Thousands of metal-heads’ jaws (including mine) hit the ground with a resounding thud back in March when it was announced that not only was longtime Arch Enemy vocalist Angela Gossow stepping down from her duties, (though sticking around to manage the band), but that she was being replaced by Katy Perry. Fortunately, upon closer inspection, it was actually Alissa White-Gluz from Montreal band The Agonist taking over vocal duties. This wasn’t the only recent shake-up for the band, as longtime guitarist Christopher Amott left back in 2012 and was subsequently replaced by Nick Cordle from Arsis

After nearly twenty years of turbo-charged, virtuosic, melodic death metal, it appeared that Arch Enemy was content to rest in their comfort zone. Khaos Legions was a solid record, though not unlike anything else they’d done before. The Root of All Evil, meanwhile, was merely a straight re-recording of their 90’s material. Fortunately this lineup change seems to have breathed some new life into the band which finds itself more melodic than ever. (well, by Arch Enemy standards)

Addressing the elephant in the room, as Gossow left a significant pair of shoes to fill, White-Gluz performs admirably. While she doesn’t have the same guttural scream that Gossow did, she still sounds plenty evil. Longtime fans might be put off by the new singer, but all in all this is the same Arch Enemy we all know and love, with a few extra tricks up their sleeve.