Live Review: Arch Enemy, Chaos Divine

29 March 2018 | 2:55 pm | Simon Holland

"The new revamped Arch Enemy blew off the doors of the Luddites afraid of change."

More Arch Enemy More Arch Enemy

Local melodeath prog savants Chaos Divine proved that despite the retirement of one of Perth's great talents, it would take more than losing a great drummer to kill the longstanding mark of excellence the band has left.

The rocky-rolling Soldiers made an appearance with the trademark soaring vocal choruses of Dave Anderton. The epic One Door is still hard to beat as an all-time track.

The new revamped Arch Enemy blew off the doors of the Luddites afraid of change with the addition of high-profile guitarist Jeff Loomis and vo-killest Alissa White-Gluz. The Michael Amott-powered fivesome are sticking to what they do best - classic melodeath. The sold-out, new-look Rosemount Hotel provided some solid improvements as a live venue, reflecting the power of a quality international act.

The dual-riffing of Amott and Loomis tore out with a neo-rendition of crowd favourite Ravenous from the Angela Gossow era. White-Gluz was perhaps not as fearsome as her predecessor but would prove to be an incredibly likeable frontwoman - with incredible power and range, but probably a bit raspier than the pure anger and aggression of Gossow.

Don't miss a beat with our FREE daily newsletter

New tracks Set Flame To The Night, The Race and The World Is Yours from 2017's Will To Power made an appearance, being the focus of the world tour. The new album worked well live but will take most hardened fans a bit of burn time, while the mix of oldies kept the spirits high. We Will Rise brought the loudest cheers, with the Enemy closing with the all-time great Nemesis.