At it again, Arch Enemy wedged in between Amon Amarth and Hypocrisy. Well, that’s not entirely fair, they have made a very big splash in their own right. If by no other means, at least the growing and enthusiastic crowd made that much clear.

“Alright Denmark, are you ready to have some fun? I want everybody to get their hands in the air! Reach for the sky!”
- Alissa White-Gluz (vocals)

Arch Enemy was supported by a very heavy and well-mixed sound this evening, which helped underscore their music perfectly. They were also, as mentioned, supported by a loud audience that pushed the energy forward - the effect of which was instantly seen in the band, and more particularly in Alissa White-Gluz. Already for My Apocalypse, she directed the crowd to jump along to the music, and was well rewarded for her attempt. That she later failed to get the circlepit she asked for didn’t matter as much, and at least she walked away with a small but enthusiastic moshpit.
Once again, the performance part was pretty much left to White-Gluz. Daniel Erlandsson, while being a cool cat, was of course tied to his drumkit (figuratively speaking), but we could certainly have asked more from Michael Amott, Jeff Loomis, and Sharlee D’Angelo. I’m not commenting on their musicianship, which was fine, but one could really hope for a bit more than the old hair-in-front-of-face headbanging. I’m not even sure they knew where they were, to be honest.

White-Gluz was up for the job of frontwoman though, luckily, and while her own performance wasn’t as wild as we’ve known it to be in the past, she still had a good grip on the fans. She could make the room sway from side to side by a simple request, and when everyone was good and warm, she had the crowd singing along with her in Nemesis.
I have resigned myself to never seeing eye to eye with Arch Enemy - it is what it is. For what it’s worth though, they did a good job in supporting Amon Amarth this evening, and with the Amon Amarth light sound they’ve adapted, they were an obvious choice. What? Have you listened to The Eagle Flies Alone? You tell me that not both the title, the sound, and the riffing sounds like an Amon Amarth copy.

Setlist:

Set Flame To The Night
The World Is Yours
War Eternal
My Apocalypse
Ravenous
Under Black Flags We March
The Eagle Flies Alone
First Day In Hell
Saturnine
As The Pages Burn
No Gods, No Masters
Dead Bury Their Dead
Nemesis
Enter The Machine