to them all."

Scott Ian (Anthrax, The Damned Things): "The horror played out today in Norway sickens me to my core... my thoughts are with you."

Matt Sorum (Velvet Revolver, ex-Guns N' Roses): "Thoughts and prayers to the people of Norway I am so sorry for this tragedy,, I hold Norway very close to my heart and this saddens me deeply."

Gene Simmons (Kiss) "Our hearts go out to the wonderful people of Norway in their time of tragedy. Extremism, whether from the Middle East, or from Rightist Extremism in Europe is to be condemned. And never tolerated."

Anette Olzon (Nightwish): "I weep with Norway in this horrible day after the events yesterday where 91 persons died, most of them children and young people. It´s just so horrible that I dont have words for how I feel but I send my condolances to the victims families, the survivors and all of Norway. We really need to reach out to each other instead of hating..."

Arch Enemy: "Watching the news with heavy hearts. Our thoughts are with our brothers and sisters in Norway. What a horrifying attack. It is hard to believe what happened."

Sharon Osbourne: "The people in Norway are such gentle lovely people. My thoughts and prayers are with them."

Kamelot: "On behalf of all the Kamelot members and organization, our hearts go out to all those affected in the recent attacks in Oslo."

Enslaved: "Our deepest condolences and thoughts go out to everybody touched by the fathomless tragedy that struck Norway yesterday. This is indeed a day for afterthought."

Meshuggah: "Dear friends, we guess many of you have already heard and read about the terror attacks that took place in Oslo and the island Utoya in Norway yesterday where as of now 91 people have been killed. 84 of them between 14-18 years old. Our thoughts goes out to the Norwegian people, the families and friends affected by these horrible acts."

Uriah Heep: "What has happened, is beyond words! Our deepest sympathy goes out to each and every family, and our prayers and thoughts are with them at this difficult time!"

Tony Harnell (TNT): "To all my fans and dear friends in my second home of Norway, I send you my warmest thoughts and my arms are wrapped around you. You'll get through it like the Vikings you are! My thoughts are with you all during this terrible tragedy. It's too bad the problems of the world have finally reached sweet little Norway."

Pagan's Mind: "Words are too small to express how we feel right now. 91 people killed, most of them youngsters same age as some of our own kids... But it's important to keep living life like a dream and don't let bastards like this coward gunman, who didn't even have the guts to end his own misery before police arrested him, ruin your freedom of speech and freedom to explore the world."

3 Inches of Blood: "Saddened to hear of the violence going on in Norway. Our thoughts go out to you!"

Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (Guns N' Roses): "Giving my love to Oslo."

Vanishing Point: "Our thoughts go out to our friends and fans in Norway. Today is a sad day for such a peaceful country and people."

Mercenary: "Our thoughts go out to our neighbors in Norway. What happened in Oslo and on Utøya is beyond horrible. No words can express how deeply we wish the ones responsible for these terrorist acts may be severely punished."

Liv Kristine (Leave's Eyes, ex-Theatre Of Tragedy): "Norway's soul is hurt. My deepest thoughts go to my home country, to the victims and their families. Norway is an amazingly beautiful country and a safe place to live. Such an attack on our democracy and our peaceful nation must be condemned to the sharpest. Any form of radicalism must be destroyed at its source. This is terrible and must never happen again."

Sweden's Arch Enemy has announced a headlining run of shows through the US and Canada. Dubbed the North American Khaos 2011 tour, the trek will kick off in September. The North American leg of Arch Enemy's world tour will begin in Baltimore on Sept. 8 and features support from DevilDriver, Skeltonwitch and Chthonic.

"We pledge to the United States of America and its beautiful neighbour Canada that we will only bring the utmost heavy metal Khaos to your shores!" said vocalist Angela Gossow. "We can't wait to kick off this tour come September. After all the European summer festivals, we are ready to fire!"

"We are very happy to be coming back to the US and Canada hot on the heels of our new Khaos Legions opus!" added guitarist Michael Amott. "We're working on a special set list and some other surprises. We chose the other bands on the bill because they are all killer, and bring their own terrifying brand of brutal steel! Yes, good times lie ahead for the metal connoisseur of North America!"

Arch Enemy is touring in support of its first collection of new material since 2007, Khaos Legions.

Guitar World recently spoke to Arch Enemy guitarist Michael Amott about the band's new album. Check out the full interview here.

