siLLy puPPy And then it hit me one time when i was watching Dethklok on Metalocalypse. Much of melodic death metal = melo-death is really just traditional classic 80s heavy metal with growly vocals. These two distinct features of metal have created a great divide in the world of metal. Those who hate growly vocals yet love melodic dominance gravitate towards Dio, Judas Priest, Metallica and all those old school metal bands however those who gravitate towards the world of extreme metal seem to have an aversion towards melody and sugary sweetness in their metal. Well, then there are those like me who can endure the most saccharine of metal experiences and outshine the most extreme metalheads in avant-garde adventurism. Seriously it’s not a competitive sport. It’s just where you can derive pleasure from in an unjust universe.

AMON AMARTH has been around 30 years having formed in Tumba, Sweden all the way back in 1992 and has steadfastly crafted one melo-death album after another as well as enjoying a popularity unlike any other in the world of death metal. As a result this band has been disdained by some in the extreme metal community for selling out while others who enjoy a melodic hook underpinning have found this band to be their top dog in providing that necessary bridge between heavy metal and death metal. I for the life of me can’t understand why metalheads can’t have a varied diet and experience the joys of both dissonant mayhem as well as melodic downtime that doesn’t resort to dipping back to the 1950s with calypso hits from Harry Belofante. (hey, i do dig that music from time to time!)

Thirty years into its career and AMON AMARTH is still going strong with its twelfth album THE GREAT HEATHEN ARMY. It is very true that AMON AMARTH plays it way too safe but that is the fate of many successful metal bands that simply don’t want to risk fanbase alienation for the sake of experimenting. It’s a capitalist world, ya know? Well it’s true that AMON AMARTH stopped evolving around the “Surtur Rising” album which personally i feel the band hit its stride and now is simply recycling the stylistic approach that it had been working up to until about 10 years ago. This is very common and not surprising one bit. THE GREAT HEATHEN ARMY basically carries on with business as usual but that doesn’t for a second mean that B.A.U. can’t be enjoyable! This album basically continues where “Berserker” left off. Love it or leave it, AMON AMARTH has established its sound and not likely to release an electronic album soon!

Really not much to say about this one. If you are already indoctrinated into the AMON AMARTH fan club then this album will deliver exactly what you want. If you expect the band to evolve and move on to the next chapter of its logical conclusion then you will be sorely disappointed. It’s definitely AMON-by-the-numbers. When i say this i have to admit that i really love the melodic deathened metal sound of AMON AMARTH and despite its commercial appeal adds enough extreme metal grit to get my juices flowing. Yeah, this is the new pop metal but so what. There’s more than enough twisted convoluted metal to keep my extreme interests activated. Sometimes it’s just nice to sit back and enjoy the ride without any head trips. One thing that i can say about AMON AMARTH and that is that this band is consistent in delivering the goods of its craft. A very pleasant new offering if not as satisfying as previous efforts.

Kev Rowland There are a few bands in the world where one can see there is a new release and pretty much have a good guarantee of what it is going to sound like and what the lyrical content is going to be about. One of these is Sabaton, and another is the mighty Amon Amarth. They still have three founder members in Ted Lundström (bass), Olavi Mikkonen (guitars) and singer Johan Hegg while guitarist Johan Söderberg has been there for nearly quarter of a century and even newbie drummer Jocke Wallgren has been around since 2016. When I noticed it had been produced by none other than the mighty Andy Sneap I knew we were in for a fun ride, and indeed we were. This is Viking metal with a groove, strongly commercial and a long way removed from the melodic death they used to deploy, incredibly heavy with powerful vocals and songs which people could even dance to if they wished as opposed to just losing dandruff.

It might sound like they are getting soft in their old age, but nothing could be further from the truth as they continue to expand their sound, even bringing in folk influences into the likes of “Heidrun”. This is epic metal, full of anthems which are designed to fill the largest halls, with a space and grandeur even when they are crunching hard. It is music which demands to be played as loud as the speakers and eardrums can bear, yet while aggressive there is a passion within which is far more than hatred, it is pride. They are proud of their Viking heritage and need to explain it to the world, with the title track based on a famous invasion of England. As Hegg says, “It is about when the invading Viking fleet arrived in England in 865 AD. The Vikings had been raiding England for a long time, but this army was something else. It was an invasion army and deadly effective against the British. It's a massive historical event. It's fascinating. Somehow, the English won, and they defeated the heathen army, so anything is possible!" Putting it bluntly, if you have ever enjoyed Amon Amarth in the past then this is indispensable as here on their twelfth studio release, they stay true to their roots yet expand in different directions to make this one of their most complete works to date.

DippoMagoo When talking about the best melodic death metal bands in the world, one band that should always be mentioned is Swedish Viking themed band Amon Amarth. They’ve been around since the early 90’s, and while other big names in the genre have gone through some ups and downs, as well as long periods of downtime, in some cases, these guys have been consistently putting out great albums their entire career, never going more than three years in between releases. Their previous release, Jomsviking, was particularly impressive, as it was an epic concept album, with a slight narrative angle to it, while still delivering their typical brand of melodic yet intense melodeath. Three years later, they’re back once again with their eleventh full length release, Berserker, and while few could blame them if they were to put out a less impressive effort, following such a strong release, the band has once again delivered and produced possibly their absolute best batch of songs to date!

