This post was originally published on this site
Blood Dynasty, the new album from melodic death metal heroes ARCH ENEMY is here and it sees the band on fine form with a brilliant collection of songs that captures all that the band have perfected over the years but that is combined with a fresh outlook as well. We caught up with drummer Daniel Erlandsson to hear all about how the new album came together, what the near future holds, and their thirty year anniversary.
With the first song from Blood Dynasty, Dream Stealer, being released last summer, we start proceedings with Daniel telling of the anticipation for the new album building and building. “The way I feel, it definitely is building. At the end of last year, we did a pretty big European tour with IN FLAMES and SOILWORK, and we were able to play Dream Stealer, and we premiered Liars & Thieves on that tour as well. There’s’ a pretty big excitement among the ARCH ENEMY fans for the new album, and I honestly can’t wait to get it out myself as well.”
Daniel is also happy with how the new material has been received so far as he tells us enthusiastically about that, as well as how the band’s sound has evolved with Blood Dynasty. “I feel like people are pretty happy with it, some people are even saying that it sounds like old ARCH ENEMY in some cases. I can see some similarities, but I feel like we’re always trying to evolve with each album, and try to, grow as much as we can within the sound of the band.”
Daniel then expands about the sound of the new album and how that balance of a mixture of classic ARCH ENEMY, while sounding current at the same time has come to fruition. “I don’t think that we consciously say, let’s try to write something that sounds like the past, but we definitely stay open minded within the whole process. I feel like this time around, we experimented a little bit more. We wanted to feel a little bit more free and a little bit adventurous within the arrangement of the songs.”
Daniel then spoke about the actual recording process and the changes the band made with the albums creation as he divulged. “We did it a little bit differently this time around, we actually spent the whole recording time within one studio in Sweden, together with Jens Bogren. As soon as the recording started, I think it was a very smooth process.”
Blood Dynasty features a cover song on an ARCH ENEMY full-length album for the first time in Vivre Libre by French metal band BLASPHEME and Daniel told us about how this came together feature on the record. “The selection of the song was due to Michael, he is a bit of an aficionado when it comes to collecting old vinyl. He knew about this band called BLASPHEME from France. Sharlee is also very knowledgeable, so they both knew about that. We were just jamming some tunes on the bus, and one night, somebody said, why don’t we do a cover of that singing in French, which Alissa does so it made sense that way and it was really the vocals that took that song to the next level!”
Talk then turns back to ARCH ENEMY live and Daniel told us about the challenging task of choosing a setlist this far into the band’s career. “It’s becoming increasingly more difficult with each album but we’re aware of the fact that we can’t really just go completely deeply into the new album. We have to include songs from the past as well. So it’s a bit of a process to come up with a set list for a tour, but at the end of the day, it has to flow as well. It’s got to showcase our journey, where we are today and where but also where we were.”
Daniel then enthused about getting back to America to tour with FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY, BAEST and THROWN INTO EXILE when Blood Dynasty is released. He reveals what ARCH ENEMY have coming up on the road after that. “We’re super excited. We haven’t been to the US since 2022, when we did a tour with BEHEMOTH, so we can’t wait to reconnect with the fans, and then we have a European tour at the end of the year again with AMORPHIS, ELUVEITIE and GATECREEPER.”
As 2025 marks 30 years since ARCH ENEMY formed, we finish things off with Daniel telling us what they may have in store to celebrate that anniversary, but how Blood Dynasty is the number one priority for now. “We have been talking about doing something big, but that’s going to be next year I believe, because we’re releasing the new album this year, and the focus is going to have to be on that.”
We conclude things with Daniel happily telling us about a few select highlights from the past three decades of ARCH ENEMY. “We’ve done so much over years but those first tours, like when we first went to Japan was huge. Playing on the Ozzfest in 2005 was very cool for me because that year BLACK SABBATH were playing with the original lineup so that was amazing!”
Blood Dynasty is out now via Century Media Records. View this interview, alongside dozens of other killer bands, in glorious print magazine fashion in DS119 here:
Like ARCH ENEMY on Facebook.
The post Arch Enemy: Still Reigning In Blood appeared first on Distorted Sound Magazine.