Arch Enemy's North American Khaos 2011 tour dates:

• September
• 8 – Baltimore, MD – Rams Head
• 9 – New York, NY – Best Buy Theater
• 10 – Worcester, MA – The Palladium
• 12 – Quebec City, QC – Imperial
• 13 – Montreal, QC – Metropolis
• 14 – Toronto, ON - Phoenix
• 17 – Winnipeg, MB – The Garrick Center
• 19 – Calgary, AB - MacEwan Hall
• 20 – Edmonton, AB – Edmonton Events Centre
• 22 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom
• 23 – Seattle, WA - Showbox
• 24 – Spokane, WA – Knitting Factory
• 26 – San Francisco, CA – Regency Center
• 27 – Los Angeles, CA – Nokia Theatre
• 29 – Phoenix, AZ – The Marquee
• 30 – Albuquerque, NM - The Sunshine

October
1 – Denver, CO – The Gothic
3 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
4 – Chicago, IL – House of Blues

Sweden’s Arch Enemy are streaming their forthcoming album, Khaos Legions, in its entirety this weekend on the band’s MySpace page.

The stream is live now through June 6, so click over to hear the band’s ninth studio album before it hits stores on June 7 via Century Media Records.

GuitarWorld.com recently spoke to Arch Enemy guitarist Michael Amott about the new album. Amott revealed that the band wrote much of the new record on the road, capturing riffs and melodies, then putting them together in post-production.

"We just started trying to piece all these things together into proper songs," Amott said. "It was kind of like a heavy metal jigsaw puzzle!"

Click here for the full chat, which covered the songwriting process for the album, gear and more!

Tuesday, June 7, marks the release of the first new album of original material from Sweden’s Arch Enemy in almost four years. Guitar World recently caught up with Arch Enemy guitarist Michael Amott about the band’s new album, Khaos Legions.

GUITAR WORLD: It’s been four years since the last Arch Enemy album, but in 2009 you released The Root of All Evil, which saw the band re-recording tracks from your first three albums. Do you think revisiting your older material had an impact on the new album?

MICHAEL AMOTT: It probably had some effect. I hadn’t thought too much about that, but it probably did. You know how everything you do and all those experiences turn up later on. I think it was kind of cool. On The Root of All Evil, we kind of covered ourselves from the first three records. It was cool for me and Chris [Amott, Arch Enemy guitarist] to go back and revisit those guitar arrangements and try to figure it all out.

Some stuff it was like, “Wow, this was cool; we should do stuff like this again!” And some stuff was like, “This kind of sucks” [laughs]. So it was obviously interesting.

Have you guys been writing for the new album since the last all-original album?

Yeah, since 2007, absolutely.

This album might be your most consistent one. Do you think letting the songs gestate for three or four years is the reason for that?

Probably. Usually we kind of come out of a world tour on a Friday and start pre-production for the next album on a Monday [laughs]. That’s how it’s been for 10 years for us, pretty much.

We definitely had more time, but we’ve been on the road a lot as well. We tour like crazy. We actually learned something, which is how to write on the road. You know, just capture little riffs, licks, little melodic ideas, chord progressions or whatever. We’ve been able to capture those ideas and save them for later. And we just got really into that routine.

We didn’t really get that year to write material. That doesn’t really happen, so we just got in the routine these last few years of writing on the road.

That sounds really serious, but really it’s just me and my brother backstage jamming, improvising something and then saying, “That’s really cool. Let’s record that real quickly.”

How did all those ideas start to come together when pre-production time rolled around?

When we actually started pre-production for the new album in the summer of last year, we just started trying to piece all these things together into proper songs. It was kind of like a heavy metal jigsaw puzzle! [laughs]

We just had a lot of material this time, so that’s why you have the variety.

The album kicks off with a couple of faster tracks, like “Bloodstained Cross” and “Yesterday Is Dead And Gone.” Then there’s something like “Under Black Flags We March,” which is more plodding …

Yeah, that’s like our Judas Priest bastard child. If we had a melodic thing around that, then it’d be straight-up heavy metal. But, uh, fortunately we don’t. [laughs]

We have a lot of melody with the guitars and a lot of aggressive riffs as well. We have these extreme dynamics where we go from aggressive, heavy, fast, brutal riffing to some very sweet, kind of emotional guitar lines. Then when Angela sings on top of it all, it just sounds like Arch Enemy.

