Wages of Sin
Encyclopedia
Wages of Sin is the fourth studio album by the Swedish
melodic death metal
band Arch Enemy. It is the first Arch Enemy album to feature the vocals of Angela Gossow
. It is also the first album they use Standard-C tuning, which they still use today.
.
. Blake Jessop of Blistering
said that she handles the vocals on the album expertly. But he wrote that "while less diverse than Liiva, the diminutive German's more traditional death metal
style gives Wages an uncommonly brutal, if slightly less creative air." Jessop also states the album "musically, it is predictably brilliant". Dennis of Lords of Metal said that "the female vocals by Angela Gossow are a remarkable performance" and that it was a big improvement compared to the former singer Johan Liiva
. Jeff of Metal Storm
stated that "with Wages of Sin, Arch Enemy delivers to us one of the best albums of the year 2002 and proves us by the same opportunity that girls are not relegated to only sing in atmospheric and gothic metal
." Ty Brookman and Jon Eardley of Metal Review was surprised with the Gossow vocals. Brookman commented that when he heard that Arch Enemy would a female singer, his first reaction was "career suicide", but after to listen to the album, he changed his mind stating that "Gossow delivers a vocal tirade that rivals any male vocalist." Brookman praised the band, however, he said about the album that there are elements that seem lacking in a few places. Eardley said that this album has "one of the best vocal performances of 2001" and that it "is a true masterpiece." Chris Flaaten of Chronicles of Chaos wrote that "the album has their best production to date and variety is abundant" and that the band found what they needed in Gossow. Despite Serge Regoor of Archaic Magazine states that her voice sounds great, he comments that "actually the vocals are much better too, but they are still not as good compared to the guitarwork." Haavard Holm of Tartarean Desire praised the band writing that it "has capacities beyond the normal" and stated that "Wages of Sin is simply so well done in all ways, that it will be hard for any band to overcome this album in this genre." Another critic of Tartarean Desire, Vincent Eldefors praised the singer Angela Gossow stating that she is one of the best lead vocalists in extreme metal
along ex-Opera IX
Cadaveria. Adam Bregman of Allmusic wrote that Gossow "is just the right touch to add to a band who ranks among metal's most progressive and unique outfits."
Blabbermouth.net
's Borivoj Krgin praised the prodution of the album calling it "most impressive production job out of all the Arch Enemy albums." El Cid of Metal Rules
praised the band stating that "this is arpeggio
heaven amongst other things, the drumming is tight, the bass is excellent and the guitars are simply magnificent." Jeff of Metal Storm
liked of quality of the production and praised the songs and the musicians calling it of "simply excellent" and "simply brilliant", respectively. He said that "the Amott brothers are certainly among the best guitarists of today's metal scene."
Despite the good reviews for the album, Vargscarr of Maelstrom wrote that the album is "same old, but with far superior vocals to the previous releases; and much less interesting songs." Vargscarr compared it with previous album, Burning Bridges: "Gone is the bombast of "Demonic Science" or "Angelclaw"; and worse still, Wages of Sin lacks the wonderful solos. The song structures all seem very modern, and the general modus operandi the band spent their last three releases defining seems to have been lost." He also wrote that not one of the solos present on the album even come close to "Dead Inside" from Burning Bridges. He commented that the album "is not all bad, but it's a big let down for those who've enjoyed the band in the past." Although he has given a negative review to the album, Vargscarr praised Gossow saying that "at least the vocals are the best" and "she needs to hook up with Children of Bodom
; for there is a modern heavy metal
band crying out for a vocalist of her calibre." On the other hand, Chris Dick praised the songs in his review for Teeth of the Divine highlighting "Heart of Darkness", writing that "if Carcass
' Heartwork
had a proper follow-up, there's no doubt "Heart of Darkness" would be on the album." Nevertheless, Dick also stated that the instrumental song "Snow Bound" "actually disrupts the smooth flow of the album" and "the track’s presence is to fill space." However, he finished saying that with this album, Arch Enemy have "a more defined and focused sound and a better idea of where the band is heading compositionally."
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
melodic death metal
Melodic death metal
Melodic death metal is a heavy metal music style that combines elements from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal with elements of death metal. The style was developed during the early and mid-1990s, primarily in England and Scandinavia...
band Arch Enemy. It is the first Arch Enemy album to feature the vocals of Angela Gossow
Angela Gossow
Angela Nathalie Gossow is the lead vocalist for the Swedish melodic death metal band Arch Enemy. Her previous bands include Asmodina and Mistress. She is considered to be one of the few successful female metal singers to use growling as her primary singing style...
. It is also the first album they use Standard-C tuning, which they still use today.
Track listing
The first pressing of this album contained a bonus CD, titled A Collection of Rare & Unreleased Songs from the Arch Enemy Vault. These songs feature the band's previous vocalist, Johan LiivaJohan Liiva
Johan Patrik Mattias Liiva is a Swedish extreme metal vocalist, most widely recognized as the founding vocalist of popular melodic death metal band Arch Enemy, as well as a former member of Carnage, Furbowl, and NonExist...
