Amaranthe is about to release their 5th album named Helix. The first album with clean singer Nils Molin since previous clean singer Jake E left.
The first impression you get from this album, is that it is heavy influenced by pop music. Amaranthe always had a pop element in there, but in this album it seems to be more. For example: in the chorus of the song ‘Inferno’, you can hear the melody of the chorus of ‘Shape of You‘ by Ed Sheeran. Have you ever heard ‘Shut up and Drive’ by Rihanna? The first listen kind of gives you that vibe.
But, a very big BUT, when you listen a second time you hear the details in the songs. Not just in one song but in the whole album. There is so much more than just pop. There’s metal and even some techno parts in there. A top notch modern metal album. Listen to pearls of songs like ‘Momentum’ or ‘Iconic‘. ‘GG6’ is the song that got me thinking about techno. Such fluent switches between different styles all in one song. Simply Brilliant.
This is where the name Helix comes into place. Do you know how they picture DNA? That shape, basically a curve that goes around a cone shape in the form of a spiral, is called a Helix. That is exactly what this album is. There are so many different angles and approaches to create one Amaranthe song. At first it sounds kinda simple, but when you look at the complexity it is really a piece of art.
The poppy part is mostly created by the clean vocals of Elize Ryd, the metal vibe is more in the hands of scream vocalist Hendrik Englund and then there’s the second clean voice of Nils Molin. It is a challenge to put these voices together, but when you make it work it’s truly awesome. The keys played by guitarist Olof Mörk give the songs that techno vibe. Combine this with bass player Johan Andreassen and Morten Lowe Sorensen on drums and you have Amaranthe: a lot of styles blend together into a modern metal band that makes music I can say I haven’t heard before.
Helix is surprising. It’s catchy and poppy. But also sturdy and material for head banging. Definitely give it a listen if you’re in for something new.
Release date: October 19, 2018
Label: Spinefarm Records
Tracklist:
01 The Score
02 365
03 Inferno
04 Countdown
05 Helix
06 Dream
07 GG6
08 Breakthrough Starshot
09 My Haven
10 Iconic
11 Unified
12 Momentum