Talk a little bit about your songwriting process for Khaos Legions. You’re the main songwriter in the band, correct?

I’m the main contributor of music, but I don’t really write full songs. I just bring a bunch of riffs to rehearsal and we do it the old-school way.

It seems like every time I read an interview with a band nowadays, they’re talking about the latest software they have, and how much easier that made it for them to complete an album. How everyone can email each other files and stuff. We don’t do it like that at all! [laughs] We just get in our rehearsal room and play too loud for hours on end. I started my first band when I was 14, and I’m still doing it the same way. [laughs]

That’s what I really get out of it, the give and take, the communication that you have with other musicians and the music you create together takes it to the next level. Hopefully. When you get it right. [laughs]

Was there anything different about the creation of Khaos Legions compared to your other albums?

We spent a lot more time on this album, and we engineered a lot of it ourselves. We worked and Angela tracked the vocals in another studio, a smaller studio that she had access to around the clock so she could go in and scream when she was angry in the middle of the night. [laughs]We had a good way of working on this album. We gave ourselves a lot of time, but in the end we were right up against the deadline with the delivery date.How much material did you record for this album?We actually recorded, I think, 21 pieces of music for this album. There were, I think, three cover tunes, and then some instrumental pieces that aren’t mixed yet. I think we might put that out as an EP later this year or the beginning of next year.You’re known for bringing a lot of guitars in the studio with you when recording. Were there any on this record that you found yourself really coming back to?You know what? You’re never going to believe this, but I actually used my Dean signature model [the Michael Amott Signature Tyrant Bloodstorm], the one that I play live a lot. That’s the one I tracked all the rhythms on.I brought in some other guitars, some Les Pauls and stuff. I wanted to play my signature model guitar on the album, but a lot of times when you bring in your favorite guitar, the engineer or the producer will say, “You know what, that guitar is really cool to play, but actually this guitar sounds better.”Then you’re like, “Fuck, now I have to fight with this big fat old …” [laughs] But actually this time my signature guitar sounded the best, so I was really happy about that. I had a lot of fun playing it because that guitar fits my hands really well.What did Chris use to track his rhythms?My brother used my signature guitar for his rhythm parts as well. We had to stick to one guitar for the rhythms because we tracked four rhythm tracks and we didn’t want to get into any tuning or intonation issues. Then to get different tones, we used various amps and different cabs instead of different guitars.You’ve long been known as a Randall guy as far as amps go, but I know you and Chris have been playing Marshalls live a lot lately. What sort of amps made their way onto the new record?For rhythm tracks, is was the Marshall JVM410 with a Maxon Tube Screamer in front of it, and that is pretty savage sounding!For my solos, that was kind of an elaborate set-up, actually. I used a vintage Marshall JCM800. It’s got a very warm sound, a really human sound, if you know what I mean. It’s not this fizzy, nasty distortion. I wanted a really classic lead guitar sound like Michael Shencker or somebody like that. A really nice, sweet tone, and I think you can’t beat the older Marshalls for that.What about effects?I’ve got a signature wah now with Home Brew Electronics, a small company from Arizona, and we’ve been working on a signature wah and this one is really, really good. Otherwise I don’t use that much else. All the echoes and delays are just this old Rockman half-rack unit. For the cleans we had an old Roland Jazz Chorus.Did you add any effects in ProTools during the mixing process?We didn’t add any other effects in ProTools so we tracked all those effects, like the MXR Phase 90 on my solo on “Bloodstained Cross.”That might surprise some people who think of Arch Enemy as a pretty high-tech band.From what I’ve read, it seems people have this idea that we’re kind of like this really high-tech band, but actually we’re pretty old school in our approach to gear. We don’t use active pickups like most bands in our genre. It seems like everyone is using them, but I find them to be too linear in tone for me. They’re great for rhythms, but when it comes to the leads, I like to hear more. I don’t know, it’s something … something in the air. [laughs]Look out for an edition of "The Inquirer" with Michael Amott in the August issue of Guitar World.

Megadeth are gearing up to record their new album, the as-yet-untitled follow-up to 2009′s Endgame, next week with producer Johnny K (Disturbed, Sevendust, Machine Head).

