Formed by ex-
Carnage,
Carcass, and
Candlemass guitarist
Michael Amott (also of
Spiritual Beggars) with his brother Christopher (Armageddon),
Arch Enemy took a straight-ahead approach to death metal reminiscent of
Entombed or late-period
Carcass, blending catchy, classic-style metal riffs with crushing grooves for an intense yet accessible sound. The group's charter lineup was rounded out by bassist/vocalist
Johan Liiva (
Carnage, Furbowl) and drummer
Daniel Erlandsson (
Eucharist, session work for
In Flames); they released their debut album,
Black Earth, in 1996. For their second album, 1998's
Stigmata, Armageddon bassist
Martin Bengtsson took over those duties from vocalist
Liiva, while Armageddon drummer
Peter Wildoer sat in for
Erlandsson. More personnel turnover ensued, as
Mercyful Fate reunion bassist
Sharlee D'Angelo (also formerly of
Witchery and
Dismember) joined up for 1999's
Burning Bridges, which also featured the return of
Erlandsson.
Wages of Sin from 2001 found
Johan Liiva departing and replaced by
Angela Gossow.
After touring extensively across Europe and Japan, the band returned to the studio and released
Anthems of Rebellion in 2003. The EP
Dead Eyes See No Future was released by the end of the year and featured a mix of cover versions and live tracks. The album
Doomsday Machine landed in July of 2005 just as guitarist
Christopher Amott announced he was leaving the band. Former
Tiamat member Fredrik Åkesson replaced him, though the two would switch places again two years later, with Åkesson leaving the band to join
Opeth, and
Amott taking back his spot on guitar. The band then released its seventh album,
Rise of the Tyrant, in 2007. The album would be
Arch Enemy's most successful to date, and they followed up the release by heading out on tours with Swedish metal giants
Opeth and
Dark Tranquillity. In 2009, the band looked back to its older material with
The Root of All Evil. The album featured tracks from the band's first three albums that were re-recorded with current singer
Angela Gossow. 2011's
Khaos Legions, the band's eighth studio long player, marked a return to new original material, and proved to be the band's highest-charting album to date. It would also be the last outing for
Gossow and founding guitarist
Christopher Amott, both of whom left the band the following year. 2014's
War Eternal saw the additions of ex-
Agonist vocalist
Alissa White-Gluz and ex-
Arsis guitarist Nick Cordle (who left shortly before the band's European tour and was replaced by former
Nevermore axe-slinger
Jeff Loomis). In 2017, the band released the concert LP/video As the Stages Burn, which captured their 2016 performance at Wacken Open Air in its entirety, along with a 2015 performance in Tokyo. 2017 saw the band drop their tenth studio long-player,
Will to Power, which marked the first
Arch Enemy release to feature clean vocals. The covers album, Covered in Blood, arrived in early 2019, and featured the band's take on songs by Judas Priest, Tears For Fears, Queensrÿche, and more. ~ Steve Huey