With the release of their twelfth album, Blood Dynasty, Arch Enemy solidifies their position as a cornerstone of the metal scene. Michael Amott, the band’s leader and guitarist, opens up about the creation of this new record, the challenges of their enduring career, and their vision for delivering unforgettable live shows. From personal anecdotes to reflections on the evolution of metal, let’s dive into the ever-creative world of Arch Enemy.
You’re about to release your twelfth studio album and you said that there’s a rule of metal about staying true while adding new elements. So how did you want to conceive this new album to keep it fresh for fans and for yourselves as well?
Michael Amott (guitar lead): I think that’s always a natural process because between every album there’s always a few years, at least two. During those years, you make new experiences or get some new ideas. I think every album we’ve made, especially over the last ten years, is almost a reaction to the last one. We don’t want to repeat ourselves too much. So, if we had a song of a certain style on the previous album, we organically go in another direction – whether that’s in terms of keys, tempos, the type of riffs, or melodies. We also think about the live show. When we go on tour, we want a really varied set with different kinds of songs and atmospheres to build an engaging live show.
You managed to surprise us, especially with this cover of the song “Vivre Libre”, which we had no idea existed. How did you come to know this song, and why did you want to cover it?
Michael: Well, that’s interesting because we always do a bunch of cover songs, usually as bonus tracks. These appear on various editions – like a Japanese edition, a special package, or a deluxe edition. But this is actually the first time we’ve included a cover song on our main album. I’m a bit of a record collector. I’m very interested in obscure heavy metal and listen to a lot of French metal from the ’80s. Blaspheme is one of those bands. Their second album includes this beautiful ballad. Initially, the idea was to use it as a bonus track. Because Alissa speaks French, it felt like an interesting challenge. When we heard the finished mix, it sounded incredible. That’s when the idea came to include it on the main album, Blood Dynasty. It adds variety and brings a different flavor to the album. It’s something people can talk about – whether they love it or hate it.
The lyrics of the songs are very special as well, they have a special resonance with the world we know today, especially with recent events in the United States and worldwide.
Michael: It’s very poetic.
You also surprised us with “Illuminate The path” and the clean vocals in the chorus. It’s quite rare for you. Did you want to increase the emotional impact of the song?
Michael: Yeah, I mean, it’s just trying different things. In 2017, on the Will To Power album, we actually had the opposite, where we had a clean verse and then growling, the screaming voice, in the choruses on the song called “Reason To Believe.” On the last album, Deceivers, for example, there’s a whole section in the song “Handshake With Hell” where it breaks down and builds up with a lot of clean vocals. So this is just another way of doing it. Having a clean chorus is something we haven’t done too much in the past. It’s also something we’ve avoided because it’s the most obvious way of incorporating clean vocals into our kind of music. But for this song, it worked well. We don’t have a set of rules; each song is different. If something feels right, you just have to go with it.
You crafted the record to have us go from one emotion to another. But you chose to open it with “Dream Stealer” and to close it with “Liars And Thieves”. Why did you decide to open and close with these tracks? Is there a special story or mood that you wanted to set for the listener?
Michael: Well, with the tracklisting, I don’t know how important it is nowadays. People tell me fans don’t listen to albums anymore – they just listen to playlists or songs taken out of context from the album. But I think there are still people who listen to albums. Not because they have to, like for a review, but because they enjoy the experience. I still listen to albums from beginning to end. I’m old school because, when I started buying records and getting into music, that’s how you listened to it. You’d flip to side B, find deep cuts that didn’t grab you at first but would grow on you and eventually become favorites. So, putting a track listing together is still important to me. I want to create a journey, a trip through different emotions, atmospheres, and sounds. It’s about creating an ebb and flow – if something ends softly, you come in with something fast, or after a mid-tempo track, you mix it up. It’s not really a concept, but I think making albums is still important. That’s part of what makes music art, part of being an artist, at least in my world and my way of doing things.
That’s a new approach that consists of not releasing a whole album, but just EPs or songs, and releasing new music every couple of months or so. But I think you really want to build a record and have an intention behind it. There’s a logical way of releasing all the songs. The main title is Blood Dynasty. Do you have another message behind it? What does this concept mean to you personally?
