Band:	Arch Enemy
Album:	Anthems Of Rebellion
Style:	Gothenburg metal
Release date:	April 25, 2003
Guest review by:	Justin

Disc I
01. Tear Down The Walls (Intro)
02. Silent Wars
03. We Will Rise
04. Dead Eyes See No Future
05. Instinct
06. Leader Of The Rats
07. Exist To Exit
08. Marching On A Dead End Road
09. Despicable Heroes
10. End Of The Line
11. Dehumanization
12. Anthem
13. Saints And Sinners

Disc II [bonus]
01. Lament Of A Mortal Soul [live]
02. Behind The Smile [live]
03. Diva Satanica [live]
04. Exist To Exit [Dolby Digital 5.1 mix version]
05. Leader Of The Rats [Dolby Digital 5.1 mix version]
06. Dead Eyes See No Future [Dolby Digital 5.1 mix version]

After the initial shock of finding out that Arch Enemy had recruited a female vocalist [Angela Gossow] for last years ?Wages Of Sin?, I soon discovered that the band had created an album that was true to their original design, and easily made its way to one of the best for that year.

However, fears and speculation that guitarists Michael and Christopher Amott would fall short of the mark creating Arch Enemy's fifth album [?Anthems Of Rebellion?] can be dismissed without a second thought the moment the introduction piece ?Tear Down The Walls? emanates from the speakers!

There is a slight variation to the groups song writing this time around, with ?Anthems Of Rebellion? clearly showcasing their most diverse, heaviest, and at times most melodic music they?ve released to date. The faced paced ?Silent Wars? is the first official track to spearhead the attack with solid fast paced drumming with matching melodic metal riffs and Slayer inspired lead breaks. Gossow's vocal delivery is a solid improvement, and not only compliments the aggressive music, but seems to bring more power and style than ever before.

?We Will Rise? and ?Instinct? both latch onto a decidedly catchier groove, with the keyboards adding to the melodic hook, while the demonic fury of ?Dead Eyes See No Future? tears through will plenty of metallic fury and razor sharp hooks. ?Leader Of The Rats? is quickly followed by the darker moodier growl of ?Exist To Exit?, while hatred is abound in the uncompromising seething onslaught of ?Despicable Heroes?.

No Arch Enemy is without some instrumental moments, and ?Marching On A Dead End Road? and ?Anthem? will satisfy budding guitarists out there, regardless of their rather short running lengths.

The strangest addition to Arch Enemy is the inclusion of Chris? backing vocal work to ?End Of The Line? and ?Dehumanization?. While this may raise alarm bells to the devoted, it actually adds something new to the mix, and works surprisingly well. Shades of black metal within ?Saints And Sinners? are evident, while still maintaining the Amott melodic aspect of their song writing, and draw the album to its dramatic finale.

Everything from the songs, the melodic/heavy aspect, the playing and the production [again a credit to Andy Sneap] all add up to ?Anthems Of Rebellion? being one of Arch Enemy's most finest, diverse yet most satisfying releases to date. This really is an album full of ?Anthems Of Rebellion?.