On their North American headlining tour, Arch Enemy brings their new album, Blood Dynasty, to the Los Angeles Wiltern Theater on Tuesday, April 15th. With support from Thrown Into Exile, Baest, and Fit For an Autopsy, this unbeatable lineup delivers the fire.
With local slayers, Thrown Into Exile, bringing bangers from their new November EP, Passageways, the evening gets off to a strong start. Danish death metal band, Baest, follows suit in slaying with some of their fresh tracks including a recently released track, “Misfortunate Son”. A song that has me very intrigued and now digging through the rest of their discography for more. Fit For an Autopsy, also with new music, comes crushing in with songs from their October released album: “The Nothing That Is,” including “Lower Purpose,” “Red Horizon”, and “Hostage”, bringing the night up to the next level.
The turnover period between Fit For an Autopsy and Arch Enemy was a steadily palpable period, the audience growing more and more eager for the headliner. As soon as the house music stopped, the crowd went nuts. The stage was back dressed with a tall cyc directly depicting the album cover of the skeletal family with swords, ravens crowns and demons.
Arch Enemy came onto the stage like a thunderstorm takes over the sky, Alissa White-Gluz striking in like lightning with her iconic blue hair and growls. They opened with, “Deceiver, Deceiver” from their 2022 album, Deceivers, before they catapulted us all the way back to their 2002 album, Wages of Sin, with “Ravenous.” The lighting then darkened and the theater took an ominous presence while they went into the opening of their new album, Blood Dynasty, starting with the album’s opener, “Dream Stealer.” Alissa’s vocals were flawless and the music was on point with perfect drumming and epic guitar solos through the night. Michael Amott and Joey Concepcion on guitar, Sharlee D’Angelo on bass, and Daniel Erlandsson on drums.
The group played other favorites from their new album including, “Bloody Dynasty,” “A Million Suns,” and “Liars & Thieves.” The set included a lot of fan favorites from other albums such as “War Eternal,” “As the Pages Burn,” and encore track, “Avalanche” from their 2014 album, War Eternal, “The Eagle Flies Alone”, “Saturnine,” and “First Day In Hell” from 2017 album, Will To Power, “My Apocalypse” and encore tracks, “Nemesis” and “Enter the Machine” from 2005 album Doomsday Machine, “Sunset Over the Empire” also from Deceivers, and an encore track thrown all the way back to their original mid-90’s era with “Fields of Desolation.”
The lighting design was exquisite throughout as well. Pushing clean white flood beams on at the right moments, and blending through an array of different colors and moods incorporating some darker, blood-type reds and burnt-oranges, hot blues and turquoises, and royalesque purples. Along with the most epic of melodic death metal music and lyrics, the stage atmospheres with lighting and visual aesthetics fit perfectly.
Alissa never misses a beat either. She makes use of the whole stage from high to low, headbanging, jumping, crouching and at one point even waving a large flag. She makes great connection with the audience throughout the whole evening which makes the set feel very personal. For “Sunset Over the Empire,” she orchestrates everyone in the Wiltern to sing along to the key melody of the song and she keeps the energy high at every turn.
This was my first time seeing Arch Enemy live and I need to see them again. Luckily, they’re only just getting started on this North American Tour heading now to the Pacific Northwest and then for the following few weeks through the rest of the country. Definitely be sure to stop in and catch this fully-packed lineup and amazing show where you can!
GALLERY: Arch Enemy at The Wiltern in Los Angeles (April 15, 2025)