.
Critical response
Wages of Sin was well-received by critics, who praised the new singer Angela GossowAngela Gossow
Angela Nathalie Gossow is the lead vocalist for the Swedish melodic death metal band Arch Enemy. Her previous bands include Asmodina and Mistress. She is considered to be one of the few successful female metal singers to use growling as her primary singing style...
. Blake Jessop of Blistering
Blistering
Blistering, founded in 1998, is an international online magazine dedicated to heavy metal and hard rock music. Its editor-in-chief is David E. Gehlke, an American music journalist who has written for About.com, Metal Maniacs, and Throat Culture...
said that she handles the vocals on the album expertly. But he wrote that "while less diverse than Liiva, the diminutive German's more traditional death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
style gives Wages an uncommonly brutal, if slightly less creative air." Jessop also states the album "musically, it is predictably brilliant". Dennis of Lords of Metal said that "the female vocals by Angela Gossow are a remarkable performance" and that it was a big improvement compared to the former singer Johan Liiva
Johan Liiva
Johan Patrik Mattias Liiva is a Swedish extreme metal vocalist, most widely recognized as the founding vocalist of popular melodic death metal band Arch Enemy, as well as a former member of Carnage, Furbowl, and NonExist...
. Jeff of Metal Storm
Metal Storm (webzine)
Metal Storm is a webzine specializing in various forms of heavy metal music. It is based in Tallinn, Estonia but caters to an international audience, symbolically recognized by the acquisition of an EU domain in 2008...
stated that "with Wages of Sin, Arch Enemy delivers to us one of the best albums of the year 2002 and proves us by the same opportunity that girls are not relegated to only sing in atmospheric and gothic metal
Gothic metal
Gothic metal or goth metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music that combines the aggression of doom metal with the dark melancholy of gothic rock. The music of gothic metal is diverse with bands known to adopt the gothic approach to different styles of heavy metal music...
." Ty Brookman and Jon Eardley of Metal Review was surprised with the Gossow vocals. Brookman commented that when he heard that Arch Enemy would a female singer, his first reaction was "career suicide", but after to listen to the album, he changed his mind stating that "Gossow delivers a vocal tirade that rivals any male vocalist." Brookman praised the band, however, he said about the album that there are elements that seem lacking in a few places. Eardley said that this album has "one of the best vocal performances of 2001" and that it "is a true masterpiece." Chris Flaaten of Chronicles of Chaos wrote that "the album has their best production to date and variety is abundant" and that the band found what they needed in Gossow. Despite Serge Regoor of Archaic Magazine states that her voice sounds great, he comments that "actually the vocals are much better too, but they are still not as good compared to the guitarwork." Haavard Holm of Tartarean Desire praised the band writing that it "has capacities beyond the normal" and stated that "Wages of Sin is simply so well done in all ways, that it will be hard for any band to overcome this album in this genre." Another critic of Tartarean Desire, Vincent Eldefors praised the singer Angela Gossow stating that she is one of the best lead vocalists in extreme metal
Extreme metal
Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. The term usually refers to a more abrasive, harsher, underground, non-commercialized style or sound nearly always associated with genres like black metal,...
along ex-Opera IX
Opera IX
Opera IX is an Italian pagan symphonic black metal band, founded in the city of Biella by the guitarist Ossian, in 1988.- Early years: 1990-1995 :...
Cadaveria. Adam Bregman of Allmusic wrote that Gossow "is just the right touch to add to a band who ranks among metal's most progressive and unique outfits."
Blabbermouth.net
Blabbermouth.net
Blabbermouth.net is a website dedicated to heavy metal and hard rock news, as well as album and music DVD reviews. Blabbermouth.net was founded and is run by Borivoj Krgin. The first version of the website was officially launched in March 2001...
's Borivoj Krgin praised the prodution of the album calling it "most impressive production job out of all the Arch Enemy albums." El Cid of Metal Rules
Metal Rules
Metal Rules, also known as Metal-Rules is a heavy metal webzine created by EvilG and online since 1995. The website contains news, reviews and interviews. Metal Rules, along Metal Sludge, was cited in a New York Times article, after the dead of Dimebag Darrell, in 2004. Its tribute to Ronnie James...
praised the band stating that "this is arpeggio
Arpeggio
An arpeggio is a musical technique where notes in a chord are played or sung in sequence, one after the other, rather than ringing out simultaneously...
heaven amongst other things, the drumming is tight, the bass is excellent and the guitars are simply magnificent." Jeff of Metal Storm
Metal Storm (webzine)
Metal Storm is a webzine specializing in various forms of heavy metal music. It is based in Tallinn, Estonia but caters to an international audience, symbolically recognized by the acquisition of an EU domain in 2008...
liked of quality of the production and praised the songs and the musicians calling it of "simply excellent" and "simply brilliant", respectively. He said that "the Amott brothers are certainly among the best guitarists of today's metal scene."