The album is slated for a fall 2011 release through Roadrunner Records, with drum tracking due to begin next week. Johnny K replaces Andy Sneap behind the board, who was forced to pull out due to scheduling conflicts.

Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine recently said fans can expect the new album to be “more like Endgame, maybe sticking in that vein and going a little forward toward what I like.”

Dave Ellefson, speaking with UGO, told fans they could expect it to “be heavy, hooky, and have the trademarks you’d come to expect from us.”

The band hope to wrap up recording by the time they are scheduled to start playing summer dates as part of the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival on June 9.

Megadeth also will take part in the Big Four concert on Sept. 19 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx in New York City.

In other news, Mustaine has launched a new project called Red Lamb with former Anthrax guitarist Dan Spitz, Accept bassist Peter Baltes and Yngwie Malmsteen drummer Patrick Johansson. Most of the music will be taken from Spitz's aborted Deuxmonkey project with ex-Crimson Glory frontman Wade Black, which fell apart when Black quit back in April due to creative differences.

We've partnered with Arch Enemy to present to you the first-ever look at the band's new video "Yesterday Is Dead and Gone" (see video below). The song is from the Swedish heavy metal act's forthcoming record, Khaos Legions (Century Media), which is slated to hit stores on June 7th. Khaos Legions is Arch Enemy’s ninth studio album and marks a return to new, original material, after 2008's Tyrants Of The Rising Sun – Live In Japan live DVD/CD and 2009's re-recordings album, The Root Of All Evil. “This album is kind of nuts,” says guitarist Michael Amott. “It’s a very exciting record for me because it encapsulates everything that Arch Enemy is about. It was written over a four year period, so I think that’s why it’s got a lot of depth and girth to it”

This is the Player for GW V2.0

KHAOS LEGIONS tracklist: 1.Khaos Overture (intro) 2.Yesterday Is Dead And Gone 3.Bloodstained Cross 4.Under Black Flags We March 5.No Gods, No Masters 6.City Of The Dead 7.Through The Eyes Of A Raven 8.Cruelty Without Beauty 9.We Are A Godless Entity (Instrumental) 10.Cult Of Chaos 11.Thorns In My Flesh 12.Turn To Dust (Instrumental) 13.Vengeance Is Mine 14.Secrets Produced by Rickard Bengtsson and ARCH ENEMY Mixed and mastered by Andy Sneap KOVERED IN KHAOS bonus CD tracklist*: 1.Warning (Discharge) 2.Wings Of Tomorrow (Europe) 3.The Oath (Kiss) 4.The Book Of Heavy Metal (Dream Evil) *CD2 of the ltd edition and also on the Double LP vinyl Arch Enemy Line-Up: Angela Gossow – vocals Michael Amott – guitars Christopher Amott – guitars Sharlee D’Angelo – bass Daniel Erlandsson – drums ARCH ENEMY LIVE KHAOS: May-14-2011 - Boulevard Festival @ C.O.C. Stadium, Casablanca (Morocco) May-27-2011 - Metalfest Open Air Switzerland, Pratteln May-28-2011 - Metalfest Open Air Germany, Dessau May-29-2011 - Metalfest Open Air Austria, Mining May-31-2011 - Majestic Music Club, Bratislava (Slovakia) June-04-2011 - Metalfest Open Air Hungary June-05-2011 - Metalfest Open Air Czech Republic June-18-2011 - Metaltown 2011, Gothenburg (Sweden) June-23-2011 - Kulturfabrik, Luxembourg June-25-2011 - Graspop Metal Meeting Dessel (Belgium) July-01-2011 – Matrix, Bochum (Germany) July-02-2011 - Fortarock Festival Park Brakkenstein, Nijmegen (Netherlands) July-10-2011 – Sonisphere Knebworth, Apollo Stage (UK) July-12-2011 - Metal Camp, Tolmin, Slovenia July-14-2011 - Lez' Art Scenique Festival, Selesat (France) July-15-2011 - Sonisphere Spain, Getafe-Open Air July-22-2011 - Tuska, Suvilahti, Helsinki (Finland) July-30-2011 - MetaLmorphosiS 2011 (Cyprus) August-18-2011 - Summer Breeze Open Air Dinkelsbühl (Germany)

Swedish melodic death metallers Arch Enemy released a three-minute documentary about their performance at AJZ Bahndamm in Wermelskirchen, Germany. The intimate showcase took place on March 14th in front of 150 select fans and media to celebrate the band's new album, Khaos Legions. The documentary also includes some unheard snippets of a new song, “Yesterday Is Dead And Gone,” which will be made available to the public this Friday (April 1st) as a free download. Check out the clip below.