Michael: I mean, “dynasty” is obviously a very powerful word, and it’s reflective of the times we’re in. At the same time, I don’t like to explain too much about lyrics because, for me, that ruins the experience. When an artist I like sits down and explains every song, it takes away from my ability to create my own world while listening to the music. That’s why things like people explaining lyrics or even watching music videos sometimes ruin it for me. I prefer to create my own pictures and meanings about the songs I’m into. So, I’m not really into explaining these things. But “blood” and “dynasty” are two very powerful words, and I think they’re interesting together. People can interpret them however they want.
Okay, so it’s up to us to decide what we want to do with that. Despite your global success – you’re undeniably a successful band – you describe Arch Enemy as “a little underground” or “the biggest little underground metal band.” How do you maintain that underground spirit while reaching new heights in popularity and headlining more festivals?
Michael: I know what you mean. When I talked about that, it was during an interview for The New Yorker. What I meant was, if you zoom out and look at the entire music scene – mainstream music and everything – metal is still relatively small. We’re just one of many metal bands within that scene. Even though we’ve had a lot of success as a metal band, especially an extreme metal band, metal itself is still a subculture. It’s not music for everybody. And personally, I don’t want it to be music for everybody. I think it’s cool that you can find something underground, beneath the mainstream, with its own unique scene. But the metal scene is actually huge, especially nowadays. It’s much bigger than in the ’90s, when metal experienced a decline. Now, we have big tours, and even Arch Enemy is playing arenas. It’s pretty crazy, with large festivals celebrating this kind of music. That’s a beautiful thing.
But deep down, I still connect with when I first got into this music in the ’80s. Back then, it was about going to local shows, playing in bands, booking a band from another town to come play at your venue, and then they’d book you at theirs. It was this underground spirit, a sense of history, and a very supportive atmosphere. Of course, that’s mostly gone for us now because everything has become a lot more business-oriented, with many people involved. It’s a different animal altogether. But in my heart, I still hold on to that spirit.
You’re used to doing limited edition releases, like what you did with the Liquid Blood vinyl. It seems like you want to have a special connection with your fans, maintaining this sense of community and offering them unique formats that other bands don’t.
Michael: Yeah, oh, thank you. We put a lot of time and effort into all of that. Not all of it is very profitable. Some things are just for the fans. When it comes to playing live and touring, we’re the kind of band that goes everywhere we can. Wherever people book us and want to see us, we go. We’ve toured all over China, the Far East, Latin America – not just in the big cities, but deep into smaller places. Of course, Europe is our main market, as it is for many metal bands, but basically, the whole world is our playground.
It’s amazing. The Internet has really cut down barriers. For example, we’ll play in Malaysia, and there are thousands of fans singing along to our lyrics, even though we’ve never released an album officially on a Malaysian label. Nothing has been licensed there, but there’s still a strong fan base. That’s incredibly exciting, and it feels like giving something back to the people who support us. It also gives us energy. Recently, we completed 18 shows in Mexico alone. It was a long tour, and we played in cities I’d never even heard of before. Seeing fans there enjoying the music was truly special and inspiring. It gave me the inspiration and energy I need to keep doing what I do.
Does it make you want to create new songs or collaborate with bands from these places?
Michael: That’s something people talk about a lot now – collaborations. But I’m not really from that era. The bands I grew up with didn’t do many collaborations. These days, collaborations are often aimed at the streaming market, trying to expand reach by combining fan bases from different artists or regions. If we ever do a collaboration, I’d want it to be organic. I’d like to work with an artist we really respect, and where there’s mutual respect, to create something cool. It should be a genuine project rather than forcing two things together that don’t fit. That said, collaborating with more local artists from around the world is a great idea. I’ll make a note of that- it’s worth considering.
It would be very unexpected for you to have a duo or collaboration with some Malaysian band, for example. You’ve been around for such a long time now. What still excites you to go on with your music and expand your horizon?
Michael: I can speak from my personal perspective. There’s something wrong with me, I guess, because I still get super excited about going on tour, doing the soundcheck, meeting the fans, doing the show, traveling to the next city, and doing it all over again the next day. I’ve been doing this for many years. I’ve been playing in a band since I was 13 or 14 years old. I started touring when I was about 19 or 20, and I’ve been doing it for a very long time. I guess I found my true calling in life very early on. Most people try different things before they find their path, but I remember being a 13-year-old kid, walking to a rehearsal room with a guitar in my hand, and just knowing this is what I love doing. I still feel that way – it’s endless for me. I’ve found something infinite in creating music. There’s a lot of freedom in metal to do what I want and express myself, and I still enjoy it as much as ever. I don’t have a problem finding inspiration.
