Review Summary: Sailing away to victory.
I remember the first time I listened to Amon Amarth. I was young, a person still revelling in the excitement of all the new things I had not discovered yet. Everything seemed so bright and shining, the world was a gift and I greatly enjoyed it. I had not experienced the worst that the world had to offer yet. I was carefree, but realistically, there was so much I was hiding from. There was a wall up, and I was stuck there: life wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, I just pretended it was. As I grew older, my feelings that Viking Metal was the coolest thing ever changed into nah, they’re just another melodic death metal band with a corny shtick. That’s not wrong, but I’ve been missing something important.
The last band I would have ever expected to give a mushy, nostalgic review for would have been Amon Amarth. It’s the usual Sputnik critique: the shtick is tired, the band is tired, they’re just going through the motions. Amon Amarth aren’t though, they are as strong as ever, including their cheesy, yet extremely effective battle cries. The melodies and riffs are very fittingly reminiscent of Twilight of the Thunder God, and I don’t mind - it’s one of their best chapters, after all. They may have a little less energy than their best efforts (they’re old) but poor, mediocre, or dispassionate? Absolutely not. If anything, they sound invigorated.
Here’s the thing: Amon Amarth never changed, I did. Indeed, they are exact the same band as before, and that is fabulous. Much like Coke hasn’t lost its flavour, Amon Amarth are still heavy, the harsh growls still kick ass, and their songwriting is still on point. It‘s inviting to return to them and realize their music is as nice as before, similar to visiting a house from childhood, and seeing everything is the same. It’s good to know we can always go back to a warm place where time seems to stand still. It’s comfort food like snuggling up to a bowl of oatmeal. I’m exaggerating of course, but I did receive a wonderfully nostalgic rush when listening to this. One point for the band.
After Jomsviking, I honestly thought the gig was up. Berserker essentially seemed to be the final nail in their coffin. It looked like Amon Amarth couldn’t keep recycling the same thing without it growing tired. They lost their appeal, their edge was fading, and they replaced it with a slew of generic tunes. The Great Heathen Army changes that and is a surprising return to form. The album slaps much harder than it has any right to. For a bunch of aging Vikings, I expected much worse.
