The band's best album in my opinion-not only that, but one where the band's sound finally came together, at a time when they actually wrote epic song structures. Not that the arch enemy of the 21st Century is any worse (Oh please don't reply to this comment regarding whether Liiva or Gossow is the better singer), just that in the 90's, i believe the band were writing better material than they have done for the last 12 years. 'Beast of Man' is an explosive opener; the two short instrumentals are handled beautifully so as not to be regarded as filler material; and 'Black Earth' has one of the most unbelievably epic melodies i've ever heard. Cynics may criticize Johan Liiva's vocals (for which i knocked a point off), but they don't so much suck as add a harsher edge to the already rippiing sound of christopher amott and co.

I actually prefer the first album

Four words about this album.... 'Dark Of The Sun'.. the two guitar solos and the heavy section in between is incredible. That is some of the best guitar work in Arch Enemy's whole discography imo.

Listening to this album at the weekend, it's the first time the whole album has clicked with me. I've always loved certain songs on the album, but all of the slower songs barring "Bridge Of Destiny" I never liked that much. Hearing the album again now, suddenly, songs like "Tears Of The Dead", "Black Earth" and the massive "Dark Of The Sun" have became classics to my mind... this might actually be their best album overall. I dunno why I never clicked with these tracks before... but now I have, this album has shot up in my estimation. I always saw this one as the weakest of the Johan era albums, but now I think it might actually the best of the lot! I'm glad I gave those slower numbers another chance.

Written by Angelic Storm on 17.12.2013 at 10:52

Listening to this album at the weekend, it's the first time the whole album has clicked with me. I've always loved certain songs on the album, but all of ther songs barring "Bridge Of Destiny" I never liked that much. Hearing the album again now, suddenly, songs like "Tears Of The Dead", "Black Earth" and the massive "Dark Of The Sun" have became classics to my mind... this might actually be their best album ove. ll. I dunno why I never clicked with these tracks before... but now I have, this album has shot up in my estimation. I always saw this one as the weakest of the Johan era albums, but now I think it might actually the best of the lot! I'm glad I gave those slower numbers another chance.

Oh, you nailed it straight 10 to this album. Wow.

A very good album I suppose. Even I didn't listen to this record for a while, I'll surely give a listen to. It sure as hell a very underrated record(oops, 8 overall is very good) who's existence i strongly think shallowed by other records. Songs are hard-hitting, typical AE violence aura you feel it, well structured, nice flow of Gothenburg elements and more importantly production is stellar in this.

Well, the only issue is it misplaced his identity under pile of various AE records. I also believe AE doesn't cover up songs from this record live that much. Its sad.

Written by Cynic Metalhead on 17.12.2013 at 20:09
Oh, you nailed it straight 10 to this album. Wow.

A very good album I suppose. Even I didn't listen to this record for a while, I'll surely give a listen to. It sure as hell a very underrated record(oops, 8 overall is very good) who's existence i strongly think shallowed by other records. Songs are hard-hitting, typical AE violence aura you feel it, well structured, nice flow of Gothenburg elements and more importantly production is stellar in this.

Well, the only issue is it misplaced his identity under pile of various AE records. I also believe AE doesn't cover up songs from this record live that much. Its sad.

My original rating for this album was 8, which was mainly because I felt some of the slower tracks weren't up to the high standard of the rest of the album. Now, for a reason which escapes me, I find those songs to be equally great with the ones I'd always loved like "Bridge Of Destiny", and "Beast Of Man". This time, I was listening to the Japanese version of the album, which has 3 tracks not on the original European version... I'm not sure if that has anything to do with it. I mixed up the track order too, and I think maybe splitting those slower songs up, had the effect of adding more dynamic flow to it. In any event, it's like I'm now hearing the album with a different set of ears, the whole thing just sounds immense and is Arch Enemy at their darkest, and most dynamic and vital. It has those wonderful melodies the band is so famous for, but it's welded together with a vicious, harsher, and more brutal aesthetic.

"Burning Bridges" has always been my fave Arch Enemy album, but I now feel "Stigmata" is at least level with it, if not even better. The band never mixed brutality and melody as well as they did here I don't think.

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[quote authoryou. 842 date=2013-12-17 22:00:17]

Written by Cynic Metalhead on 17.12.2013 at 20:09
Oh, you nailed it straight 10 to this album. Wow.

A very good album I suppose. Even I didn't listen to this record for a while, I'll surely gives ten to. It sure as hell a very underrated record(oops, 8 overall is very good) who's existence i strongly think shallowed by other records. Songs are hard-hitting, typical AE violence aura you feel it, well structured, nice flow of Gothenburg elements and more importantly production is stellar in this.

Well, the only issue is it misplaced his identity under pile of various AE records. I also believe AE doesn't cover up songs from this record live that much. Its sad.

"Burning Bridges" has always been my fave Arch Enemy album, but I now feel "Stigmata" is at least level with it, if not even better. The band never mixed brutality and melody as well as they did here I don't think.

