Amaranthe

Amaranthe is the self-titled debut, crossing female clean vocals, male clean vocals and growls within the same song and vividly binding metal to an electronic sensibility. Olof Mörck (guitar/keyboards) and Jake E launched it in Gothenburg in 2008, building it around three singers including Elize Ryd and Andy Solveström. They were originally called Avalanche, changing the name for legal reasons. Released on Spinefarm in 2011 and produced by Jacob Hansen, known for Volbeat; the relationship with Hansen would last for years. The riffs are sharp, the choruses open up poppily, and each vocal timbre drives the songs' development. Not setting aggression against approachability, the method of placing big hooks inside short songs is striking. “Hunger,” “Amaranthine” and “1.000.000 Lightyears” became singles, and the album reached No. 35 at home and No. 16 in Finland. In Japan it topped the import chart, notably beating Lady Gaga. As the starting point for the later Amaranthe image, a record that conveys the band's particular sense of speed and its multi-layered appeal.