Review Summary: The Vikings would've been proud if they where listening to this crushing metal album.
My Sword Cuts Through Clothes And Skin
Like A Hot Knife Cuts Through Snow
I Smile As The Bastard Screams
When I Twist My Sword
Amon Amarth is probably not one of Sweden's almighty death metal bands but they do carry the banner with pride. The band was formed 1992 and they have been on the road ever since they took the metal world by storm with their Viking influences. Amon Amarth is actually Sindarin for
Mount Doom, and the great fire mountain from
J.R.R Tolkien's Lord Of The Rings saga. Anyway, a friend tipped me about this band and one day I finally found it in a store. I have to be honest and say that I had never heard anything from this band before I bought the album.
Amon Amarth was more melodic and aggressive that I thought that they would be, I thought that there was going to be lots of tremolo riffing and blast beats but it wasn't so bad after all. Their music felt very simplistic but on the other hand, they created a very intriguing and captivating Norse overall atmosphere, as your mind immediately focuses on the Vikings and their way of life, their gods and stuff like that. If the Vikings had this music at their time I bet they would play it when they attacked villages or pillaging.
The Day Draws To An End
The Night Comes Dark And Cold
We Return To Our Ships
With Silver, Slaves And Gold
With Oden On Our Side was the name of the album that I was recommended to check out. There were lots of things that I thought were great and there were few, very few flaws. The overall material was very melodic and very aggressive at the same time due to the varied guitar work. I also thought that it was quite catchy and intriquing material, since once you thought that a riff was boring it suddenly changed and then it sounded great. Most of the songs follow the same direction, as they are heavy, catchy, and possess some tempo changes here and there plus some varied vocals.The songs still sound quite different but most songs have a similar pace and song structure but it is the atmosphere that grasps you by the balls. It is very hard to put into words the way theatmospheres and melodies connect the listener to the song, but they have this sad/depressive sound which still has a very proud and uplifting vibe. I can just say that the music always keep you interested and hungry for more.
Son Of Oden
Thundergod
Master Of War
Asator!
Heh, this crew actually looks like a bunch of Vikings, especially the vocalist [b]Johan Hegg[b]. The only things that are missing on these guys are some rough armour, a horned helmet, a huge shield and a blood soaked sword, or axe if you like. Anyway, this crew knows how to create good music. The vocals are not your usual death metal growls or Gothenburg rasp (like
In Flames). Here you have loud and very dark roars but there are also some deeper growls and harsh shrieks scattered throughout this album.
Olavi Mikkonen and
Johan Soderberg are the two guitarists and they really shine in this album. Their riff arsenal is very diverse and varied, as they don't use or recycle riffs and instead they feed you with newer ones all the time. Most of the time you will experience heavy and catchy rhythm sections that crushes like a war-hammer and leads that cuts like an axe through chain mails. There are melodic tremolo riffs, some thrash influenced riffs, standard but heavy shredding and other types of common metal riffing. The guitar solos might not be so incredibly impressive though, as of their most solos are not so highly complex or technical. They are melodic and quite simply structured but they add a good texture and sound to the songs.
Ted Lundstrom is the bassist, and unfortunately you won't hear much from him. His bass follows the drums and rhythm guitars and this makes the bass drown, as it is very hard to hear the bass behind the guitars.
Fredrik Andersson handles the drumming, but he doesn't use the old fashion death metal type of drumming. Since this is melodic death metal the drums are quite mellow, and there are lots of rattling double bass but no blast beats or intense ''Slayer'' drumming. The whole drum performance is quite simple but Fredrik gives the songs a very catchy vibe and great energy.
Heading To The Emerald Land
A Fleet Of 50 Ships
A Army Of 2000 Men
Led By The King
So what was good and bad with this album? Actually nothing to be honest, this is one of few albums that I can listen through without having a break. I enjoy this album from start to finish; when I listen to a song or a certain section in a song I know that there will be better material up ahead. If I have to mention one bad thing, or maybe two, it would have to be the poor bass and the number of songs. I miss the bass but the music was heavy enough and I would've liked a few more songs so that the total number would had been eleven or twelve, but I love the album anyway. I highly recommend this band and album to followers of melodic death metal. Even if you haven't heard so much melodic death metal this is still a very good place to start since the lyrics are not so offending or obscure (as death metal lyrics can be), plus the material is melodic and catchy, which makes it easier to get into. If you want Viking death metal
without the melodies, then I recommend that you have a look at the band
Unleashed which has also Viking influenced material, but for those who want a little bit more atmosphere, then this album is for you.
Under The Winter Skies
We Stand Glorious
And With Oden On Our Side
We Are Victorious
Positives
+ Excellent melody performed with a large amount of different riffs
+ Captivating guitar work, solid gold
+ Even if the music feels simplistic the atmosphere feels enormous
+ Great vocal performance since there is a good vocal variety
+ This album makes you want to re-learn the Northern mythology
Negatives
- The bass fades away because of the guitars
Recommended Tracks
-- Gods Of War Arise
-- Prediction Of Warfare
-- Vallhall Awaits Me
-- Asator
4.5/5
