Show Review: Arch Enemy and Exodus @ Showbox, Seattle WA, February 6, 2010

As one of the few women singers who can capture the proper evil growl needed for a death metal band, Arch Enemy’s Angela Gossow may sound imposing, but the diminutive blonde’s figure isn’t cut to match. Get her on stage with a mic and her vicious band behind her though, and Gossow sings and snarls like she could cut through steel with just a glance.

It is perhaps a necessary stance for Gossow to take, considering the role most female metal vocalists assume: the dangerous but sexy ingénue (see the scantily clad vocalists for In This Moment or The Agonist). As well, on the band’s latest album, The Root of All Evil, the 35-year-old Swedish native has been given the task of re-recording the vocal tracks of Arch Enemy’s original singer Johan Liiva.

To her credit, Gossow was unbowed by this challenge and has done credit to both the original material, but also to her own abilities as a vocalist, which added a much more melodic element to growling anger in these songs.

On stage, however, any hint of softness in Gossow’s voice was replaced by a startlingly raw edge, likely the result of reaching the tail end of a long tour, one that has finally found them on American shores for the first time in three years. Their stop in Seattle proved the benefits of this extensive live work. Much of the set was flawless, the band running through tracks like “Taking Back My Soul” and the rousing “Revolution Begins” with a breathless intensity.

There were moments though when the autopilot kicked on for the band. Christopher Amott’s solo guitar spotlight felt perfunctory at best, despite his displays of obvious prowess. Even he didn’t seem convinced by the massive number of notes his fingers were spilling out. And slower portions of songs like “Silent Wars” threatened to drag the show down before getting kicked back to a solid running speed by their crack drummer Daniel Erlandsson.

In comparison, thrash metal icons Exodus, who took the stage following hearty sets by Mutiny Within and Arsis, never showed signs of wear during their hour-plus performance. Instead, they showed why the band is a still relevant presence on the metal scene some 30 years after they first formed in the Bay Area. The songs from their last studio effort The Atrocity Exhibition…Exhibit A positively crackled, with guitarists Gary Holt and Lee Altus expanding on the ravenous playing heard on the recordings.

Being a legacy act, however, meant that much of the set was devoted to older material, especially in light of the band’s decision to re-record their 1985 debut Bonded In Blood. It worked to their benefit, giving the audience – many of whom appeared to be original fans of the group – something familiar to grab a hold of so they wouldn’t feel too out of control when sent spinning through newer songs. It worked for the audience and it worked for the band too. The four musicians looked as comfortable as ever relying on pure muscle memory to tear through classics like “The Toxic Waltz” and “Bonded In Blood”. And it further cemented their reputation as one of America’s quintessential metal acts.

Check out the song “Ravenous”