Cryptic Rock recently spoke with Arch Enemy guitarist/founder Michael Amott about his evolution as a guitar player, and the band's new album, War Eternal. An excerpt is available below:

CrypticRock.com: Arch Enemy has become known as a leader in melodic death metal over the past eighteen years. The band began after your departure from Carcass. Looking back now could you ever imagined the success Arch Enemy has achieved over the years?

Michael Amott: "No, who looks that far ahead? Certainly not me. I just was doing it album by album and tour by tour, never looking further than one year ahead really. It has been a fantastic journey for sure. You just take it step by step, of course when you put out an album you have a touring cycle. As the band got bigger, the touring cycles have gotten longer. I always treat every album as if it could be the last one, because you never know."

CrypticRock.com: That is very true. It is important to try and live in the moment and take everything as it comes. The band has always stayed true to melodic heavy guitar-driven music while progressing from album to album. As a guitarist, how important is it for you to continue to challenge yourself and keep composing music fresh?

Michael Amott: "Progressing is really important of course. I feel like there is a sound that we have established with Arch Enemy that needs to be maintained and I respect and love that sound. My style of writing, how it all comes together, and how we all play our instruments, it really sounds like Arch Enemy and I love that. At the same time there also has to be some sort of progression and new ideas that happen, otherwise it becomes a bit stagnant and can be boring. There has to be forward motion into new territory. This time around we have new elements in the band that throw us into a new area without even having to think about it too much. Working with a new singer and new guitar player, there are a lot of things happening. It has also affected the music and I am really happy about it, I think it sounds really fresh and exciting. I think that is important to every musician and songwriter, to keep it fresh and exciting, not only for the fans but for yourself as well."

Go to this location for the complete interview.

Arch Enemy recently checked in with the following announcement:

"Arch Enemy legions in Poland, we need your help spread the word! We will play in Warsaw, Progresja on July 13th as the Seven Festival (in Wegorzewo) got cancelled! We really want to play for our fans in Poland, so we've set up this show in Warsaw instead. We have less than two weeks to get the word out, so please spread the news! Thank you!"

Tickets for the show are available here.

The band's tour schedule is now as follows:

July

12 - Masters Of Rock - Vizovice, Czech Republic
13 - Progresja - Warsaw, Poland
19 - Dong Open Air - Neukirchen-Vluyn, Germany

August

1 - Wacken Open Air - Wacken, Germany
7 - 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, Ukraine
25 - 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, Russia
3 - 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