756. Arch Enemy / Stigmata. 1998. 3.5/5

After the impressive debut of Black Earth, Arch Enemy has an up-and-down time on their second release, Stigmata. Michael and Christopher Amott take their 80's heavy metal influences further to the dark side here without losing their melodic heart, and create a worthy sophomore album, though it could be said that some boxes were left unticked.

First, the positives. The songs are as impressive as those on Black Earth. Brilliantly structured heavy metal guitars just crush here, supported by great drumming to push them along at a brilliant rate. Killer riffs, combined with melodic tendencies and then perfect solo breaks make these songs just sensational to listen to. The start of the album is brilliant, with "Beast of Man" leading into the instrumental "Stigmata" before crashing into "Sinister Mephisto". The rest of the album doesn't quite hold up the standard of these three songs, but overall they are still of an excellent quality.
Secondly, the downside. Johan Liiva's vocals don't quite match up to his efforts on the previous album. They are less convincing, and less imposing. While I have never been completely sold on any vocalist that Arch Enemy has unleashed upon us, Johan is generally my favourite, especially for his work on the previous album. Here though, there doesn't seem to be quite the same energy. I have often fantasised about Tom Araya singing the songs on this album, and think it would have made an awesome construction. In places, such as "Black Earth", the vocals just tend to take away from what the music is providing, and that can be a shame.

I am not a huge death metal fan, but Arch Enemy has always impressed me for their music, if not for the vocals. Certainly the first half of this album fulfills this part of the bargain, but after the uniqueness of the debut, this one can't quite carry it as far.

Rating:  Beware the beast of man, for he's the devil's pawn. 3.5/5