Arch Enemy’s new album, The Root of All Evil, confirms the band’s position as a fundamental pillar of the current metal scene. The album consists of re-recorded songs taken from the band’s first three albums, Black Earth (1996), Stigmata (1998) and Burning Bridges (1999), which feature the vocal styles of original singer Johan Liiva. Liiva was replaced by screamstress Angela Gossow in 2001 and Arch Enemy has since released five albums (Wages of Sin (2001), Anthems of Rebellion (2003), Doomsday Machine (2005), Rise of the Tyrant (2007) and The Root of All Evil (2009)), which have catapulted the band into the metal limelight. Puppet master, also guitarist and backing vocalist, Michael Amott has, once again, driven the production of a masterful record, which parades the band’s unique blend of thrash/melodic/death metal that comes spiced with a touch of ‘old-school’. The Root of All Evil was recorded at a few different locations in Sweden and was produced by Arch Enemy with Daniel Erlandsson and Rickard Bengtsson handling the engineering. Recognised record producer Andy Sneap (Killswitch Engage, Opeth, 36 Crazy Fists), who has worked with the band on previous albums, was once again responsible for mixing and mastering the record. (more…)