Featuring the all-star lineup of Mike Amott (guitars), Chris Amott (guitars), Sharlee D’Angelo (bass) and Daniel Erlandsson (drums), the group first garnered praise with the metal milestones Black Earth (1997), Stigmata (1998) and Burning Bridges (1999). These albums were fueled by flawless dual guitar technical execution and a previously unheard of mixture of melody and aggression, which helped them quickly solidify their reputation as one of the genre’s elite.

However, ARCH ENEMY really began to develop their true potential once vocalist Angela Gossow joined the fold on 2001’s critically acclaimed Wages of Sin album (produced by Nordström and mixed by Sneap), marking the first time a band of this caliber and ferocity was fronted by a woman. The album was bathed in unending universal praise – from worldwide front-cover press in national magazines to daily newspapers – with Wages Of Sin proudly claiming stake in end-of-the-year “Best Of... lists. The metal underground also demonstrated a faithful display of allegiance to the new line-up, as Metal Maniacs hailed the album as “a relentless, eclectic and wholly charged album to keep even those with the shortest musical attention spans entertained. Further accolades soon followed as North America’s Alternative Press quickly identified ARCH ENEMY as one of the five bands who exemplify “the sound of things to come in 2002. This claim would soon prove itself prophetic during the band’s performances at Japan’s Beast Feast, the Milwaukee Metalfest, the New England Metal & Hardcore Festival, a North American tour supporting Nile, their own headlining North American tour and six sold-out dates in Japan.

The band’s 2003 effort, Anthems of Rebellion, was immediately hailed as a metal masterpiece. It was their second offering with Angela, touted by Metal Edge as “one of the most promising talents in years. The record proved to be a landmark release for Century Media, as it delivered the label its then-highest first-week U.S. SoundScan sales ever on the way to becoming one of its 10 best-selling albums of all time. Press raves continued to pour in, as Anthems scored an unprecedented 5/5 in both Alternative Press and Kerrang! while going on to land the #1 album of 2003 in Metal Maniacs Readers’ Poll, earning them staunch recognition and high-profile U.S. tours with such acts as Slayer, Hatebreed, Cradle Of Filth and the legendary Iron Maiden.