Review Summary: Tongue and groove
Not many bands get the battle juices flowing like Amon Amarth. Whether your era was the dense ferocity of the early trinity of records, the intense rumbling of “Versus the World” and “Fate of Norns” or the realization of their sound in the epic records either side of “Twilight of the Thunder God”, the Vikings of Tumba have connected with metal fans of all persuasions over their three decade reign. But with longevity comes indifference and the general sense is that Amon Amarth are running on autopilot and have nothing interesting left to offer. Not this kid. Landing ashore in 2026 with “The Allfather Awakens”, Amon Amarth again manage to raise spirits with another hefty pour of amber-brewed melodeath.
Those familiar with the preceding album “The Great Heathen Army” will notice the parallels between that opener “Get in the Ring” and “Gjallarhorn” in their upbeat call to arms, yet isn’t that the case with every Amon Amarth sally? True to form in any case. The chorus melody ringing in with gang vocals is a clever crowd participation prompt for its inevitable live incarnation, as is the ensuing riff’s ability to induce a raucous appreciation. I recently likened modern Arch Enemy to a melodeath Judas Priest and in “Eight Legs of Thunder” I can apply the same analogy to Amon Amarth with Aces High-era Iron Maiden, with its twin guitars a patent and potent feature. For all the familiarity, these old warriors are still able (and willing) to venture into uncharted waters, with “Kvasir’s Blood” a fresh take on their sound, marked by deep groove and the sullen tongue of Hegg, a sonic creeping death.
Always wearing their hearts on their sleeves, the band reminds us in no uncertain terms who “Rules the Waves” in their standalone statement from last year, before “Upphaf” upends the longhouse table with a tribal death stare to reinforce the point. As the Allfather to countless upstarts and imitators, Amon Amarth are awakened by the title track, another groove-laden ode to Oden, their own Allfather. It’s paired with a doubling down on reverence and regaling in “Oden’s Hunt”, its urgency commensurate with another incursion and baying for success in excess.
No act is more celebrated by label Metal Blade than the bearers of metal blades themselves, as they cut a swathe through expectation and release another album worthy of their legacy. With the original lineup of Mikkonen, Hegg and Lundström intact since 1992, joined only by Söderberg in 1998 and drummer Wallgren in 2016, the tenacity of this vingard is matched by their ability to pen another epic finale in “Ascending Like an Eagle”. The band here answer the question of whether they’re ready to fly off into the sunset..
Like hell.
