ARCH ENEMY Vocalist Alissa White-Gluz - "I Don’t Think It’s Such A Novel Thing To Have A Girl In Your Band"
June 6, 2014, 10 years ago
Metal Blast recently caught up with new Arch Enemy vocalist Alissa White-Gluz to discuss the band's new album War Eternal. They also address Alissa's status as one of the "hottest girls in metal." An excerpt is available below:
Metal Blast: Angela (Gossow) always had a problem with Arch Enemy being referred to as a “female-fronted metal band”, saying that Arch Enemy were, first and foremost, a metal band, and that the fact that she was a woman was irrelevant. At the same time you will always be called a “femal-fronted” band, for obvious reasons, and it will always be “a thing”; for example, you were listed repeatedly as one of the “Hottest Girls In Metal.” How do you feel it is for women in heavy metal? Do you think the focus on the fact that the musician is a woman, or putting the focus on the woman being good looking is a problem still?
Alissa: "I think it’s a problem and a solution, you know what I mean? I think it’s a problem because people should just be listening to the band, and appreciate the music and the musicians for their talent and abilities. It’s also a solution, in a way, because it’s like 'Well look, girls can do it too, girls can do whatever the guys can do!' And we can 'look hot' doing it, we don’t have to be like men, we don’t have to look like men, smell like men, or act like men to do it.
In a way, I think that it’s empowering for women to put their foot down and be like 'I’m going to dress however I want, I’m going to look however I want. If I want to look sexy I’m going to do it, and you’re still going to listen to my music because it’s fucking good music!' On the other hand, it sort of gets tiring sometimes, and I just want to sort of be like 'Okay, I’m just going to put on a big snow-suit, don’t look at me anymore, just listen to my fucking music, get over it, I’m a girl.' It’s a double-edged sword, but I think in the past 10-20 years, women have evolved a lot in the music industry, to the point now that I don’t think it’s such a novel thing to have a girl in your band."
Go to this location for the complete interview.
Century Media Records has released an unboxing video for the Limited Deluxe Art Book edition of Arch Enemy's new album, War Eternal. War Eternal - the first with Alissa White-Gluz on vocals - is out now in Japan, and will be available on June 9th in Europe, and June 10th in North America.
Arch Enemy have also uploaded Part 2 of a track-by-track preview for War Eternal. See both available segments below:
Track-By-Track Part 1:
Track-By-Track Part 2:
War Eternal can be pre-ordered digitally in Europe at iTunes and AmazonMP3 with the tracks "War Eternal", "As The Pages Burn" and "You Will Know My Name" available as instant downloads upon purchase.
War Eternal tracklisting:
"Tempore Nihil Sanat (Prelude in F Minor)""Never Forgive, Never Forget"
"War Eternal"
"As The Pages Burn"
"No More Regrets"
"You Will Know My Name"
"Graveyard Of Dreams"
"Stolen Life"
"Time Is Black"
"On And On"
"Avalanche"
"Down To Nothing"
"Not Long For This World"
Catch Arch Enemy live in concert:
June
7 - Sweden Rock Festival - Sölvesborg, Sweden9 - Studio USF - Bergen, Norway
10 - John Dee - Oslo, Norway
11 - Copenhell - Copenhagen, Denmark
13 - Colos-Saal - Aschaffenburg, Germany
14 - Conrad Sohm - Dornbirn, Austria
15 - Nova Rock - Nickelsdorf, Austria
27 - Rock am Härtsfeldsee - Dischingen, Germany
July
11 - Rock Harz Open Air - Ballenstedt, Germany12 - Masters Of Rock - Vizovice, Czech Republic
13 - Seven Festival - Wegorzewo, Poland
19 - Dong Open Air - Neukirchen-Vluyn, Germany
August
1 - Wacken Open Air - Wacken, Germany7 - Getaway Rock - Gävle, Sweden
8 - Leyendas Del Rock - Alicante, Spain
9 - Alcatraz Metal Festival - Kortrijk, Belgium
14 - Summer Breeze - Dinkelsbühl, Germany
17 - Alt-Fest - Kettering, UK
September
23 - Yunost' - Kiev, Ukraine25 - Arena Hall - Krasnodar, Russia
27 - Glav Club - Moscow, Russia
28 - Zal Ozhidaniya - Saint Petersburg, Russia
30 - Otdykh Club - Novosibirsk, Russia
October
1 - Angar Club - Omsk, Russia3 - Tele Club - Yekaterinburg, Russia
19 - Loud Park 14 - Saitama City, Japan
November
26 - Lyon, France - Le Transbordeur *27 - Istres, France - L´Usine *
December
1 - Toulouse, France - Le Bikini *2 - Paris, France - Le Bataclan *
4 - Tilburg, Netherlands - 013
5 - Ludwigsburg, Germany - MHP Arena
6 - Oberhausen, Germany - Turbinenhalle
7 - Saarbrücken, Germany - Garage
8 - Hamburg, Germany - Docks
9 - Berlin, Germany - Huxleys
11 - Wiesbaden, Germany - Schlachthof
12 - Geiselwind, Germany - Eventhall
13 - München, Germany - Tonhalle
14 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7
16 - Leamington, England - Assembly Rooms *
17 - Bristol, England - Academy *
18 - London, England - The Forum *
19 - Manchester, England - Academy *
20 - Dublin, Ireland - Academy *
21 - Glasgow, Scotland - QMU *
22 - Newcastle, England - Academy *
* without Sodom and Vader