"I have existed from the morning of the world and I shall exist until the last star falls from the night. Although I have taken the form of Gaius Caligula I am all men as I am no man, and therefore I am…a god!" And so rises the tyrant in full ferocity, proffering for the judgment of all an album of such monolithic proportions as to challenge the very foundation and enduring legacy that ARCH ENEMY themselves have brought into existence. Though fans may differ in casting their lot with any particular album of the given supreme Metal offerings throughout the band's eleven year career, "Rise Of The Tyrant" poses the unshakable fact that the refined evolution of ARCH ENEMY's music has crested a new mesa of efficiency and venomous lethal potency.

Certainly the exceptionally furious intensity of the album's title track, a song far heavier than any of the band's previous standards, is ample evidence of the focused frenetic frenzy the band has come to embody, and further evidence abounds as to the level to which ARCH ENEMY have been able to elevate themselves with ever increasing precision, instrumental domination, and vocal animosity. It is that combination of elements that brings us "Rise Of The Tyrant" in a refined yet enhanced state of Metal mastery, implementing a level of infectious riff hooks and staggering vocal dominance unparalleled by any of the band's previous outings. The evolution of Angela Gossow's vocals is nothing short of a phenomenon, bleeding malice and unhinged vehemence unsurpassed in the realm of Metal, concisely displayed and forcefully evident in album highlights such as "Blood On Your Hands", "Revolution Begins" and the scorching title track, "Rise Of The Tyrant". In delivering one of the most concerted vocal efforts of the year-and the best of her career-there can be no doubt that this fiery little German has become the unquellable voice of righteous anger for a faceless generation.

The return to the fold of Michael Amott's brother Christopher is another defining point of the album, bearing once again the dynamic dual guitar synchronicity that only two brothers can elicit, and though the soaring melodic majesty and extravagant instrumental flourishes still ring through, there is a more concentrated focus on the incising rip and tear hook of the finest guitar riffery, injecting an element of distinction that ensures an extremely high replay value for the entire album. In Christopher's return, Angela's further elevation amongst the Metal elite, and the culmination of years of refinement and innovation, ARCH ENEMY, this tyrant risen, has truly come full circle: "Remember sins of our fathers, a requiem for the countless dead. Blood is on your hands - the Wages Of Sin."