Arch Enemy Brings The Blood Dynasty Tour To Minneapolis, Minnesota

Arch Enemy are on a North American Headline Tour hot off the heals of the bands newest release, ‘Blood Dynasty.’ The tour made a stop in Minnesota with Fit For An Autopsy in support.

 

 

 

Arch Enemy launched a headlining tour across North America that started in San Diego, CA on April 14th. The band then went to into Canada before starting a trek across the United States. The Fillmore in Minneapolis, Minnesota welcomed the tour with a crowd that had high expectations to see this band headlining the night. The last two times they came through here they were in shorter opening slots and it was my first opportunity to see what this band can really do live when given the time to do it. In direct support we had Fit For An Autopsy, Baest and Thrown Into Exile. 

 

 

Due to the early start time of this show, I was unable to see Baest and Thrown Into Exile. The first band I saw was Fit For An Autopsy. They are a deathcore band from Jersey City, New Jersey that formed in 2008. Despite the fact this band has seven albums under their belt, I had never listened to them or knew much about them. The latest album just released last year called ‘The Nothing That Is,’ Didn’t take much time to figure out these guys meant business as they came out with a sledgehammer and proceeded to pound the crowd with an audio assault. Pummeling riffs and growl vocals were the common theme throughout the set. The band consisted of singer Joe Badolato, guitarists Will Putney and Tim Howley, bassist Peter Spinazola and drummer Jose Orta. The band was extremely tight and they ripped through a shorter set to a circle pit that never stopped. If deathcore is your thing, this band is it. 

 

 

 

Arch Enemy just dropped the bands twelfth studio album, ‘Blood Dynasty,’ back on March 28 via Century Media Records. It is a record that harnesses the bands aggressiveness but also pulls in aspects of classic heavy metal with their infectious riffs. The sound is familiar but they do a good job of not falling prey to constantly repeating what has already been as they find ways to keep fans a little off balance and put news elements into the music. I was extremely excited to get this set started and they hit the stage with dramatic force as they ripped through the opening track of “Deceiver, Deceiver” and followed with “Ravenous.” There is no doubt, in my mind, this band has one of the most exciting and charismatic singers in the business as Alissa White-Gluz took immediate control of the venue. The guttural vocals and screams were like venom that laced the musical thunder that flooded the room. She’s the real deal and she is the court jester that kept every person there involved in the show. Not to be outdone by the vocalist, Arch Enemy musical muscle  is an extremely tight and talented unit. They are so well rehearsed that the precision of the execution of the songs is astonishing. The line-up has changed since I last saw them. Familiar faces of guitarist Michael Amott, bassist Sharlee D’Angelo and Daniel Erlandsson were there, but newcomer, guitarist Joey Concepcion, had replaced shredder Jeff Loomis. The new guitarist played perfectly with band and was locked in as he traded off riffs and solos with Amott.  The newest album was showcased with “Dream Stealer,” “A Million Suns,” Blood Dynasty” and “Liars & Thieves.” I would have loved to hear more tracks from the previous album ‘Deceivers’ as only two were played, the title track and “Sunset Over the Empire.” It really didn’t matter what song they were playing, Alissa, covered the stage, side to side, not letting people get comfortable or complacent. This was participation show and she made sure people knew it. 

 

 

 

Arch Enemy is one of the best melodic death metal bands out there. It is something this band has earned over decades of hard work. The band formed in 1995 in Halmstad, Sweden and battled their way up the ladder. When vocalist Angela Gossow joined the band in 2000  their sound started to evolve and she became an unstoppable force in the genre. Replacing that presence is never easy and that era of the band should never be forgotten. The band reached back into the catalog with “My Apocalypse,” “Dead Bury Their Dead,” “Ravenous” and “We Will Rise.” 

 

 

 

The set went seventeen songs deep with “The Eagle Flies Alone” and “Avalanche” and “Nemesis” being some standouts for me. The history of the band came full circle as they closed with “Fields of Desolation” which takes us back to that very first album ‘Black Earth’ which was released in 1996. The entire set flew by with Alissa waving the traditional Arch Enemy flag toward the end of the set. A fantastic show and hopefully this tour can help catapult the band to have a bigger fanbase in America. The genre is a niche flavor of music but if people can take the time listen to the music, they would quickly realize that Arch Enemy offers more than the standard styling. It was a real pleasure to see the band playing a proper set and I’m  looking forward to seeing them again soon