Vim Fuego When people look back on the metal of 2001, what is best remembered? Slayer's return with 'God Hates Us All'? Slipknot’s overhyped but dire 'Iowa'? Emperor's final exit with 'Prometheus…'? Deicide's crazed contractual obligation album 'In Torment In Hell'? If there was any justice in the world, 'Wages of Sin' would be hailed as the defining album of 2001. It isn’t, but hey, life ain't fair.

Right from the get go Arch Enemy command respect. Even on first listen, the technical brilliance of the band is awe–inspiring. The riffing and soloing is amazing. It immediately gets in your face, grabs you by the ears, and shakes until you can't help but give it your full attention. This is not something to listen to while you're working, as you'll be constantly distracted. That's not to say it's overly technical in a prog–rock kind of way. No, this is interchangeable twin guitar rifferama, as pioneered by Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, where rhythm and lead guitar blend seamlessly.

Choosing the outstanding tracks on this album is impossible. As each new track begins you think "this is the one!" but then the next track begins you think "or maybe this". There is not a dud, filler, or weaker track among them. Just as a random example, "Heart of Darkness" starts with what sounds like a riff left over from Carcass' pathologically essential 'Necroticism: Descanting The Insalubrious'. Angela Gossow's guttural growl (it says here it's a female vocalist, though it's difficult to believe!) also sounds a lot like that produced by the Carcass lads.

Latter day Carcass seems to be a reference point repeatedly, and if any band deserves to revisit the likes of 'Heartwork' and 'Swansong', its Arch Enemy. After all, Michael Amott helped define their post–'Symphonies of Sickness' sound. All the same, it would be misleading and unfair to call Arch Enemy Carcass clones. This band has its own unique musical identity, out–muscling a majority of so–called melodic death metal bands, but still retaining that essential listenability and attention to detail missing from more brutal bands.

While the brainwashed, baggy–trousered hordes think they have found the essence of "extreme" metal in Slipknot and Disturbed, anyone with an ear for what metal CAN be will be tracking this down and smiling quietly and blissfully.

Mjöllnir Their peak, I'd say. With Angela Gossow now on board, the band took their boldest stride yet down the road to metal stardom. Much more palatable than Johan Liiva's monotonous howl, Angela's uncanny resemblence to Carcass' Jeff Walker is the icing on the cake of an album that represents Mike Amott's best attempt to recreate Heartwork.

It's altogether more polished and straight ahead than the Carcass classic but the signatures are all there. It feels very much like a classic heavy metal record played by a death metal band, the density of the Burning Bridges production giving way to a clean and sharper sound. Metal festival crowd pleasers like Burning Angel, Ravenous and Dead Bury Their Dead have aged nicely and the album flows neatly with memorable riffs never far away. The song structures while traditional are peppered with excellent detail and they nail some sweet melodic hooks like never before.

I can't say they ever were a favourite of mine but this was and still is quite a special effort and stands tall amongst the best albums in last decade or so of metal.