Arch Enemy is now streaming their surprisingly clean-vocal-heavy new single "Handshake With Hell" off their coming record Deceiver. The single feels like a solid mix of older material from the band with tons of forward-thinking elements like the aforementioned vocals and the huge atmospheric section in the middle.
"Our new single/video 'Handshake With Hell' started off with some riffs and melodies that I thought might be suitable for each other, and when I showed the parts I had to Daniel, he also felt it had potential," said guitarist Michael Amott. "We worked on a demo of it, developing it much further together, and once we had reached a point where we felt it was ready, we sent the instrumental version to Alissa over in Canada.
"She came back with this really cool approach to the vocals and lyrics that elevated the song even further. To me, it's a stand-out track on the new Deceivers album, really showcasing what we are capable of as songwriters and performers in 2022 – it's definitely one of the new songs I'm dying to play live on tour!"
"When Michael and Daniel showed me the instrumental they had cooked up, I got a ton of vocal ideas to complete the song," added vocalist Alissa White-Gluz. "'Handshake With Hell' has a classic heavy metal feel, and it felt like the right time to unleash some classic heavy metal vocals to match. I think the result is really interesting and catchy!"
Arch Enemy will hit the road with Behemoth, Napalm Death, and Unto Others this April.
4/16 – Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre
4/18 – San Antonio, TX @ The Aztec Theatre
4/19 – Dallas, TX @ Amplified Live
4/21 – St Petersburg, FL @ Jannus Live
4/22 – Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern
4/23 – Charlotte. NC @ The Fillmore Charlotte
4/25 – Toronto, ON @ Rebel
4/26 – Montreal, QC @ Mtelus
4/28 – New York, NY @ Terminal 5
4/29 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore Philadelphia
4/30 – Worcester, MA @ Palladium
5/2 – Chicago, IL @ The Riviera Theatre
5/4 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre
5/7 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot
5/9 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo
5/10 – Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre
5/11 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
5/13 – Berkeley, CA @ The UC Theatre
5/15 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Hollywood Palladium