Compared to Jomsviking, Berserker is a much more straight-forward, more in your face kind of album, with the focus put entirely on unleashing one killer song after another, which is exactly what the band has done. It definitely has all the signature elements of the band, with a ton of fast paced, headbanging melodeath fun, as well as some more epic mid paced stompers, a slower, almost power ballad like track, an epic closer, and of course there’s a ton of violent Viking imagery, as always. On the surface, the album may seem to be a “Greatest Hits” of sorts, and that isn’t entirely inaccurate, as there certainly is a feel that the band is combining all their best elements and throwing them onto one album, but there’s also some surprises to be found, including a nice acoustic section to open the album, as well as the aforementioned rather surprising track, and a few other little touches. Performances are obviously amazing all around, with duo guitarists Olavi Mikkonen and Johan Söderberg delivering some awesome riffs and melodies, while drummer Jocke Wallgreen is on point with some epic grooves, and of course, vocalist Johan Hegg unleashes his usual epic, deep death growls, which sound as impressive as ever. Sound production is also flawless and crystal clear, as always, with everything sounding perfect.

Songwriting has always been a strength for Amon Amarth, with all their albums having their share of killer tracks, though if anything, Berserker is even more impressive than usual, as none of its tracks are anything short of absolutely amazing! First up is the incredible opener, “Fafnir’s Gold”, which starts off with a nice acoustic intro for about 35 seconds, before some melodic guitar leads take over, and then after about a minute, the full band is in action, and the track charges ahead at a frantic pace, and turns into the kind of epic, speedy and hard hitting opener fans of the band have come to expect. It has a perfect mix of hard hitting riffs during the verses, and some great melodies to accompany Johan Hegg during the epic chorus. Next is second single “Crack the Sky”, a more mid paced track, with some nice grooves, as well as some excellent drumming. It gallops along at a decent pace, with some excellent lead guitar work, as well as Johan’s typically powerful growls, and then the chorus is insanely catchy and melodic, and is sure to become a fan favourite, while the melodic guitar solo in the second half is also amazing. After that is another fun, speedy track in “Mjölner, Hammer of Thor”, a heavy, guitar driven track, which moves at a frantic pace, alternating nicely between heavy and very melodic guitar work. Instrumentally, it’s one of those tracks that shows that the band could be an amazing power metal band, if not for the growls, but as is, it’s an amazing melodeath track, with a fun chorus, fun verses, and awesome instrumental work all around, as well as some cool hammer sound effects, for good measure.

The first real slower track on the album is “Shield Wall”, an absolutely brutal, yet epic and powerful track, with some very hard hitting riffs. It has a more modernised sound to it, with some very chunky yet awesome riffs, and Johan is at his absolute most intense, especially during the heavy and epic chorus. It’s definitely one of the band’s heavier tracks, yet it still has some nice melodies, as well, especially in the middle, and it’s an awesome track overall. On the lighter side, “Valkyria” is another more mid paced track, with some lighter, more melodic guitar work, while still being pretty epic and intense. It has some very nice melodic guitar leads throughout, as well as a nice chorus and fun verses, and it has a really cool atmospheric outro. Next is lead single “Raven’s Flight”, and it’s another standout, flawlessly alternating between speedy and slower passages, as well as some epic galloping riffs, excellent melodic guitar work, and some very heavy riffs. It has a very catchy and epic chorus, very fun verses, and awesome instrumental work, throughout, as well as a ton of tempo changes, all of which help make it an unforgettable track.

Following that absolute monster of a track, the album goes into slightly lighter territory for a while, starting with “Ironside”, another more mid paced track. It has some great riffs, but it’s the melodic guitar work, epic melodies and vocals that carry the track. It’s a very epic, very melodic track, with an amazing chorus, great lyrics and an incredible performance by Johan. Even softer than that is “The Berserker at Stamford Bridge”, an ultra-rare power ballad for the band, and it’s a bloody good one! It opens with some very epic melodic guitar work, and continues along with just that, vocals and some very light percussion for a while, before full drums appear during the chorus, and then the full sound kicks in shortly after that, for a heavy, yet melodic and very powerful track. It has an epic chorus, more epic lyrics and another incredible vocal performance, as well as some epic instrumental sections in the second half. It’s a pretty surprising track overall, and it may not win everyone over at first, but it’s a definite grower. On the slightly speedier, but still fairly light end of things is “When Once Again We Can Set Our Sails”, another track dominated by light, melodic guitar work, and epic vocals. It moves along at a nice pace, with some great riffs and beautiful melodies, and it’s another epic, and very melodic track, with an excellent chorus.