You also renewed your experience by having new musicians. You have a new recruit. How does it work with him?
Michael: Right. Really good. He’s very talented, healthy, and a great guitarist. He actually played with my brother. My brother, one of the founding members of the band, moved to America about 10 years ago and started teaching guitar there. Joey was one of his students. Joey took lessons and eventually started playing with my brother in a band he started, where Joey played second guitar. That’s how I first heard about him. Over time, I got to know Joey personally. He grew up listening to Arch Enemy, and I think we were one of the first metal bands he got into when he was 12 or so. It’s pretty crazy that he ended up playing with us.
It’s a beautiful story. For him, it’s like he’s living the dream. Do you feel some pressure or expectations from your fans? As you’ve grown, if you want to headline festivals, you have to deliver big shows with lots of special effects. Do you feel pressure to stand out or stay true to your vision?
Michael: That’s a great question. It’s something I struggle with a bit. For me, the music is number one – that’s enough. I prefer seeing smaller bands in intimate venues, focusing on the music itself. That said, Arch Enemy has grown beyond the small-club scene. We’ve started incorporating things that enhance the music without letting the show distract from it. It’s a fine line, though. Some people say audiences “listen with their eyes,” which makes it difficult to find the right balance. Arch Enemy isn’t a band with one gimmick or theme. Some bands have a very specific concept – every song, stage production, and visual element ties into a single idea. That’s not us. We’re more of a music-based show band. But it’s still important to deliver a killer show – something cool and memorable. The challenge is standing out. For example, everyone uses pyro, but after Rammstein‘s tours, it’s hard to impress anyone with fire anymore. So, we’re constantly trying to innovate. Let’s see what we come up with. We’ll be touring across Europe in October and November, so it’ll be exciting to see how it all comes together.
So what are the songs that you’re most excited to play live?
Michael: Well, we’ve already started playing some of the new songs. We’ve been playing “Liars And Thieves” and “Dreamstealer” on tour already, like in Mexico and places like that. That was really fun and great. We also played them in Europe. I think there are going to be a couple more singles before the album is out. We just had the latest one, “Blood Dynasty,” as the title track. Maybe we can play that live as well. It’s difficult, though, isn’t it, with setlists? We’re on our 12th album now.
30 years…
Michael: Like, oh, God. And then people complain all the time – play more old stuff, play more new stuff – it’s very difficult and complicated. But hopefully, we’ll come up with something cool, a bit different from what we played last year.
Have you ever done a by-request show?
Michael: Yeah, we have. In Japan, we did that once in 2012. We let the fans vote online for the setlist. That was cool, but really stressful because we had to learn some weird, old songs – stuff we hadn’t played in forever or maybe never played live. We filmed it too, but I think it was only released in Japan as part of a little DVD project.
A nice change for you as a band.
Michael: Yeah, it was cool. But you know, a lot of the songs ended up being stuff we normally play anyway. When fans vote, they typically want to hear the big hits. We’ve thought about it a lot – how often do people really get to see Arch Enemy live? Most fans only see their favorite band once or twice in their lifetime. For them, they want to hear the classics: “Nemesis,” “Ravenous,” “My Apocalypse,” and so on. But then you also try to work in some new material and maybe swap out a couple of older songs for something fresh. The flow of the show is really important. You don’t want to play too many songs that fans don’t know well because you risk losing the atmosphere. On the European tour now, we’ll be headlining in October and November, so we’ll have a longer set compared to the 70 minutes we had while co-headlining with In Flames on the last tour. That’ll give us more room to add some variety.
The media is called RockUrLife. So our last question is: what rocks your life, Michael?
Michael: What rocks my life? Music. Music is my drug. It’s my passion. It started as my hobby and became my career, which I didn’t expect. Music is my drug. I don’t do real drugs, but I need music. I’m a simple person- I like my old Slayer albums and a couple of beers.
Website: archenemy.net
