ARCH ENEMY Singer Addresses Sellout Accusations: 'We Want To Bring Our Music To Everybody'

ARCH ENEMY singer Angela Gossow recently spoke to Katie Vrabel of the Valley Advocate about accusations of sellout from some of the group's "fans," allegations that come with even modest success for an underground band. Of the band's "new" sound, which is really not far removed from their old, Gossow said, "People criticize, but, yeah, we are aiming for being more mainstream. We are aiming for some more money, because you have to live. I mean, I live in a super-small flat, sharing it with my little sister. I'm 28 — how long do I want to do this?

"People just complain when SLIPKNOT fans get into ARCH ENEMY, because they want to have this elitist thing, like: 'This is my band — I don't want to share it with nu-metal kids.' But we want to bring our music to everybody, and we want people to love the music, buy our albums and support the band. It doesn't mean we are turning into NICKELBACK. I haven't seen us on heavy rotation on MTV, so I guess we haven't really sold out that badly. People don't really see which way it goes. Either a band exists and they are going to need to make some money with it, or the band is not going to exist anymore."

Gossow joined ARCH ENEMY in time to record 2001's "Wages of Sin" but was not involved with the writing process. Things have changed dramatically since then, and ARCH ENEMY has just released a new album, "Anthems of Rebellion".

"I just joined right before 'Wages of Sin', so that wasn't really my music," said Gossow. "I liked it a lot, but I wasn't involved in the whole process, I didn't understand how the things came together, how this band was working. I found out later that this band wasn't really working together before I joined. They were like a project. They had been more like five individual people getting together to make some music and then running off to do their other projects, and now it's like it's a band, a good team. Everybody has got his job in the band and his place, and it works really well."

Three years, world tours, hundreds of shows and countless interviews later, Gossow says there is still the girl-in-a-band crap to deal with: "I hear the: 'Oh, they just got that chick in the band because it's a good gimmick thing,' but that doesn't work. If you are in a band like us, we tour we're going to play 250 shows. If it was a gimmick I would already be out of the band. Because it's tough, and not only for females. It's tough on everybody, and a lot of people leave bands because they can't stand touring. Here I've been in the band for three years, I'm working my ass off, I get sick on every fucking tour, I do it anyway. I've given up my job, my old life — I just moved for this band. I mean, how much more can you do for a band?" Read more.