Arch Enemy Denies “Copyright Infringement” Allegations by Brazilian Guitarist Kiko Loureiro’s

Arch Enemy has responded to claims made by guitarist Kiko Loureiro that they have infringed copyright with their new single ‘To The Last Breath’.

Extreme metal group Arch Enemy have released a statement denying copyright infringement allegations made by guitarist Kiko Loureiro (Megadeth, Angra). In their statement, the band would share demos of a track which would eventually become ‘To The Last Breath‘, which they say dates back to 2022.

Their statement would read: “Anyone familiar with our creative process knows that we document extensively. Demos, drafts, and iterations are part of how we build our sound, and in this case, that documentation unquestionably establishes the timeline.”

Arch Enemy guitarist and main songwriter Michael Amott would also directly call out Loureiro, writing “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!”

Loureiro would share his allegations in an Instagram post on March 27, highlighting the supposed similarities with his track ‘Talking Dreams’, from the 2024 album Theory of Mind. In the caption, Loureiro wrote: “Just helping to promote the new song by @archenemyofficial… you’re welcome.”

Former Arch Enemy vocalist and the band’s manager would reply in the comments of Loureiro’s post, writing: To be honest, I’d never heard Kiko’s music before. So, three notes are the same? Well, I guess that happens quite often in music. I’ve heard many Arch Enemy notes in other songs, but I would never accuse the other band of plagiarism… on the contrary, I would probably feel honoured to inspire others,” she wrote.

“It’s sad to read a post like this from a guitarist we all respected. What’s the point of it? If you really think you have a case, get in touch and discuss it professionally, don’t make a post like this. Respectfully, the management team, who are used to dealing with this type of allegation and prefer to handle things carefully.”

‘To the Last Breath’ marked the band’s first release with new singer Lauren Hart, who replaced Alissa White-Gluz after her departure in December last year.