Despite the good reviews for the album, Vargscarr of Maelstrom wrote that the album is "same old, but with far superior vocals to the previous releases; and much less interesting songs." Vargscarr compared it with previous album, Burning Bridges: "Gone is the bombast of "Demonic Science" or "Angelclaw"; and worse still, Wages of Sin lacks the wonderful solos. The song structures all seem very modern, and the general modus operandi the band spent their last three releases defining seems to have been lost." He also wrote that not one of the solos present on the album even come close to "Dead Inside" from Burning Bridges. He commented that the album "is not all bad, but it's a big let down for those who've enjoyed the band in the past." Although he has given a negative review to the album, Vargscarr praised Gossow saying that "at least the vocals are the best" and "she needs to hook up with Children of Bodom
Children of Bodom
Children of Bodom is a Finnish heavy metal band from Espoo. Formed in 1993, the group currently consists of Alexi Laiho , Roope Latvala , Janne Wirman , Henkka Seppälä , and Jaska Raatikainen...
; for there is a modern heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band crying out for a vocalist of her calibre." On the other hand, Chris Dick praised the songs in his review for Teeth of the Divine highlighting "Heart of Darkness", writing that "if Carcass
Carcass (band)
Carcass are an extreme metal band from England, who formed in 1985 and disbanded in 1995. A reunion was enacted in 2008 without one of its original members, drummer Ken Owen, due to health reasons....
' Heartwork
Heartwork
Heartwork is the fourth album by metal band Carcass, released through Earache Records in 1993. The album was recorded at Parr Street Studios, Liverpool between May 18 and June 21, 1993....
had a proper follow-up, there's no doubt "Heart of Darkness" would be on the album." Nevertheless, Dick also stated that the instrumental song "Snow Bound" "actually disrupts the smooth flow of the album" and "the track’s presence is to fill space." However, he finished saying that with this album, Arch Enemy have "a more defined and focused sound and a better idea of where the band is heading compositionally."
Arch Enemy
- Angela GossowAngela GossowAngela Nathalie Gossow is the lead vocalist for the Swedish melodic death metal band Arch Enemy. Her previous bands include Asmodina and Mistress. She is considered to be one of the few successful female metal singers to use growling as her primary singing style...
– vocals - Michael AmottMichael AmottMichael Amott is a Swedish guitarist, songwriter, founding member of the bands Arch Enemy, Spiritual Beggars, and Carnage, as well as a member of the death metal band Carcass. He is the older brother of Christopher Amott...
– lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, producer, layout - Christopher AmottChristopher AmottChristopher Amott is a Swedish guitarist and vocalist, younger brother of Michael Amott and founding member of the Swedish metal bands Arch Enemy and Armageddon.-Biography:...
– lead guitar - Sharlee D'AngeloSharlee D'AngeloSharlee D'Angelo is the bassist for Swedish melodic death metal band Arch Enemy, as well as the Swedish hard rock band Spiritual Beggars.Sharlee has also been in various bands in the past, either as a studio session player or full member. Some of these include IllWill and Mercyful Fate as well as...
– bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Daniel ErlandssonDaniel ErlandssonDaniel John Erlandsson is the drummer in the melodic death metal band Arch Enemy.His early work includes drumming on the In Flames album Subterranean...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Production
- Fredrik NordströmFredrik NordströmBjörn Tom Fredrik Nordström, born on 5 January 1967, is a Swedish record producer and guitar player for the heavy metal band Dream Evil. Nordström is one of the leading melodic death metal producers in Sweden, and he has worked with some of the genre's top acts, including At the Gates, Arch Enemy,...
− producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, engineer - Arch Enemy − engineer
- Per WibergPer WibergPer Jonas Wiberg is the former keyboardist of Swedish progressive death metal band Opeth, and a member of Michael Amott's stoner metal band Spiritual Beggars. Wiberg toured with Opeth from the 2003 Deliverance/Damnation tour onward, and joined Opeth officially in 2005. Wiberg provided backing...
− mellotronMellotronThe Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...
, grand piano, keyboards - Andy SneapAndy SneapAndy "Undie" Sneap is an English record producer, recording engineer, mixer, guitarist, and songwriter. He is best known for producing and mixing many acclaimed heavy metal albums.-Musician:...
– mixing, mastering - Cabin Fever MediaCabin Fever MediaCabin Fever Media is a design studio founded in 1999 by the Dark Tranquillity guitarist, Niklas Sundin.Cabin Fever Media specializes in graphic design of album artwork, however, Cabin Fever Media also does various other commissioned work that involves illustration and design such as t-shirt design,...
− artwork, layout - Branko − band photography
- Adde − band photography
External links
- Wages of Sin at Encyclopaedia MetallumEncyclopaedia MetallumEncyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives is a website which lists bands from various forms of heavy metal music...