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Amaranthe - Amaranthe review



Reviewer:
8.8

307 users:
7.67
Band: Amaranthe
Album: Amaranthe
Release date: April 2011


Disc I
01. Leave Everything Behind
02. Hunger
03. 1.000.000 Lightyears
04. Automatic
05. My Transition
06. Amaranthine
07. Rain
08. Call Out My Name
09. Enter The Maze
10. Director's Cut
11. Act Of Desperation
12. Serendipity
13. Breaking Point [Japanese + Special edition bonus]
14. A Splinter In My Soul [Japanese + Special edition bonus]
15. Amaranthine [Acoustic version] [Japanese bonus]
16. Leave Everything Behind [Acoustic version] [Japanese bonus]

Disc II [DVD]
01. Hunger [video]
02. Amaranthine [video]
03. 2011 European Tour Documentary
04. Album Recording Studio Diaries

There are numerous aspects of Amaranthe's approach that constantly threaten to go horribly, horribly wrong. For starters, there are three singers in this band. I realize that this is nothing profound, but it is not like System Of A Down, in which there are three guys who sing - there are three people in this band whose main purpose is to do nothing but sing. That is a tad excessive, but, on top of that, one of them is a screamer. This could, in theory, make any band instantly sound metalcore (and false) as all hell, but in the case of Amaranthe, it adds some surprisingly tasteful heaviness at appropriate times. Of course, another one of the vocalists is female. Not to knock female metal singers, but let's face it; female-fronted metal bands are a dime a dozen these days, and for every respectable Nightwish or The SLoT there are a hundred generic power-pop bands just trying to draw attention with eye candy. Not so with Amaranthe; Elize Ryd has a captivating voice that perfectly complements the screams of Andreas Solveström and clean vocals of Jake E. Berg. Honestly, if the band had chosen any one or even two of these singers, I probably would have written them off fairly immediately. Yet the combination of the three makes for a unique and magnetizing sound.

Perhaps the other most recognizable aspect of Amaranthe's music is that every single song on this album is incredibly catchy. These tracks sound suspiciously like pop songs rewritten for a metal band. Yes, yes, I know. Melody = false, right? This is not even Amon Amarth-style "true" melody, this is radio-friendly melody. It only serves to add to their dangerously potent metalcore side. Yet? there is something amidst the breakdowns and pinch harmonics that makes me question my sanity enough to just enjoy it without any compunctions. Of course, they do still have that good old power metal bombast; in fact, this probably saves the band from being far falser than they already appear to be. Listening to "Hunger," you cannot help but picture some dude slaying large amounts of other dudes with a magical weapon of some kind. "Amaranthine" is also at the top of the heap, as far as ballads go.

This band is almost beyond description. The interplay between the three vocalists is mesmerizing, and the harmonies are heavenly at times. The production is surprisingly professional for such a new band, with that "everything all the way up" feel that modern artists seem to love. The melodies are infectious, and their appeal is almost inexplicable. Ultimately, Amaranthe is one album that cannot be summed up with mere words. Your first thought may be the same as mine ("WHAT THE HELL DID THEY DO TO MY METAL?!?!?"), but you have to just listen all the way through and give it a chance.


Rating breakdown
Performance: 9
Songwriting: 9
Originality: 10
Production: 8

Written by ScreamingSteelUS | 06.02.2012




Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.


Comments

Comments: 8   Visited by: 160 users
06.02.2012 - 12:56
Rating: 4
Milena
gloom cookie
I'm still thinking about what the hell they did to my metal "Mesmerizing" might be a good way to describe it if the vocalists were a lot better, although the two male vocalists are pretty fine on their own.
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7.0 means the album is good
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06.02.2012 - 15:17
Edmund Fogg

I like your review, noty your musical taste. I find Amaranthe to be excessively boring with nothing more to offer to a genre that has been stale since a decade.
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You cannot sedate all the things you hate - MM
The Observer is the source of reality - Bloom
God damn it!! What did Diddy didn't do? - Satan
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08.02.2012 - 20:58
Uldreth

Just fyi, having both clean and harsh vocalists and radio friendly melodies is not an inherent property of metalcore and DEFINITELY not something that could define the genre. Just fyi.
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24.02.2012 - 08:47
slinx

I've only really listened to Hunger, but it is pretty damn catchy. That and the chick looks good. :0
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'You're short, you're fat, and even for a film critic you are ugly.' - The Critic
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18.09.2012 - 18:06
ManuelCufr

The production 8? this album's sound is badass. Originality 10? LOL
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08.11.2012 - 02:16
Tristus Scriptor
Rancid Reviewer
You almost described this exactly the same way that I expressed it to my wife. They are a guilty pleasure of mine now.
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12.03.2013 - 22:54
BlackHalo83

I really didnt like the album, although I do have to great them props because they do perform good, I do like "Call Out My Name" a lot, along with 2 other songs.
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16.12.2017 - 07:42
Rating: 7
ScreamingSteelUS
Editor-in-Chief
I wish I had paid attention to every song on this album rather than every other one. There are some tracks I enjoy today as much as I ever did, but with several more albums to throw this one into perspective, it's glaringly obvious that Amaranthe is a one-trick pony.
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"Earth is small and I hate it" - Lum Invader

I'm the Agent of Steel.
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