What exactly do you call a "greatest hits" album where the material is significantly better than the original recordings? Is it a "greaterest hits"? Does it constitute a new album unto itself? Whatever you want to call it, it all boils down to the fact that the very best songs from ARCH ENEMY's first three albums ("Black Earth", "Stigmata" and "Burning Bridges") have been re-recorded with tighter musicianship, exceptional production values, and the much more diverse and more-pissed-off-than-ever vocal assault from the Diva Satanica herself, Angela Gossow. Some fans may turn their nose at the idea of re-recording material they are already both familiar and satisfied with; for such fans, all three of these albums are still out there fully intact with original vocalist Johan Liiva doing his duty. Yet still every ARCH ENEMY fan would be doing themselves a great disservice by not at least giving "The Root Of All Evil" an honest chance; if you've relied on ARCH ENEMY for all these years to deliver the way they do, then surely you must show some faith in ARCH ENEMY's devotion to making any release worth your while.

And certainly "The Root Of All Evil" is as worthy as any other album the band has ever released, if not more. By taking the heavier, more riff oriented material that defines the band's early years and adding the unbridled ferocity of Angela's formidable talent, you really are getting the best of both worlds. After the brief album intro, the full force of what this album holds in store roars from your speakers via "Beast Of Man". Any concern about Angela's ability to maintain the quality of the original material is immediately thrown out the window; this track alone is firm proof that she has developed her vocal abilities significantly with every release; "The Root Of All Evil" is her most impressive performance to date, and she has succeeded in making what were already excellent songs even better.

The only head scratcher here is the inclusion of the sludgy, monotonous instrumental "Demoniality". In the face of so many excellent songs in the band's catalogue, it seems an odd and rather poor choice to include this dull tune. Apart from that, pick a song - any song - for instant proof that this album is very much worth your while. Then pick another song, and another, and another until it's time to hit play to start the disc over. This is a consolidation of killer material from three very awesome albums, refined and refocused for absolute impact. Even if you know and love the original material, it takes but one listen to know that these songs are not burning the bridges of old - they are the perfect melding of ARCH ENEMY's past and present; for both the band and the fans, they are truly "The Root Of All Evil".