Amaranthe - The Catalyst'

Swedish group Amaranthe have been going now for 16 years. I’m not going to get into catagorising them because there is so much going on but they are classified with words like symphonic, pop, power, death, melodic metal styles. I’ve been in love with them since 2013’s The Nexus and it’s never faded since. They’re most known for having 3 vocalists which may at first sound like maybe too many but you’ll soon see it’s not.

Straight away after the building intro of opener and title track “The Catalyst” it’s abundantly clear this is going to be another top class release, the whispers add a level of menace, amongst the chaotic full sounding riffs and tones, the triple vocalist setup beyond justifying itself with a glorious chorus. “Re-Vision” has has a stupidly big chorus, such a blend of power metal, death metal and synth elements that I truly believe you could fill a dance floor with. Vocalist Elize Ryd needs another exceptional mention for that insane set of pipes, you can spin “Insatiable” or “Damnation Flame” to see just how full and vast her reach is as a singer, she is a phenomenal musician. “Interference” is one of my favourites, they let resident screamer Mikael Sehlin prove again he could have a great career as a rapper, it’s so thick and crunchy with a lot going on, it’s the perfect recipe for me. “Stay A Little While” is a really powerful ballad, it’s a format that Ryd and Molin can really let their full vocal range off the leash, truly glorious operatic few minutes here.

I wouldn’t want or be able to put Amaranthe in a genre box, they’ve got the heart and storytelling from power metal, the sharp and heaviness of melodic death metal and some of that dance/industrial sounds that really make them a big package act. I used to think 3 vocalists may be a bit much but it absolutely isn’t they utilise it time and time again to produce absolute bangers.

[8/10]

Review by Jay

*All reviews are the individual writers thoughts and are not necessarily those of Dropped Halo Media.