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Arch Enemy - Stigmata | 
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Buy for
$7.95
(10 items) |
Album info
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Release date:
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21 April 1998 |
Rating:
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8 | 175 votes |
Owners:
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312 have it
16 want it
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01. Beast Of Man
02. Stigmata
03. Sinister Mephisto
04. Dark Of The Sun
05. Let The Killing Begin
06. Black Earth
07. Hydra [Japanese bonus track]
08. Tears Of The Dead
09. Diva Satanica [Japanese bonus track]
10. Damnation's Way [Japanese bonus track]
11. Vox Stellarum
12. Bridge Of Destiny
Review
Lyrics (9) |
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Review by Vikingocalypse; [Guest reviewer]
Arch Enemy's second album, another classic masterpiece after Black Earth. Black Earth fascinated us by being one of the early new wave of Gothenburg Metal albums, and once again Michael Ammot transfused brutally aggressive guitar riffs with melodic guitar riffs and added some acoustic riffs.
On Stigmata, Arch Enemy has experienced minor line up changes. Bass duties has been handed over to Martin Bengtsson. Meanwhile Peter Wildoer took over the drums (but was replaced by the original drummer Daniel Erlandsson during the extended recording sessions of the album). Stigmata's sound is slightly different from that of Black Earth, but it is debatable to say that the line up change is the reason of this impact.
Stigmata is a little more melodic containing a grand piano on one track and the keyboards are more noticeable. Also, whenever I listen to Stigmata, somehow I feel like I am in a trans. It starts off with Beast of Man (which is probably the most aggressive track on this album) then it gets into the instrumental Stigmata. Right after listening to those two tracks, I feel like I am lost very deep into a trans. Sinister Mephisto then kicks in followed by Dark of the Sun, Let the Killing Begin, and Black Earth, four tracks that somehow take me deeper into the trance. Then the instrumental Vox Stellarum follows. This track contains a grand piano. It is probably one of Arch Enemy's most melodic songs and certainly the most mesmerizing one. Then Bridge of Destiny ends the album with seven minutes and forty-six seconds worth of transfused mesmerizing melody, a bass solo, and hard-edged riffs. As soon as the CD finishes playing, I am completely lost in an oblivious reverie.
The guitars and the bass on Stigmata were outstanding. There (in my opinion) really is no need for improvement. The drumming wasn't as good except for the track Beast Of Man. Daniel Erlandsson handles drums much better than Peter Wildoer. It was a good thing he decided to return to Arch Enemy before this album was released. The keyboarding varies. Some tracks contain more keyboarding than others. But overall it was played well. The grand piano on Vox Stellarum was played beautifully. However, for some listeners it may be too melodic to accept from Arch Enemy. Overall, the album's quality of production was quite raw.
Johan Liiva's vocals we're really not at their best. He is struggling with his voice. According to Michael Ammot, Johan Liiva came down with a throat infection during the sessions. John Liiva did a good job on vocals on Black Earth, but certainly not on Stigmata. I think this is the album where he should have been replaced. Vocal-wise, this album needed someone with deep growls similar to those of Mikael Akerfeldt (Bloodbath), Seth (Septicflesh), and Glen Benton (Deicide). Even grunts such as Helmuth's (Belphegor) or Warslut's (Destroyer 666) would have been suitable.
Albeit Stigmata differed from Black Earth slightly and had poor vocal quality, it is definitely one of Arch Enemy's best albums. Personally, it is my second favourite of all their releases. Many may say this album needed to be faster and more aggressive like Black Earth, but what would have been the point of that? They did it once with Black Earth, so why shouldn't Stigmata be a little more individual? It still sounds like Arch Enemy and that is all that truly matters. The only improvements that would have done them well were to re-record the drumming of Peter Wildoer with Daniel Erlandsson, and replace Johan Liiva with a more sophisticated death grunter.
Stigmata is certainly a must have album for any Arch Enemy fan.
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Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
published 23.12.2008 | Comments (3) |
Rating:
8.9
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Performance:
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8 |
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Songwriting:
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9 |
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Originality:
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10 |
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Production:
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9 |
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