ARCH ENEMY's MICHAEL AMOTT Explains JEFF LOOMIS's Lack Of Songwriting Contributions To 'Will To Power'

U.K. journalist Malcolm Dome recently conducted an interview with ARCH ENEMY guitarist Michael Amott and singer Alissa White-Gluz. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked if ARCH ENEMY's lead guitarist of the last three years, Jeff Loomis (formerly of NEVERMORE),has contributed to the songwriting process for the band's new album, "Will To Power", Amott said: "No. I mean, he's a strong songwriter, but not in the style of ARCH ENEMY, I feel. He's always writing and recording with his own stuff. He has a project called CONQUERING DYSTOPIA, he has his solo stuff, [and] he obviously wrote most of the NEVERMORE stuff. I've always respected him, and continue to respect him, as a guitar player — he's amazing and an amazing human being; he fits in perfectly. [There's] a great chemistry [between us]. But, you know, I've always written most of the music, so it's difficult to… I don't really wanna change the sound of the band too much. The band sort of started around my songwriting and my ideas, and those continue to be the most dominant ones, I guess. But, you know, who knows [what can happen] in the future?"

Amott also spoke about how Loomis's addition to ARCH ENEMY has changed the sound of the band. He said: "Well, [Jeff is] playing some lead guitar on the album, and his style is very different to our previous guitar players — my brother [Christopher Amott] or whoever else was playing with us. But we have very constrasting styles, which is great. And he can play a lot of stuff on the guitar that I can't play, and I can play stuff that he can't play, so we just have that great… But when we lock together in the harmonies an the motifs, I think it's very strong. He's got a lot of classic metal as well inside of him. I think he's just been working in a different field for a very long time, he's not really… But he started off, obviously, with the same kind of roots that… We have a lot of common ground."

During the same chat, Amott revealed that "Will To Power" will feature a guest appearance "a good friend of ours, Jens Johansson, who now plays in Ritchie Blackmore's RAINBOW, and he's obviously played with Yngwie Malmsteen in the '80s and STRATOVARIUS he continues to play with." Amott said: "He's a great addition. He's actually a fan of ARCH ENEMY. I met him in a hotel bar in Tokyo. We started talking, and I said, 'I'm in this band ARCH ENEMY.' And he stopped [and said], 'That's one of my favorite bands.' I was, like, 'Really? Okay. Great. You're playing on our next album. How much money do you want to play on our album?' And he said, 'How much do I have to pay you to play on your album?' He really wanted to do it. So, a year later, I sent him a song. I said, 'Can you come up with something for this?' And he did. So that was great. He's on two songs, I think. He plays some great, very classical-inspired stuff on 'Dreams Of Retribution' with the harpsichord. It's got that real almost neoclassical feel. It's great. It's a fun addition to the band."

"Will To Power" is due out September 8 via Century Media Records. Co-produced by Amott and drummer Daniel Erlandsson, the disc was mixed and mastered by longtime collaborator and friend Jens Bogren (OPETH, AT THE GATES, DIMMU BORGIR). The album's captivating cover artwork was designed by Alex Reisfar.

"Will To Power" marks the second ARCH ENEMY album since the departure of longtime singer Angela Gossow and addition of White-Gluz. It will also be the first ARCH ENEMY disc to feature Loomis, who joined the band in late 2014.