A growing dispute between Arch Enemy guitarist Michael Amott and former Megadeth guitarist Kiko Loureiro has escalated after a lighthearted social media exchange turned into a formal copyright infringement claim.
The situation began roughly a week ago when Loureiro publicly noted similarities between his 2024 solo track “Talking Dreams” and “To The Last Breath,” a single released by Arch Enemy on February 19th, 2026. Loureiro shared a video online comparing the two songs side-by-side, presenting what he described as overlapping melodic ideas.
A growing dispute between Arch Enemy guitarist Michael Amott and former Megadeth guitarist Kiko Loureiro has escalated after a lighthearted social media exchange turned into a formal copyright infringement claim.
The situation began roughly a week ago when Loureiro publicly noted similarities between his 2024 solo track “Talking Dreams” and “To The Last Breath,” a single released by Arch Enemy on February 19th, 2026. Loureiro shared a video online comparing the two songs side-by-side, presenting what he described as overlapping melodic ideas.
Initially, the interaction appeared friendly. Amott responded publicly with a playful remark:
“Thank you brother @kikoloureiro – it seems I should pay more attention to your solo work! See you at @bangersopenair!”
However, the tone shifted after Arch Enemy’s former vocalist and longtime manager Angela Gossow weighed in with a more direct response, questioning the intent behind Loureiro’s public comments.
“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 honored to inspire others.”
“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.”
Following that exchange, Loureiro reportedly moved forward with a copyright infringement claim against the band. In response, Arch Enemy released a video presentation aimed at addressing the accusation directly, sharing early demo recordings they say date back to 2022 — two years before Loureiro’s track was released.
The band accompanied the footage with a statement defending their creative timeline:
“In light of a recent copyright infringement accusation against Arch Enemy made by Brazilian YouTuber/guitarist Kiko Loureiro and his lawyer, we feel it best to present clear evidence proving this to be a false claim. In this video you can see and hear the early demos in 2022 which led to becoming ‘To The Last Breath’.”
“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.”
Amott also issued a direct message addressing Loureiro personally:
“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!”
At present, the dispute appears headed toward a legal resolution, though both musicians have already begun making their cases publicly — effectively turning the disagreement into a debate playing out simultaneously in court and across social media.
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