Song Saturday: Arch Enemy Block

How's it going lurkers? So, last night, I browsed around and realized that I've NEVER published a Song Saturday blog for Arch Enemy! In the past, I've shared a few songs and music videos for Arch Enemy with both Angela Gossow and Alissa White-Gluz as the band's vocalists, but never an entire block. Well, better late than never, right?

Over the years, I sometimes thought about the fact that the Death Metal band was originally fronted by the Swedish frontman, Johan Liiva. 

By 2000, Arch Enemy replaced Johan with Angela Gossow. She retired in March 2014.

Last March, Angela retired from the Death Metal band as their frontwoman and "handpicked" The Agonist's Canadian vocalist, Alissa White-Gluz, as her replacement. Angela Gossow is now Arch Enemy's manager.

It feels somewhat strange, now that Angela has taken the backseat. This German frontwoman had released 7 albums and 3 EP's with this predominantly male Swedish Death Metal band. 

Now, Angela Gossow is the band's manager and Alissa is fronting Arch Enemy, years later. Whichever works I suppose.

Even though Arch Enemy has been through a total of 3 different vocalists from 3 different countries, I will always be more of a fan of Angela's. I cannot help being automatically biased.

Compared to Johan Liiva and Alissa White-Gluz, Angela Gossow has THE MOST  history and vocal experience with Arch Enemy. Angela also continues to play a major role with the band, considering that she is now their manager.

With that being said, I have chosen 8 songs from Arch Enemy. Half of these songs consist of Angela Gossow doing the vocals. Johan Liiva and Alissa White-Gluz are both acknowledged for today's Song Saturday, as well.

1) Arch Enemy [Vocalist Johan Liiva] "Diva Satanica" Stigmata (1998)

2) Arch Enemy [Vocalist Angela Gossow] "Enemy Within" Wages Of Sin (2001)

3) Arch Enemy [Vocalist Angela Gossow] "Dead Bury Their Dead" Wages Of Sin (2001)

4) Arch Enemy [Vocalist Angela Gossow] "I Am Legend/Out For Blood" Doomsday Machine (2005)

5) Arch Enemy [Vocalist Angela Gossow] "Skeleton Dance" Doomsday Machine (2005)

6) Arch Enemy [Vocalist Alissa White-Gluz] "You Will KNow My Name" War Eternal (2014)

7) Arch Enemy [Vocalist Alissa White-Gluz "As The Pages Burn" War Eternal (2014)

8) Arch Enemy [Vocalist Alissa White-Gluz] "Stolen Life" War Eternal (2014)

Song Saturday: 3 Growling Metal Frontwomen Block

How's it going lurkers? That picture in the left hand corner is a picture of Alissa White-Gluz. 

Sometimes I forget that Arch Enemy was originally fronted by a male vocalist (Johan Liiva).  

Angela Gossow was the band's first replacement vocalist for almost 14 years. 

Recently, Angela "handed the torch" to Alissa White-Gluz from The Agonist. Scott (my friend and subscriber from Blogster) recently informed me about this surprising news. 

I probably would've known much sooner, but I've been living under a rock for quite some years regarding most of today's music. 

So, Angela Gossow no longer fronts Arch Enemy. Alissa White-Gluz from the Canadian Death Metal band, The Agonist, is her replacement.

Angela purposely chose Alissa because Alissa is a longtime friend and Angela felt she deserved a chance to join Arch Enemy.

Gossow retired from the band on March 17th and is now their business manager.

After watching some of Arch Enemy's latest music videos featuring Alissa, I feel Angela picked the perfect vocalist as her replacement. Meanwhile...

I have been trying to save some of the heavier music for later this year, but I think I will squeeze in some today. On YouTube 2 years ago, I watched this performance by Rachel Aspe and found it to be hilarious.

Rachel Aspe Covers Sybreed's "Emma-0" (2012)

She deceived everyone with her physical appearance and courteous demeanor. They assumed Rachel was going to chirp like a bird rather than growl like a lioness. Gotta love it!

Over the last decade or so, there has been an increase in female vocalist fronting Metal bands. Some of them sing, some of them growl, and some do BOTH. 

Surely, these female vocalists endured their fair share of discrimination. The music industry has always been male-dominated, especially the Metal industry.

It can usually be very challenging for females to love Metal bands, if not belong to them. Women must work MUCH harder to prove we are Metal fans, in order to gain men's respect.

Even though I was never in a Metal band, I battled a lot of discrimination. This was especially since I listened to and aired mostly Metal on my radio show, All Things Frightening.

Over 12 years ago, I was the only so-called "ethnically ambiguous" Radio DJ/Hostess at UW-Parkside's 101.7 WIPZ to air mostly Metal.

Considering that I'm open-minded to most music genres and sub-genres, I bonded with a few male and female co-workers. At WIPZ, I played both mainstream and undiscovered music. This cannot be said for everybody.

Some male co-workers at WIPZ asked each other, "What's the difference between your show and hers?" 

A female co-worker replied, "Anna plays more Death Metal on her show."

When hosting All Things Frightening, I always said my radio show consisted of mostly Metal, including Industrial Metal, and Electronica.  

Sometimes, I exposed my other co-workers to bands they never knew existed. They either loved those bands, or hated them.

Some of my female co-workers didn't air as much Metal. Whenever I co-hosted some female co-workers' shows as a guest, they expected to hear certain bands.  

Otep was 1 of the Metal "artists" I FREQUENTLY played.

In 2002, Otep Shamaya debuted. She was highly influenced by KoRn (circa 1994-'96) and Slipknot (circa 1999-2001), along with strong Death Metal elements for her debut album, Sevas Tra.

Male co-workers mocked me for playing Otep's "Battle Ready" on my show because her growling vocals sounded furious and "masculine."

Otep "Battle Ready" Sevas Tra (2002)

"Battle Ready" was the main song I played by Otep. Sometimes I played "Blood Pigs," "My Confession," and "Possession." I really enjoyed her Jihad EP and Sevas Tra. By '04, I lost interest in Otep's albums.

Otep Shamaya became too politically divisive and hateful. Like almost every other musician by 2004, she jumped on the bandwagon of demonizing President George W. Bush. It was already bad enough that Otep ruined Nirvana's song, "Breed," a few years ago.

Last year, I listened to "Apex Predator" from her Hydra album and hated it. I still like Otep Shamaya's work from 2002 and was quick to embrace and expose her work locally in Kenosha, WI and air online for my listeners.

Much like Otep has a tolerance level, everyone including her fans have tolerance levels and already lost interest in her because her extreme bitterness is overkill. Personally, I prefer Arch Enemy over Otep.

Don't be fooled by their beauty. These women are the embodiment of "I am woman, hear me ROARRRR!!!"

After listening to Otep's, Angela's, and Alissa's growling vocals, I triple dog dare some ignorami (both men and women) to ask these Metal frontwomen if they're on their rags. 

As those ignorami get brutally knocked out, rip to shreds, and devoured, I'll be cheering from the sidelines.

Anyway, here's some Otep circa 2002, Arch Enemy featuring Angela Gossow, and Alissa White-Gluz from both The Agonist and currently Arch Enemy. Get ready to shit bricks! \,,/ \,,/

1) Otep "Blood Pigs" Sevas Tra (2002)

2) Arch Enemy [With Angela Gossow] "My Apocalypse" Doomsday Machine (2005)

3) The Agonist [With Alissa White-Gluz] "Panophobia" Prisoners (2012)

4) Arch Enemy [With Alissa White-Gluz] "You Will Know My Name" War Eternal (2014)

Big shout out to Scott from Blogster! I hope you're enjoying the Wacken Festival!