Also known as Avalanche (2008–2009) Years active 2008–present | Origin Gothenburg, Sweden Website amaranthe.se | |
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Associated acts Dragonland
Nightrage
Kamelot Past members Andreas Solveström
Jake E Members Elize Ryd, Jake E, Olof Mörck Genres Power metal, Metalcore, Melodic death metal Record labels Spinefarm Records, Universal Music Group Albums Maximalism, Massive Addictive, The Nexus, Amaranthe, Leave Everything Behind Profiles | ||
Amaranthe the nexus
Amaranthe (originally Avalanche) is a Swedish heavy metal band notable for having three lead vocalists: Elize Ryd, Jake E, and Henrik Englund Wilhemsson, each presenting a different vocal style (Ryd and Jake E employ standard singing; pop and rock respectively, while Englund performs death growls found within the death metal genre).
Contents
Amaranthe drop dead cynical
History
Formed by Joacim "Jake E" Lundberg (Dreamland, Dream Evil) and Olof Mörck (Dragonland, Nightrage) in 2008, the project began taking shape when singers Elize Ryd (toured with Kamelot) and Andreas Solveström (Cipher System, Within Y) signed on, as did drummer Morten Løwe Sørensen (The Cleansing, Koldborn, Mercenary). Bassist Johan Andreassen (Engel) joined after the photoshoot for the Leave Everything Behind demo but before the recording of the first album Amaranthe.
The band was originally called "Avalanche", until May 2009, when the band was forced to change their name, due to legal issues. The members chose to rename the band "Amaranthe". They later released their first demo, Leave Everything Behind.
The band's debut album, Amaranthe, was released in April 2011 and reached a peak position of 35th on Swedish charts and 16th on Finnish Charts.
Their second album, The Nexus, was released in March 2013. Guitarist Olof Mörck described the album as having greater contrasts, a more controversial mix of genres, and featuring more creative freedoms than Amaranthe. According to Olof, the band "took everything [up] to eleven" in the new album. The album reached 6th on Swedish charts, 4th on Finnish charts, and reached a peak of 12th on the US Heatseekers charts.
In October 2013, vocalist Solveström left the band and was replaced by Henrik Englund Wilhemsson (Scarpoint).
Their third album, Massive Addictive, was released on the 21st October 2014.
A special compilation Breaking Point - B-sides 2011-2015 was released on 30th October 2015. It consists b-sides and bonus tracks from Amaranthe's career.
Their fourth album, Maximalism, was released on October 21st, 2016.
In November 2016, clean vocalist Jake E. announced that he would take a break from the band. In February 2017, he decided to make his departure permanent.
Musical style
Reviews of Amaranthe's style are varied, though they all acknowledge that they are mainly a subgenre of metal. According to AllMusic, Amaranthe's musical style mixes death metal with melodic pop music, giving for a feel of metalcore overall. Lead singer Elize Ryd acknowledges the difficulties in trying to ascribe their music to one specific genre and describes Amaranthe's sound as "dance-metal with a taste of death and modern/melodic metal," though she admits that, unlike death metal, their focus is on "positive energy" and "open[ing] up minds [and] give[ing] passion, strength and love". MusicMight classifies the band as melodic death metal and power metal. Sputnikmusic's overview of the band refers to them as an outfit that is a hybrid of metalcore and power metal, more specifically, combining heavy riffs and breakdowns with Ryd's "soaring vocals."
Singles
Compilations
Songs
AmaranthineAmaranthe · 2011
Digital WorldMassive Addictive · 2014
Drop Dead CynicalMassive Addictive · 2014