I agree with you. BB got come out to be very good record but i felt it was more of an advanced version of Stigmata with great improvisation and agressiveness in Bridges. That same thing with happened with "Anthem of Rebellions" which was a great advanced version of "Wages of Sin". Here, from advanced version I meant as they went with that same crunching formula but improvised in different way. Although, i didn't like "Wages of Sin" but loved "Anthems of Rebellion".

Written by Cynic Metalhead on 18.12.2013 at 08:17
I agree with you. BB got come out to be very good record but i felt it was more of an advanced version of Stigmata with great improvisation and agressiveness in Bridges. That same thing with happened with "Anthem of Rebellions" which was a great advanced version of "Wages of Sin". Here, from advanced version I meant as they went with that same crunching formula but improvised in different way. Although, i didn't like "Wages of Sin" but loved "Anthems of Rebellion".

Hmm, I think overall, "Stigmata" is a more aggressive album than Bridges... I think the aggressive moments on Bridges are perhaps the most venemous the band has ever sounded, but that is offset by the more melodic moments probably being the most overtly melodic the band has ever been. That's why I've always loved that album so much. It features some very aggressive riff sets, more biting than is normal for the melo-death genre, but then at other times, the melodies and riffs sound like very commercial arena-metal. It's that ying/yang effect that has made that album such a favourite for me. "Stigmata" is a darker album, probably the darkest of all Arch Enemy albums, whilst "Burning Bridges" is their most colourful album... It's hard for me to choose between the two, but I do think those albums are the band's best works.

You don't like "Wages Of Sin", but love "Anthems Of Rebellion"? I don't think I've ever heard that before! lol I think Anthems is a good album... Wages is definitely my fave album with Angela on vocals though... I think probably because it's the least removed aesthetically from their earlier works, and it was before Angela's vocals started becoming overly processed. Musically, it's also their most consistent work with her in the band I feel.

Written by deadone on 05.02.2014 at 06:47
Great album. Liiva era AE is where it's at for me. Gassow is ok as a Jeff Walker clone but the actual song writing has been slowly going down the toilet for the last few albums.

I prefer Liiva myself but I don't think I agree with Gossow being referred to as a Jeff Walker clone. Granted I spent literally 0 seconds in the past year listening to Arch Enemy and I only bothered with the Carcass release once about a week after its release date so maybe you're right.

Initially, when I first got into the band just over a decade ago (just after Rebellion came out), I thought she was way better than he. However, after several years of music taste evolution, I have come to also believe that Liiva was far superior to her. If you like Liiva era AE then you should also check out the one-off NonExist album he was a part of. It's like a slightly more technical Liiva-era AE album.

Written by Angelic Storm on 17.12.2013 at 10:52

Listening to this album at the weekend, it's the first time the whole album has clicked with me. I've always loved certain songs on the album, but all of the slower songs barring "Bridge Of Destiny" I never liked that much. Hearing the album again now, suddenly, songs like "Tears Of The Dead", "Black Earth" and the massive "Dark Of The Sun" have became classics to my mind... this might actually be their best album overall. I dunno why I never clicked with these tracks before... but now I have, this album has shot up in my estimation. I always saw this one as the weakest of the Johan era albums, but now I think it might actually the best of the lot! I'm glad I gave those slower numbers another chance.

^ This comment sums up my feelings of Stigmata. It's my favourite of the Liiva Era, and like this as much as Wages Of Sin and War Eternal. Although Liiva's vocals sound more aggressive in Burning Bridges, I still felt this album was the most consistent and focused of the first 3!!!

Written by psykometal on 01.03.2014 at 05:21

Initially, when I first got into the band just over a decade ago (just after Rebellion came out), I thought she was way better than he. However, after several years of music taste evolution, I have come to also believe that Liiva was far superior to her. If you like Liiva era AE then you should also check out the one-off NonExist album he was a part of. It's like a slightly more technical Liiva-era AE album.

I always like Liiva more, I think it was marketing trick put Angela, if she be more atractiv and better looking it would work more... BTW ban could ask Liiva back, but no they need front woman ... Alicve here you go
BTW funny this album has no review

After a fresh start in Black Earth 1996 maybe fans had been anticipating a more polished version of 1996 album but unfortunately it didn't happen. Vocal parts are no better than 1996 album (WEAK!) .Drum parts are weaker than previous album.However,what keep us awake are Amott's Riffs.
Just to mention ,In "Black Earth" the main riff really reminds me of "Arcane Lifeforce Mysteria" by Dimmu Borgir.
In one word Amott is covering most of his bandmates' weakpoints himself by his great riffs.

This one improves on the precedent record with greater tracks, although the longer ones fall flat and Liiva's vocals are some of his least good here. My personal favorites are "beast of man", "stigmata" and "sinister mephisto", overall quite a good album

Second best AE album. The production is so good, i miss the 90's. An improvement over Black earth in every way. 9/10