The heaviness gets kicked up several notches again for the remainder of the album, starting with “Skoll and Hati”, a fast and furious track, with some very hard hitting lead guitar work, frantic drums, and intense vocals. It’s the kind of speedy, aggressive track the band excels at, while still having some awesome melodies. In similar territory is “Wings of Eagles”, another ultra-fast, very heavy track with some excellent riffs, fast paced drumming, and a great melodic chorus. The chorus in particular is one of the band’s best, most epic in quite some time, and the track is amazing overall. Closing out the album is the mini epic “Into the Dark”, which starts out with some slight symphonic elements, before settling into a nice groove, with light, melodic guitar work, and then after a while some heavier riffs kick in, and the track turns into a mid-paced, very heavy track, more epic guitar work and amazing vocals. It’s yet another track which strikes a perfect balance between heavy and melodic passages, with Johan being softer at points, while being very intense at other points. It’s an epic track on its own, and an excellent closer.

Amon Amarth show no signs of letting up any time soon, and if anything, Berserker may be their best release yet, with a perfect mix of everything they’ve been known for in the past, as well as some small surprises here and there. It’s definitely one of their most energetic, most consistently entertaining releases, with an amazing flow, going from one killer track to another, and it has a perfect mix of fast, mid paced and slower tracks, while striking a perfect balance between heavy and melodic. It’s easily the best melodeath album I’ve heard in recent years, and it feels like the band is at the absolute top of their game right now. Long-time fans should be very pleased, while any melodeath fan who’s somehow never heard of the band before, could do no better than to check this album out right away, as it’s an absolute masterpiece!

originally written for myglobalmind.com:https://myglobalmind.com/2019/04/26/amon-amarth-berserker-review/

voila_la_scorie About a year ago or so, a friend showed me some Amon Amarth videos. Man, were they cool. Really big productions like small movies. I was to learn that one video was actually scenes from a movie starring lead vocalist, Johan Hegg. I finally got around to bringing an album home, this first purchase being recommended by my friend who assured me that this was a great album.

What first struck me about the music was how melodic it often was. It was sometimes like a faster version of Iron Maiden but included riffs like Judas Priest and Accept. Labeled melodic death metal, I personally feel that the music here is more traditional metal with the Cookie Monster-style of deeply growled vocals. Tracks like “Free Will Sacrifice” and “No Fear for the Setting Sun” remind me of Judas Priest and “Live for the Kill” makes me think of Accept.

Another observation is the regular use of very strong battle-song melodies. “Tattered Banners and Bloody Flags” and “Live for the Kill” may conjure up images of Vikings standing in their ship and swinging pumped fists as they sing these songs.

This feels like an album done by a very experienced band who are comfortable where they are. They have reached their comfort zone and are producing a string of above avergae albums. Looking as the ratings on MMA, I see other albums are rated higher and this one. Some songs are really good and the main riff for “Guardians of Asgaard” is an awesome one to easily be hooked on.

Probably not their most groundbreaking album, but “Twilight of the Thunder God” is still a solid piece of work in my opinion.

Warthur At this stage in their career assigning ratings to an Amon Amarth album is a slightly arbitrary exercise; you always know what you're going to get (solid melodic death metal inspired by a range of Scandinavian myths), and you know the band are going to deliver it with the quality and polish we've all come to expect from them, and whaddya know it? Twilight of the Thunder God delivers all that in a compact, no-nonsense 44 minutes. Some may accuse Amon Amarth of making the same album over and over, but when the album in question is this good I can't get too upset about that.

Kingcrimsonprog Talk about value for money, from a band like Amon Amarth you wouldn’t expect them to be able to afford such a crazily generous and in depth DVD package when some of the bigger bands can’t afford anything even half this good.

The Set comes in a glorious 3 DVD digipak with detailed artwork, a full booklet and an awesome little viking crown that keeps it closed. Then you get Five full concerts (with 22, 16,13, 11 and 9 tracks respectively) and a documentary.

The main feature; a 22 track concert from Cologne in 2005 is an incredible affair with crystal clear sound, Huge guitar tones, amazingly heavy drums and nice clunky bass. The camera work is of a higher quality than even some of the biggest metal bands’ DVDs and again the sound is immense.

Then theres the performance, the band are absolutely electric delivering furious renditions of material from all eras a their career from the massive ‘Amon Amarth,’ and ‘Fate of Norns,’ to catchy closer ‘Death In Fire,’ and the crowd just lap it up.

Vocalist Johan Hegg absolutely commands the stage, engaging the crowd at every opportunity and singing his heart out while the band hammer through their classics like ‘heavy,’ is going out of style.

On top of all that you have a great light show, huge Amon Amath banners, more pyro than a kiss concert and an interlude with about thirty Viking reenactors sword fighting on stage! That feature is worth the money alone, the show is probably one of the best metal concerts on the market and I can’t stress how good the sound and picture are; then on top of all that you get the rest of the set, featuring virtually ever Amon Amarth song ever written, and performances from ‘Waken Open Air festival,’ ‘Summer Breeze Festival,’ and two more indoor concerts in Europe.

If you like Amon Amarth Buy this right now. If you don’t, you will within thirty seconds of watching this.