Singles Roundup: Arch Enemy, Foo Fighters, & Masterplan

We've got some news to talk about in this batch.

Arch Enemy - To The Last Breath

Once again, we find Arch Enemy beginning a new era with a new vocalist. And once again, the band is not going to be making waves with their pick. After they set the standard and found their fame with Angela Gossow, they have done nothing to rock the boat. In fact, there were even rumors going around that Angela might be returning to the band in the wake of Alissa's departure, but that turned out to be fever dreaming from the online community. Instead, we see Arch Enemy welcoming Lauren Heart into the fold, which comes with an admission that must be made; both because of the nature of harsh vocals and the band's adherence to formula, there really isn't much of a difference between Angela, Alissa, and now Lauren.

That's good news if you like Arch Enemy, because nothing has changed on this first taste of the new era. Michael Amott is still writing the same style of anthemic extreme music I have taken to calling 'arena death metal', and this is one of their better examples of it. The verses thrash with fury, leading to a chorus that begs to be screamed by a stadium full of sweaty metal fans. It's perfect Arch Enemy, if that's the sort of thing you like. Personally, I admire the craft of the music, but I can only stay interested for small doses. This being one, I'm rather impressed. It reminds me a lot of Angela's version of "Pilgrim", which remains my favorite Arch Enemy song by a mile.

Foo Fighters - Your Favorite Toy

I have to think long and hard to remember the last time Foo Fighters weren't disappointing me. That would be "Wasting Light", which is further in the past than my memory would like to admit. Since then, the band has gone through terrible gimmicks, a songwriting drought, and personal tragedies. Perhaps it shouldn't be a surprise they have struggled to maintain an identity through all of that. Every time they pop up again, they seem to be putting on a new mask, a new persona, something that tries to kick them back into a creative state. I thought their previous album, which was the return-to-form after Taylor Hawkins' death, would start a second period of remembering just who Foo Fighters are... but that was an illusion.

This song finds the band trying to be a dirty, lo-fi version of themselves, but that's not who they are. Foo Fighters are mainstream. Hell, Foo Fighters are the very definition of rock in the mainstream. For them to pretend they're still playing in a garage somewhere is ridiculous, and it actively insults the millions of people who turned them into the stadium sized band they are. They tried something similar on "Wasted Light", but back then Dave Grohl still had a few good songs left in him. Those songs were less polished, but they were built with hooks upon hooks. This song is grit and nothing else.

An identity crisis is not an easy thing to go through, especially not in the public eye. I have sympathy for that, but Foo Fighters have essentially been going through this same thing for over a decade. At this point, if they haven't figured out what the next chapter is for them, it might not exist. The fact of the matter is this song, along with everything that has come before it, might just be evidence the band is running on fumes.

Masterplan - Chase The Light

Speaking of comebacks, Masterplan is returning for the first time in years, but with a completely different story to Foo Fighters. Rather than being in crisis, Masterplan is trying too hard to be who they used to be. The band is so dedicated to the original template of their power metal that it feels as if time has stood still, which only highlights the ways in which it hasn't. This first song from their upcoming album sounds like classic Masterplan, while sounding nothing like classic Masterplan.

The guitar tones and the pacing are right, but the ideas are not there. The song lacks the memorable hooks their first two albums had, falling flat even before we get to the disappointing chorus. What's worse though is that the weaker songwriting exposes the fact that the band's main appeal was always Jorn Lande, who took all of the band's cache with him when he left years ago. Rick Altzi is a capable singer for some things, but this kind of power metal is not that. His rasp is not the smooth and powerful one Jorn possesses, instead venturing into strain and a bit of ugliness.

Masterplan was born out of the wake of Helloween, and both bands have embraced their past to find their future. I didn't like Helloween's efforts, because they are too clean backward looking to feel vital in the current day. I don't like this Masterplan effort either, because it doesn't actually sound like the band they are trying to be.

Singer might get too much credit or blame, but there's a reason. When you lose one who is definitive, you can't recover. Masterplan took time away, and they didn't figure out how to get over that hump.