• Hit and miss - A review of Arch Enemy's Covered in Blood

    Arch Enemy - Covered in Blood (2019)

    International melodic death metal band Arch Enemy has recorded twenty-four cover songs so far in its career, more than most groups in their entire careers. Covered in Blood compiles all of them and features all eras and line-ups of the band, including their three different vocalists. Despite offering cover songs, the band manages to make these songs sound like their own with an energetic, harsh and raw twist. On the other side, the two dozen tracks of all eras also show that the band's formula and sound haven't changed very much. Faithful fans of the band will like what they hear while those who have never understood the group's immense popularity will still feel clueless after listening to this output.

    In my opinion, the cover songs are hit and miss. The band's covers of crust and hardcore punk bands like Anti Cimex, Charged GBH and Shitlickers sound particularly great because the band has kept and accentuated the raw energy of the original tracks. It's a whole different thing for the group's more ambitious choices. Songs by Iron Maiden, Mike Oldfield and Queensrÿche have a melodic, progressive and quite unique vibe that Arch Enemy's can't equal with its rough approach as said songs are barely recognizable and have lost all their charm.

    It would have been great if the band had added a few brandnew songs but twenty-four tracks with a running time of more than seventy minutes still represent value for money. Listening to Covered in Blood is certainly entertaining because of its vivid diversity. However, there are pretty much as many great cover versions and there are missed attempts. The final result is better than I would have expected initially but it's still far from being essential.

    Final rating: 50%

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