ARCH ENEMY, interview with Angela Gossow

By Chris Fox

Bringing their rebellious message and their continuously reinvented death metal sound, ARCH ENEMY hits the road once again. With their raw presentation and epic guitar musings this quintet has managed to bring about a unique sense of brutality. Extreme melodic metal that is technical in a very real way. Dueling guitars, a pounding rhythm section, and a brutal, outspoken frontwoman are what really set ARCH ENEMY apart from the metal scene. Pure, fuck off, heavy metal.

Vocalist, Angela Gossow, is a confident leader in a growing number of female metal vocalists Gossow explains, “I initially just felt the need to be a part of this [metal] scene… I quickly understood how direct this form of expression was, extreme vocals… now the question of gender is vanishing, and I can do vocals however I want without being questioned.” She doesn’t deny the fact that being a female doing extreme vocals is a different experience for both herself and the band. Extreme vocals with a woman “brings something else to the table. A woman puts a different variation of flavor on what male metal vocalists are capable of… what isn’t as exciting when guys scream becomes more intense with a woman,” explains Gossow.

Through the voice of Gossow and the powerful music surrounding it, ARCH ENEMY creates the true sound of rebellion. “It’s [heavy metal] all about standing up for yourself,” explains Gossow, “every asshole has their opinion and we really don’t care what people think. That is what this music is all about.” The ideas of heavy metal that Gossow expresses are the purest form of trendkilling. “We’re against it…the rules that society puts on everybody. Society, as a whole, is oppressing people way too much,” and that is where metal thrives. The bucking of standards is what Gossow lives for, but they don’t fight the norm just for the sake of doing so. She sees this music as a freedom and release from a shackled populace. “Non conformity is essential for this music,” Gossow digresses about heavier music in the mainstream, “this music is a constantly changing form of rebellion and that is why it will never truly be in the mainstream.” Many bands make attempts at being popular and heavy, but the true essence of metal often gets lost with the popularity, “and in doing so they become shadows of what they truly are.” Gossow continues, “people are afraid of anger, and those of us that understand it are brought together by this kind of music… this is such a direct form of expression… it’s perfect.”

As ARCH ENEMY embarks on another tour, Gossow finds herself immersed in the most rewarding part of their music. “The best part really isn’t releasing an album, that’s great but the most rewarding thing is the process of sharing this with other people. We think these noises up, we share it, and the crowds share it with us.” It is this union that is at the heart of all heavy metal. “Music is such a powerful thing,” Gossow expresses, “and metal really unites this army of one.”