Swedish extreme metal powerhouse, Arch Enemy, has set a late spring/early summer release for its ninth studio album, entitled Khaos Legions, via Century Media. The band tapped artist Brent Elliott White (Megadeth, Death Angel) to design the cover art. View the cover below.

Arch Enemy has also confirmed several summer dates and festivals in support of the forthcoming album, including a newly added performance on Sonisphere Festival 2011. Check out the band's itinerary below.

Arch Enemy – Live 2011:

• 14 May 2011 - Boulevard Festival @ C.O.C. Stadium, Morocco, Casablanca
• 27 May 2011 - Metalfest Open Air Switzerland, Pratteln
• 28 May 2011 - Metalfest Open Air Germany, Dessau
• 29 May 2011 - Metalfest Open Air Austria, Mining
• 31 May 2011 - Majestic Music Club, Bratislava, Slovakia
• 04 Jun 2011 - Metalfest Open Air Hungary
• 05 Jun 2011 - Metalfest Open Air Czech Republic
• 25 Jun 2011 - Graspop Metal Meeting Dessel, Belgium
• 10 Jul 2011 – Sonisphere (Apollo Stage), Knebworth, UK
• 12 Jul 2011 - Metal Camp, Tolmin, Slovenia
• 14 Jul 2011 - Lez' Art Scenique Festival, Selesat, France
• 22 Jul 2011 - Tuska, Suvilahti, Helsinki, Finland
• 30 Jul 2011 - MetaLmorphosiS 2011, Cyprus
• 18 Aug 2011 - Summer Breeze Open Air Dinkelsbühl, Germany
• 27 Aug 2011 - Summers End Open Air, Andernach, Germany

Swedish melodic death metal band Arch Enemy has begun recording its ninth studio album of all-new music, which follows last year's re-recordings album The Root of All Evil. The yet-to-be-named album will be self-produced by Arch Enemy with Rickard Bengtsson engineering and mixing (who also produced 2005's Doomsday Machine).

The band has recently entered Sweetspot Studio in the south of Sweden for the album’s recording process and drummer Daniel Erlandsson, who just finished off tracking his parts, checked in with the following report: "After an intense but inspiring stay in the studio, I've just completed recording the drum tracks for the upcoming Arch Enemy album! We're working once again with Rickard Bengtsson, who produced Doomsday Machine, and he quickly dialed in an absolutely pristine drum tone! I've also had the expertise of local drum guru Beppe Wackelin at hand, helping out with tuning and kindly letting me use some of his vintage drums. This time around I've used a Pearl Reference drum kit, while incorporating various snare drums on songs that demanded a slightly different feel.

"We had a very inspiring and creative time writing this album, [and] I think this is definitely evident when listening to the new songs. There's tons of variation in the material, ranging all the way from very melodic to extremely heavy. As you can expect there's no shortage of killer riffs and intricate guitar work; the Amott Bros have come up with some very cool yet demanding ideas! This album has some of the fastest songs I've ever recorded, along with a bunch of heavy pounding mid tempo songs. As always, it's difficult to describe music in words - but rest assured - this album will be one heavy fucker!"

A video of Daniel recording can be seen here. The band has also confirmed several summer dates and festivals in support of the forthcoming album. Check the dates below.

• 27-May-2011 - Metalfest Open Air - Switzerland, Pratteln
• 28-May-2011 - Metalfest Open Air - Germany, Dessau
• 29-May-2011 - Metalfest Open Air - Austria, Mining
• 31-May 2011 - Majestic Music Club - Bratislava, Slovakia
• 04-June-2011 - Metalfest Open Air - Hungary
• 05-June-2011 - Metalfest Open Air - Czech Republic
• 25-June-2011 - Graspop Metal Meeting - Dessel, Belgium
• 12-July-2011 - Metal Camp - Tolmin, Slovenia
• 14-July-2011 - Lez' Art Scenique Festival - Selesat, France
• 22-July-2011 - Tuska, Suvilahti - Helsinki, Finland
• 18/19/20-August-2011 - Summer Breeze Open Air - Dinkelsbühl, Germany
• 27-August-2011 - Summers End Open Air - Andernach, Germany

To celebrate the release of Arch Enemy's forthcoming album, The Root Of All Evil, which comes out on October 6 on Century Media Records, Guitar World is pleased to offer a free download of "Pilgrim."

