Arch Enemy have responded to a plagiarism claim from Kiko Loureiro – with demo recordings from 2022 and a tone that leaves little room for interpretation. The Brazilian ex-Megadeth guitarist had implied via Instagram that the band copied a melody from his song “Talking Dreams.” No formal legal proceedings have been confirmed so far.

How It Started

On March 27, Loureiro – known from his years with Angra and as a long-time Megadeth guitarist – posted an audio comparison on Instagram: his composition “Talking Dreams” from the 2024 album Theory of Mind placed next to Arch Enemy’s single “To The Last Breath,” released on February 19. The caption let the audio do the talking: “Just helping to promote the new song by @archenemyofficial… you’re welcome.”

Guitarist Michael Amott responded casually at first: “Thank you brother – it seems I should pay more attention to your solo work!” Then manager Angela Gossow stepped in. She downplayed the similarity (“three notes are the same”), criticised Loureiro for going public instead of handling things internally, and closed her statement by noting that management was “used to dealing with this type of allegation.”

Loureiro hired a lawyer.

Demo Footage and a Phrase That Stood Out

On April 3, Arch Enemy released a video on Facebook showing early recordings of “To The Last Breath” with a file timestamp of December 9, 2022 – nearly two years before Loureiro’s release. In the official band statement, Loureiro was referred to as a “Brazilian YouTuber/guitarist.” In a scene that knows him as one of the most technically accomplished metal guitarists of his generation, that landed.

Amott’s personal statement left little to interpretation:

“Hey Kiko, sorry to disappoint you and your lawyer, but as you can see and hear, I had the melody back in 2022 already, 2 years before you released your song. Any similarities are purely coincidental. Enjoy the video and good luck with your music, I will continue to not listen to it. Cheers!”

No independent verification of the submitted file metadata has taken place. Computer data can be manipulated – that’s not an accusation against Arch Enemy, but a point that any formal proceedings would eventually need to address, if it gets that far.

Arch Enemy

Arch Enemy are a Swedish melodic death metal band. “To The Last Breath” is the first official recording featuring new vocalist Lauren Hart (ex-Once Human), who replaces Alissa White-Gluz. Loureiro performs as a solo artist at Bangers Open Air in São Paulo – on April 26, one day after Arch Enemy headline the festival on April 25. Gossow has invited Loureiro and his lawyer backstage.