Guitarist Michael Amott recalled to Full Metal Jackie on her weekend radio show it being a “turbulent” time in the band, but a necessary step in keeping the group moving forward.
“War Eternal was definitely a beginning of a new era in several ways. I think we tried something songwriting wise that we hadn’t done before. Of course, with the addition of a new singer and everything, it was just like a very turbulent time as well,” says Amott.
He recalls, “I remember the turbulence and just the feeling of like, ‘Oh, I wonder if people gonna like this.’ It’d been pretty smooth sailing for a few years, 10 plus years with Angela [Gossow] fronting the band and then with her out and with Alissa in, it was just like nobody knew yet. We were just writing that in secrecy in Sweden. It was super exciting. I was very confident actually about the music. I felt great about the music, but I was not so confident about how people would receive it.”
But Amott says the band toured heavily and put in the work that set the stage for the rest of their career. He looks upon the time fondly, calling it “one of our best albums I think in honest conversion.”
Likewise, Arch Enemy are back with another banger for 2025 with Blood Dynasty. The guitarist gets into his routine of creating new music, how he addresses pressure and self-doubt and what the addition of guitarist Joey Concepcion has meant to the band and their working relationship.
Amott also shares his affinity for discovering and tapping into up-and-coming metal bands, though he admits that when it comes time to write, he often shuts out outside impressions. And as the band sets out on tour this year, Amott serves up the new song he’s most excited to share in the live setting.
Check out more of the chat below.
It’s Full Metal Jackie and I’m excited to welcome back to the show, the one and only Michael Amott of Arch Enemy. The band is back with their latest album Blood Dynasty which continues to see them pushing boundaries well into a long-running career. Michael, each album presents its own set of challenges. What was your approach and what were you looking for in bringing something different to the table with Blood Dynasty?
I think personally we don’t really put that kind of pressure on ourselves. In the initial stages it’s just writing, writing, writing and we have this rule where we basically say yes to every idea and then see where that takes us. And then at some point, you’ve amassed quite a bit of material and you take a step back and look at what have we got here and what would make a cohesive selection of songs or what can we fine tune and you know, stuff like that.
I think that’s how we keep it fresh anyway. It’s just being very open to the creation with creating the new music and not really setting any boundaries or setting. We don’t have a manifest or something that we follow.
I think personally we don’t really put that kind of pressure on ourselves. In the initial stages it’s just writing, writing, writing and we have this rule where we basically say yes to every idea and then see where that takes us. And then at some point, you’ve amassed quite a bit of material and you take a step back and look at what have we got here and what would make a cohesive selection of songs or what can we fine tune and you know, stuff like that.
I think that’s how we keep it fresh anyway. It’s just being very open to the creation with creating the new music and not really setting any boundaries or setting. We don’t have a manifest or something that we follow.
Michael, one of the standout tracks on the new album is “Dream Stealer,” a song that delves into the ideas of self doubt.
You’ve enjoyed a successful run over the years with Arch Enemy being one of the more respected bands in metal. But at this stage in your career, are there still moments of self doubt or have you ever helped one of your peers through a rough period of believing in themselves?
I think we all doubt ourselves at some point, right? I mean there’s so much. I think it’s one of those things. That’s a deep topic actually. I’m trying to think about how to approach this, but I’m not really a kind of person that gets down or depressed too much or have self doubt. But I think everybody struggles with that at some point. I think if you don’t, you’re not human.
Arch Enemy, “Dream Stealer”
Michael, as an artist, inspiration can strike from any place. While we may assume you hear a fair share of metal, are there any outside inspirations? When you want to get into that creative headspace, where does it start for you?
To be honest, I don’t listen to a lot of music in those times when I’m creating new music, when I’m in that phase of writing, which I am kind of every day, actually. So I don’t really listen to a lot of music during the day. I never have background music on.
I’m just kind of listening to what’s going on inside my head. Those crazy voices? No, but just listening out for melodies or ideas or little lyric ideas that will come to me when I’m not listening to music. If you’re constantly bombarding yourself with impressions, I think it’s difficult to come up with something.
So I just play a lot of guitar. I wake up, I have coffee, I play guitar every day for a couple of hours. And so it really starts there. And then, of course I still listen to music. I listen to a lot of music, but that’s more in the evening time for me.
Michael, a band is always a work in progress. Your playing on the new album feels a bit more chaotic and more free. I know. Joey Concepcion came into the band in 2023. Has the arrival of someone new to play off of altered what you do in any way or given you more space to explore?
Not really yet. But he’s a great player and I’ve enjoyed playing with him immensely on the road. He’s a fantastic player and a very chill person and we get along great. We’ve had a lot of fun playing backstage. We do our warm ups together and we play.
We’re just jamming and that’s been a lot of fun. There’s a good connection there so maybe in the future we’ll do some more collaborations or something. But I think on the album he really played amazing lead guitar work and I’m very happy about that. And he’s doing great at the shows also.
It’s Full Metal Jackie with Michael Amott of Arch Enemy. This album that we’re talking about, Blood Dynasty, finds Arch Enemy hitting the road with a pretty solid group of openers with Fit for An Autopsy, Baest and Thrown Into Exile providing support.
Obviously many things have changed since Arch Enemy first started out, but I was curious how you view those currently coming up through the metal ranks and where the music is going these days. Are you inspired by any of these newer bands?
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