Click here to download Arch Enemy's "Pilgrim."

The Root of All Evil contains a selection of completely re-recorded tracks from the band’s first three albums Black Earth (1996), Stigmata (1998) and Burning Bridges (1999), re-energized and upgraded by the band’s current, definitive line-up, which includes vocalist Angela Gossow, guitarists/brothers Michael and Christopher Amott, bassist Sharlee D'Angelo and drummer Daniel Erlandsson.

The Root of All Evil Tracklist:
1. "The Root of All Evil (Intro)" – 1:06
2. "Beast of Man" – 3:45
3. "The Immortal" – 3:47
4. "Diva Satanica" – 3:48
5. "Demonic Science" – 5:24
6. "Bury Me an Angel" – 4:25
7. "Dead Inside" – 4:24
8. "Dark Insanity" – 3:25
9. "Pilgrim" – 4:50
10. "Demoniality" – 1:40
11. "Transmigration Macabre" – 3:33
12. "Silverwing" – 4:22
13. "Bridge of Destiny" – 7:53

The second coming of Megadeth’s acclaimed traveling metal festival Gigantour arrives on both DVD and CD April 22 via Image Entertainment — just 10 days after Gigantour’s latest incarnation begins its North American invasion April 12 in Denver. Conceived in 2005 by Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine, Gigantour — proclaimed “the mother of all shred fests” by Revolver magazine — resurrects metal’s focus on stellar musicianship.

The Gigantour 2 DVD and CD follow Image Entertainment’s fall 2006 release of the debut Gigantour CD and DVD which featured unforgettable performances by Megadeth, Dream Theater, Fear Factory, Anthrax (CD only), Nevermore, Life of Agony, Symphony X, Dry Kill Logic and Bobaflex.

Gigantour 2 features over an hour of blistering performances by iconic and influential heavy metal pioneers Megadeth — who have sold more than 20 million albums worldwide in a career now spanning 25 years — along with Lamb of God, Opeth, Arch Enemy, Overkill, the Smashup and Into Eternity. Recorded in DTS 5.1 surround sound, the DVD version also features a behind the scenes look at the 2006 tour, while both the DVD and CD offer a hidden bonus track — Megadeth’s ever-relevant “Peace Sells.”

In February Megadeth heads to Europe — where recently announced new guitarist Chris Broderick (Nevermore, Jag Panzer) will make his debut with the band alongside Mustaine, drummer Shawn Drover, and bassist James Lomenzo — before returning for this year’s Gigantour.

The 29-date North American trek kicks off April 12 at the Fillmore in Denver and criss-crosses the U.S. and Canada until its May 22 finale at the Mesa Amphitheatre in Phoenix. Joining Megadeth on this year’s tour are Scandinavian death metal band In Flames, Finland’s Children of Bodom, Arizona’s modern extreme Job for a Cowboy and Oakland, CA, heavy power trio High on Fire.

For more information, visit www.gigantour.com, www.megadeth.com and www.image-entertainment.com.

Gigantour 2 DVD and CD track listings:

DVD:

• 1. THE SMASHUP Effigy
• 2. SANCTITY Beneath the Machine
• 3. INTO ETERNITY Severe Emotional Distress
• 4. OVERKILL Necroshine
• 5. OVERKILL Rotten to the Core
• 6. ARCH ENEMY We Will Rise
• 7. ARCH ENEMY Nemesis
• 8. OPETH The Leper Affinity
• 9. LAMB OF GOD Vigil
• 10. LAMB OF GOD Now You’ve Got Something to Die For
• 11. MEGADETH Take No Prisoners
• 12. MEGADETH The Scorpion
• 13. MEGADETH Washington is Next!

CD:

1. THE SMASH UP: Rachel’s Day
2. SANCTITY: Zeppo
3. INTO ETERNITY: Timeless Winter
4. OVERKILL: Thanks for Nothing
5. OVERKILL: Long Time Dying
6. ARCH ENEMY: Nemesis
7. ARCH ENEMY: We Will Rise
8. OPETH: Window Pane
9. LAMB OF GOD: Vigil
10. LAMB OF GOD: Red Neck
11. LAMB OF GOD: Something to Die For
12. MEGADETH: Take No Prisoners
13. MEGADETH: The Scorpion
14. MEGADETH: Washington Is Next!

