Original ARCH ENEMY Singer JOHAN LIIVA Is Not Rejoining The Band: 'I Think ALISSA WHITE-GLUZ Was Perfect' For Them, He Says

Original ARCH ENEMY singer Johan Liiva has dismissed speculation that he will rejoin the band following the surprise departure of the group's longtime singer Alissa White-Gluz.

Liiva, who recorded three albums with ARCH ENEMY — "Black Earth" (1996),"Stigmata" (1998) and "Burning Bridges" (1999) — before being replaced by Angela Gossow in 2000, addressed a possible future with his former band while responding to a question from a fan on social media. Asked if he is "going back" to ARCH ENEMY now that Alissa is no longer in the group, Johan replied: "No, I am not. I am just as surprised as all of you. I think Alissa was perfect for AE. The mystery goes on..."

ARCH ENEMY announced White-Gluz's exit from the band in a social media post on Sunday (November 23). No reason was given for her departure.

Alissa confirmed the split in a separate statement on her Facebook page and followed it up with the release of "The Room Where She Died", the first single from her upcoming debut solo album.

White-Gluz, former vocalist of Canadian extreme metallers THE AGONIST, joined ARCH ENEMY in 2014 as the replacement for Gossow. Angela, who made her debut with ARCH ENEMY on the now-classic "Wages Of Sin" (2001),stepped down as frontwoman and is now focusing on management, while Alissa took her place.

ARCH ENEMY released four studio albums with White-Gluz on vocals: "War Eternal" (2014),"Will To Power" (2017),"Deceivers" (2022) and "Blood Dynasty" (2025).

Throughout her career, the now-40-year-old Alissa has consistently used her music as a vehicle for social change, addressing pressing issues such as environmental conservation, veganism, and the ethical treatment of animals.

Back in 2016, Liiva united with current ARCH ENEMY members Michael Amott (guitar),Daniel Erlandsson (drums) and Sharlee D'Angelo (bass),along with ex-ARCH ENEMY guitarist Christopher Amott, in a new project called BLACK EARTH, which completed a tour of Japan performing material from ARCH ENEMY's first three albums live on stage.

Prior to that, ARCH ENEMY was rejoined by Liiva and Christopher Amott for the band's appearance at the 2015 edition of the Loud Park festival at Saitama Super Arena, Saitama, Japan.

Speaking about his 2000 exit from ARCH ENEMY, Liiva told LoudTV.net in a 2015 interview: "Actually, I wasn't that angry. I was just kind of shocked and kind of disappointed, because I wasn't expecting it. But you just have to deal with it and accept what happened. Then, a few years later, I realized, 'Okay, this is what it's like. It's the music business. [ARCH ENEMY mainman/guitarist Michael Amott] wants to make a living from his music, he wants to make the band like that.' And, honestly, at the end, I wasn't putting too much of my energy into the band; I had so many other things on my agenda, unfortunately. So it was like a mixture of all these things. I was not focused, maybe. So I totally understand it. But then again, many fans were really angry and they all supported me, and I thanked them so much for that. And now they see me doing this show in Loud Park and they wonder what the fuck is going on. You know what I mean? That I don't stand for my values or… But it's not like that. It was a very difficult thing back then."

Christopher Amott first left ARCH ENEMY in 2005, only to return to the group two years later. His second, and apparently final, departure came in March 2012.

ARCH ENEMY's last gig with Alissa was the final show of the band's European "Blood Dynasty" 2025 tour with AMORPHIS, ELUVEITIE and GATECREEPER on November 15 in Düsseldorf, Germany.