Pure Metal Comes to Norwich: Arch Enemy & Soilwork

I don’t recall if I’ve seen Soilwork before, but I’ve always been aware of them. When I discovered they would be playing with Arch Enemy I bought up a lot of their stuff and started listening to it. As metal goes it’s ok and very listenable. Live they were much the same. Thier sound wasn’t all it could have been, and I initially put that down to the Waterfront PA. For a bunch of clearly aging blokes they were really rather good and had lots of energy. I wouldn’t go to just see them again, but I’d check them out if they were on the same bill as someone else I wanted to see.

Arch Enemy are one of my all time favorite bands. I’ve seen them several times, but never in a venue as small as the Waterfront. I’ve never been disappointed with Arch Enemy and on this occasion they were better than all of the bands (including Symphony X, Fear Factory and Vallenfyre) I saw last weekend at Bloodstock. Which is disappointing in itself!

This was the first time I’d seen Arch Enemy with the singer who replaced Angela Gossow a couple years ago, Alissa White-gluz. Alissa was every bit as good as Angela, if not better.

I couldn’t have asked for a much better set, my favorites from Doomsday Machine (although a run through of the whole album would have been even better), several of my favorites from Khaos Legions and from War Eternal, as well old favorites like Dead Eyes See No Future and We Will Rise.

They played a sold, entertaining 90 minutes. Michael Amott can really play (guitar). Unlike Soilwork, I could hear every note, suggesting the PA at the waterfront wasn’t that bad, but Soilwork’s setup was.

What we need now is a new album and a headline slot at Bloodstock 2017.

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Paul Grenyer

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