Arch Enemy have completed work on their new album. The new disc, Rise of the Tyrant, is the follow-up to 2005's Doomsday Machine, the band's most successful album to date. They have once again enlisted the duties of acclaimed producer Fredrik Nordström (Dimmu Borgir, In Flames) at Sweden's Studio Fredman, where the band recorded all of their albums through Wages of Sin (2001). Look for Rise of The Tyrant everywhere on Sept. 25 and see below for its track listing.

Arch Enemy guitarist Michael Amott comments on the new album and the upcoming touring activities as follows: “To all Arch Enemy fans! So how does it sound, you ask? Well, I am of the opinion that we have made the 'ultimate Arch Enemy album!' To me, this album sounds like the perfect mix of melody and brutality. This album is a an organic and honest statement from the band-it's pure f**king metal at its absolute best, the Arch Enemy way.

“Fredrik Nordström did a killer mix on the record-the sound is big and intense! This album has everything that Arch Enemy represents in my mind. I can't wait to release it and play these songs live for you, the fans! Actually, we have to start rehearsing at some point this summer. We will be playing a couple of festivals in the U.K. (Bloodstock) and Germany (Up from the Ground). These will be the first shows with my brother Christopher (Amott, guitar) back in the band! We also have to work out how to play these new songs, so we will have a very busy summer with Arch Enemy, that's for certain!

“The touring plan for Arch Enemy will start full on after the summer, and we can confirm we will joining the European Black Crusade tour package with Machine Head, Trivium, Dragonforce and Shadows Fall-yeah, that's a pretty impressive tour. Equally exciting for us is the Australian Black Crusade tour, which we will be doing with Trivium and Machine Head.

“Lot's of other cool touring ideas are flying around at the moment-looks like we also might be visiting places on this planet where Arch Enemy has not yet had the pleasure of playing. Let the madness begin.”

Rise of the Tyrant track listing:

• 1. Blood on Your Hands
• 2. The Last Enemy
• 3. I Will Live Again
• 4. In This Shallow Grave
• 5. Revolution Begins
• 6. Rise of the Tyrant
• 7. The Day You Died
• 8. Intermezzo Liberté
• 9. Night Falls Fast
• 10. The Great Darkness
• 11. Vultures

Original Arch Enemy guitarist Christopher Amott has rejoined his bandmates after a two year split, according to a press release issued by the band’s label, Century Media. Christopher, who had been with the band for 10 years, surprised many by departing Arch Enemy at the end of the Doomsday Machine recording sessions in 2005. According to the statement, Christopher “followed his urges to see the world and find what else is out there apart from music. Having done that, the time is now right for him to return to the fold with a newly injected desire and focus and to resume his career.”

Says Christopher, “This is very exciting for me, returning to Arch Enemy as a fulltime member! Right now we are working on our forthcoming album, and I'm very pleased about the way it's turning out. The new songs are fast and furious with lots of melody. To all the people who sent me kind messages while I was out of the band, thank you for your support; it helped me a lot. After this (much needed) two-year break, I'm looking forward to getting back on the road. I hope to see you all later this year!”

According to Michael Amott, Arch Enemy guitarist and Christopher’s brother, “So, we are back with my brother Christopher on guitar—it's a huge rush to have him back playing in his signature style. He's jumped in at the end of the songwriting process for the new album and added some of his unique spice. I feel Christopher's playing has matured and is more precise and even faster than before! Guitar fans are going to freak out at the stuff we’re up to on the new album!”

As for Fredrik Åkesson, the Swedish guitarist who has been touring with Arch Enemy for 18 months and who can be seen on the band’s latest video clip for the song “My Apocalypse,” Michael comments, “I want to add that we are eternally grateful to Fredrik, who did an outstanding job with us over the past 18 months while we dragged the Doomsday Machine around the world a couple of times—you are fucking awesome!”

Arch Enemy have spent recent weeks locked in intense rehearsals at their homebase in Halmstad, Sweden, putting the final touches on their new material and integrating Christopher into the new songs for the forthcoming studio album.