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Hello everyone! Here I am making my debut on DeBaser.it… what can I say, I'm a bit nervous, so I'll immediately break the ice and today I'll talk to you about Wages of Sin by Arch Enemy, an album that, for better or worse (depending on your point of view), has marked the career of the Amott brothers' band for various reasons: a) The change of vocalist: replacing Johan Liiva is Angela Gossow, who has a more aggressive tone but also more monotonous compared to her predecessor. b) The move towards “streamlining” and a partial elimination of those brilliant ideas that made the band's first 3 albums unmissable.
Regarding Angela Gossow, I find her performance more than convincing (even though it won't be repeated in the subsequent albums) as her great aggressiveness, in my opinion, manages to not make you miss her predecessor. As for the “streamlining,” it is true that the brilliant ideas from the first three albums are missing, but the songs have gained impact and dynamism, resulting in tracks that are devastating and able to get into your head to never leave.”
The album opens with "Enemy Within": a piano intro explodes into a very engaging up tempo with a good leading riff: really good as a start. It continues with "Burning Angel," and here the album's ratings rise significantly: an excellent song based on an absolutely spectacular riff, an engaging rhythm section, and a great solo (in this area, the Amott brothers have spoiled us too much), really excellent piece and, in my opinion, one of the peaks of the album.
We arrive at "Savage Messiah": a sinister mid-tempo that manages to convey evil, equipped with a truly remarkable central break… another peak of the album. The album unfolds with some interesting pieces and others a bit less, until reaching another masterpiece: "Behind The Smile," excellent melody (the sense of evil released here is also remarkable) followed by the moving "Snow Bound": a touching instrumental piece where the Amott brothers showcase all their skill and melodic sense, truly memorable.”
What to say about this album? Definitely a good album, although it doesn't maintain high quality throughout its duration and this will certainly lower the score, which could have been higher.
For Arch Enemy fans (and extreme metal fans in general), an album to have; for others, I recommend a listen, you might really like it a lot.
P.S. The production is excellent, entrusted to Andy Sneap who gives power to everything
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
03 Heart of Darkness (04:51)
You can't kill me. I am living inside you.
I am a part of your existence
Twisted thoughts in a twisted mind
Provoking you
Black is my heart - dark is my soul
My hatred I can not control
Evil seed growing stronger
Your freewill... Dying!
Inside you - heart of darkness
A part of you - heart of darkness
To deny me, is to deny yourself.
The illusion is dissolved
You are no longer in control
The facade crumbles - the transition is complete
...The transition is complete
I come to you in the night
I am your dark subconscience
I keep you awake, knowing
I am the heart of darkness
04 Ravenous (04:05)
I am hunting for your soul
It dwells within your heart
I lacerate the pounding flesh
Your spirits shall be mine
So rise my spirit rise!
Revel in this dead mans' body
Grip his soul, sip the blood
Life is death
A holy carnage
Ravenous
I will be a god
Carnivorous Jesus
I need your flesh
Ritual slaughter
Fill up the chalice
With the essence of your life
Liquid strengths
Trapped in your veins
I crave your blood
You must die!
05 Savage Messiah (05:16)
Meet your maker
Rising from the ashes
Like a phoenix to the sky
So intense, so glorious...
Uncontrollable desire
For our souls
The great lawgiver
So high and mighty
The immaculate deception
A taker of life
With unbridled aggression
Striking down on the disbelievers
Savage - Messiah
Take us higher
Savage - Messiah
Take us now!
Blessed in blood
We are reborn in hate
Thousands of spirits cry
So intense, so glorious...
Uncontrollable desire
For our souls
The great Messiah
So high and mighty
07 Web of Lies (03:54)
Weaving a web - of lies and deceit
It's a dangerous game - we play
All this time - the pain eating us away
All this time - the memories refuse to fade
A rotting shell of dying trust
We share this hell at any cost
Phases and stages
Circles and cycles
And empty charade
This pointless masquerade
A dangerous game
A dangerous game - we play
Web of lies
I can see it in your eyes
Web of lies
You can see it in my eyes
It will never be the same
We have gone too far this time
Our temple of false dreams
Comes crashing down...
A rotting shell of dying trust
We shared this hell at any cost
08 The First Deadly Sin (04:19)
Step inside the circle of fire
Flames of desire enlighten the night
Follow your instinct
Burn and writhe in ecstasy
Love will turn to hate
Heat will turn to ice
There is nothing in between
The first deadly sin
Ancient taboo takes control
The demon eve possesses your soul
Riding high above the flames
You will step into hell
Dwell in passionate evil
Forbidden fruits of lust
Embrace and kiss the face of death
It's your first deadly sin
09 Behind the Smile (03:28)
Sands of time
Running through my fingers
My life slipping away
And I feel nothing
Swallow the tears
Eat the pain - It's worth the degradation - Eat the pain
Behind the smile / I feel nothing
I reach out to touch, but I'm not really there
This reflection in the mirror
Can't reality be me
I see no connection
With who I wanted to be
Drink another glass
Swallow these pills
At the end of the rainbow
You take the bitter
The bitter with the sweet
When love dies
The angels cry
Here I am
Alone... Alone in a crowd
11 Shadows and Dust (04:27)
At the mercy of our conscience
Confined within our fate
Never really questioned why
We are refugees in a dying world
To become a part of the end
Are we the ones, the ones to blame?
We are mortals of shadows and dust
The sun sets on our sinking ship of fools
On our journey into oblivion
We ask ourselves again and again
How will we be remembered
Shadows. . .
And dust
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