By Jillian Locke

The fourth date on the Tyrants of Evil Tour barraged The Palladium on Saturday, January 23rd with a line-up befitting of its name: Mutiny Within, Arsis, Exodus, and the beloved Swedish veterans that have come to call Worcester home, Arch Enemy.

I arrived just in time to catch the second opener, Arsis, and it’s clear that this Virginia death/tech metal outfit is going strong despite line-up changes. Opening with “Forced to Rock,” a perfect selection to offset the sea of horns ritualistically thrown throughout the set as they chanted, “In the name of Satan, we are forced to rock!” it’s no secret to whom Arsis and their fans pledge their allegiance. Furthering that sentiment were the tracks “We Are The Nightmare,” “The Sadistic Movements Behind Bereavement Letters,” and “The Face of My Innocence,” all solidifying the fact that Arsis bring back the classic, old school metal with their own death, doom, and destruction approach.

After an alarming blast and some immediate soundboard adjustments, the “completely under-rated and totally cool” (according to the viciously lovely Angela Gossow) titans of metal, Exodus, took the stage. If Motorhead were more metal than rock n’ roll, none could be so closely compared than Exodus. With a straight-forward, full-throttle punch to the face, their set brought the crowd out of the intricately spun tech-daze that Arsis left in their wake. The sheer force of the seasoned veterans shown through with tracks “Lesson In Violence, “Children of a Worthless God,” and “Deathamphetamine,” as they held the audience in their vice-like grip, rallying the legions (both young and old ~ LOTS of veterans came out for some face time with both Exodus and Arch Enemy) for the night’s headliner.

With a killer year behind them and a year full of vast potential and serious destruction ahead, Arch Enemy are on fire and continuing to grow their thriving horde of loyal fans, a fact that could not have been more evident than at The Palladium. The sense of command and loyalty that Gossow commanded from the crowd was Goddess-like: perfectly befitting for the beautifully brutastic embodiment of the male and female essence, perfectly molded into a fierce, growling angel. Gossow throws a metal claw with more passion and conviction than most male vocalists, and the almost trance-like obedience of the crowd was testament that Gossow and her fellow brethren are truly at the top of their game.

The musicianship of axe-wielding brothers Amott (Michael and Christopher), bass master Sharlee D’Angelo, and drummer Daniel Erlandsson was the perfect representation of the best of all the bands that played ~ seamless technique and fluid melody with just enough crushing gravity to make the music accessible for both those less technically adept and those who live, eat, breathe, and sh*t the intricacies of the bountiful metal wasteland. Erlandsson had his own moment in the spotlight with a flawless, pounding solo that showcased his polished, perfected percussion skills in a bombastic interlude, followed by more astounding and equally polished solos from the bothers Amott that highlighted just another one of Arch Enemy’s vast weapons in their stellar arsenal of shining, gleaming artillery that sets them apart from many of their current compatriots. Blowing through “My Apocalypse” and “Taking Back My Soul,” both staples off of Doomsday Machine, “Blood on Your Hands” and “I Will Live Again,” from Rise of the Tyrant, and “The Immortal” and “Bury Me An Angel” from their 2009 collection of remastered classics, The Root of All Evil, Arch Enemy showed that they still own, they still destroy, and there’s no slowing this Swedish shredding machine!