Amaranthe - Leave Everything Behind (2009)^{Release ID: 5491}

This was my first focused attempt at an Amaranthe release & was mainly instigated by Andi’s Hall of Judgement entry to have “Leave Everything Behind” removed from The Horde & the Melodic Death Metal subgenre. It has to be said that upon first listen it became immediately obvious as to why I’ve never ventured here before though as the sound that Amaranthe were pushing is an exceptionally poppy one with a couple of the tracks sounding much more like Kelly Clarkson or Demi Levato than At The Gates or Dark Tranquillity. The band take a six-piece configuration including an unprecedented three full-time vocalists which combine uplifting female vocals, alternative/power metal style male vocals & more extreme metalcore screams. It has to be said that the two men must have struggled to know what to do with themselves on stage as they’re not contributing all that regularly when compared with your average front man.

This release is essentially a self-financed demo however you’d never know it from the quality of the production which is easily up to the task of presenting a band that had already nailed down a pretty professional & well-defined sound. I’d describe it as a very poppy take on Melodic Metalcore with a number of influences layered over the top including some clean vocal hooks that remind me of alternative metal bands like Linkin Park, power metal theatrics & symphonics, the technical riff structures of progressive metal & the more rhythmic staccato attack of djent. In truth there’s absolutely no Melodic Death Metal here so that tag would seem to be completely misguided. I’d also suggest that the Trance Metal one is a bit premature too as I don’t hear anything that reminds me of legitimate Trance music. Instead there are just some fairly accessible synthesizer lines employed in more of a supporting capacity which probably isn’t worthy of its own genre tag. Perhaps these elements were accentuated when Amaranthe returned to the studio to re-record these five tracks for their self-titled debut album? I’m not too sure but I think the Trance Metal thing is probably more of a link to the band’s later material than it is a reflection of what you can expect to hear on “Leave Everything Behind”.

One of the reasons I struggled so much on the first couple of listens to this E.P. is that the opening three tracks sound far less mature & are more overtly commercialized than the closing two tracks are in my opinion. As a result it took me a few spins before I became aware of the fact that I actually quite like “Act Of Desperation” & “Director’s Cut”. Early on I’d simply tossed them in with the bubblegum stuff that preceded it & it took a bit of familiarity before I could separate them enough to judge them on their own merit. That’s not to say that the earlier material is awful or anything. It’s just miles away from my taste profile & would likely be closer to that of my six year old daughter in all honesty (That's not a criticism. It's a genuine observation as my daughter loves Babymetal). I have to say that the shredding guitar solos are a real highlight & bring to mind childhood idols of mine like Joe Satriani & Steve Vai, particularly in the excellent use of legato. The weak point of the record is probably the metalcore vocals though as they add an additional layer of immaturity that reeks of a band that’s trying their best to find some sort of street credibility. I honestly think Amaranthe would have been better off limiting themselves to a more streamlined dual vocal attack.

At the end of the day “Leave Everything Behind” was never going to see me reaching for my higher scores or commanding that I investigate Amaranthe’s entire back-catalogue but I would hazard to guess that it more than achieved what the band had set out to do. Unfortunately the heavily commercialized approach that’s pushed down the listeners throat on the first few tracks really does stave off any chance of recovery for me & I’m forced to place the E.P. into the “None Of My Business” category.

For fans of Dead By April, Crossfaith & Blood Stain Child.