ARCH ENEMY's ALISSA WHITE-GLUZ: 'The Musicians In Metal Are Some Of The Most Talented Musicians In The World'

Last summer, ARCH ENEMY frontwoman Alissa White-Gluz dropped by Patreon headquarters to talk about her love of heavy music, her struggles with social media, and how through membership, she's exploring new avenues of creativity and forming a deeper connection with her fans.

Asked what might surprise people about the metal genre or community, Alissa said (see video below): "I think people might have sometimes the wrong impression about metal, just in the sense that they might think that it's just really angry and aggressive and violent. But a lot of the time, it's really sophisticated and intelligent. In terms of musicianship, I personally think that the musicians in metal are some of the most talented musicians in the world — world-class guitar players, drummer, vocalists — and quite often, the shows are really powerful experiences for the people in the audience as well."

White-Gluz also talked about the importance of staying creative in other ways beyond her main avenue of expression. She said: "I'll make my own clothes for stage sometimes; I love poetry; I do photography — and these are all things that I love to do, but because the music industry has taken on such a new format where the main source of sustainability for any musician is touring, me and my band will tour two hundred, two hundred and fifty shows a year. There's not a lot of time left for me to actually devote to these other passions that I have. So, by making my official fan club and having just my 'Beastlings' there and knowing that they appreciate those other forms of art that I do, now I have this freedom to be creative in whatever way I want and know that there are people there that appreciate it. And so it's actually allowing me to re-open those doors that I had closed off."

ARCH ENEMY is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "Will To Power", which was released in 2017 via Century Media. The effort marked the second ARCH ENEMY album since the departure of longtime singer Angela Gossow and addition of White-Gluz. It was also the first ARCH ENEMY disc to feature former NEVERMORE guitarist Jeff Loomis, who joined the band in late 2014.