All ye AMON AMARTH believers, Norse conquerors' new album, ‘Surtur Rising’, is being released tomorrow, March 29th, 2011 on Metal Blade Records. Go and plunder. ‘Surtur Rising’ was produced by Jens Bogren.
“Lately it seemed these war-like Swedes could do no wrong, and their past two albums have been monstrous platters of crushing melodic death metal of the highest caliber. If you were expecting something different here, you’re obviously an idiot because it [the format] clearly ain’t broken so why fuck with it? Thankfully, ‘Surtur Rising’ picks up where ‘Twilight Of The Thunder God’ left off and delivers another size-fourteen Viking boot to your Asgard with their trademark precise, powerful style. This is heavy as hell, metal as fuck and the perfect soundtrack to pillage, maraud and rampage to. AMON AMARTH has done it once again and, given their track record, no one should be surprised by how good this is,” writes Steel Druhm for Angry Metal Guy. He is also “totally OK” with AMON AMARTH “recycling their ideas and sound somewhat” and would be “totally happy with a few more [albums] in exactly the same style”, heh. So, if you like this band as much as he does, you can’t go wrong by reading the rest of his review right here :
AMON AMARTH: War Of The Gods – courtesy of Metal Blade Records
Originally called “Scum”, AMON AMARTH formed in 1988 in Tumba, Sweden. As “Scum”, the band reportedly made no impression upon the Stockholm metal scene until the arrival of imposing figure that is Johan Hegg. As AMON AMARTH, the group recorded two demos, 1993's ‘Thor Arise’ and 1994's ‘The Arrival Of The Fimbul Winter’, which were followed by their first EP, ‘Sorrow Throughout The Nine Worlds’, released in 1996 on Pulverised Records. Their debut on Metal Blade and the first of three full-lengths worked on with producer Peter Tägtgren, ‘Once Sent From The Golden Hall’ was issued in 1998:
AMON AMARTH: Amon Amarth – courtesy of Metal Blade Records
AMON AMARTH: Ride For Vengeance – courtesy of Metal Blade Records
Later that year guitarist Anders Hansson and drummer Martin Lopez would leave to be replaced by Johan Söderberg and Fredrik Andersson, respectively. In 1999 the band recorded and released their second full-length, ‘The Avenger’:
AMON AMARTH: The Last With Pagan Blood – courtesy of Metal Blade Records
“The riffing from guitar and drums is workmanlike, and Hegg's vocal rants carry all the requisite ferocity,” was AllMusic's Jason Anderson comment on AMON AMARTH's 2001 third full-length, ‘The Crusher’:
AMON AMARTH: Bastards Of A Lying Breed – courtesy of Metal Blade Records
Ferocious touring in support of each and every release seemingly had no effect on the Vikings, since they issued their fourth record a mere year later. ‘Versus The World’ was produced by Berno Paulsson:
AMON AMARTH: Death In Fire – courtesy of Metal Blade Records
2004's ‘Fate Of Norns’ continued AMON AMARTH's slower, heavier sound which started on the previous album. AllMusic's Wade Kergan was impressed:
“These aren’t just songs written about Vikings, they are written by Vikings. They’re ready for death in ‘Arson’ where one of five left to burn survives and comes back for revenge in that tracks' sequel, ‘Once Sealed In Blood’. Blood lust themes aren't unusual, but AMON AMARTH tackle them with a depth often lacking from their contemporaries. Which brings up the most intriguing track, ‘Fate Of Norns’: “No man should have to bury his child/Yet this has been my share/The tears I shed run bitter and wild/It’s a heavy burden to bear.” A knotty subject for a band and a style more given to crushing skulls than tears, but that kind of depth is what AMON AMARTH have brought to ‘Fate Of Norns’ and what makes it stand out in a sea of barbarian pretenders,” [more here]:
AMON AMARTH: The Pursuit Of Vikings – courtesy of Metal Blade Records
AMON AMARTH's first album to be produced by Jens Bogren was also their first to make an impression on American Billboard charts. “Death metal with some melody? Can it be? As evidenced by AMON AMARTH's 2006 release, ‘With Oden On Our Side’, this dream seems to be a reality early on,” heard the call to arms AllMusic's Greg Prato [more here]:
AMON AMARTH: Cry Of The Black Birds – courtesy of Metal Blade Records
After extending their record deal with Metal Blade for three more albums, these true sons of Thor recorded their breakthrough album ‘Twilight Of The Thunder God’. Released in 2008, the album debuted at number 50 on the Billboard 200 and at number 11 on the Swedish Album charts. Exclaimed Greg Prato, AllMusic: “If extreme metal existed back in the days of Vikings, Sweden's AMON AMARTH would undoubtedly be the musical choice of vessels sailing rough and treacherous seas.” (More here):
AMON AMARTH: Twilight Of The Thunder God – courtesy of Metal Blade Records
Follow-up: In June 2011 Norse conquerors AMON AMARTH released a performance clip for ‘Destroyer Of The Universe’, filmed by director David S. Brodsky of MyGoodEye. ‘Surtur Rising’, released earlier this year, went on to sell amazingly well (around 15,000 copies sold in the U.S. alone during the first week of its release) and has became AMON AMARTH's highest charting album in The States, debuting at position number 34 on the Billboard 200.
“The album's ten songs are typical anthemic AMON AMARTH tracks, built for headbanging and chanting along with the powerful, warrior's-code choruses,” wrote AllMusic's Phill Freeman. “The production has a bit more aggression than ‘Twilight’ had, but the songs are arguably even catchier this time out, with some surprisingly clean guitar leads and atmospheric melodies emerging from the hair-spinning roar. A few subtle production flourishes - the sounds of clashing swords on ‘War Of The Gods’ and crying ravens on ‘Töck's Taunt’, plus some strings on ‘For Victory Or Death’ and the album-closing ‘Doom Over Dead Man’ - bolster the sound somewhat, but other than that it’s up to the five members of AMON AMARTH to keep the listener happy with nothing but guitars, bass, drums, and Johan Hegg's barrel-chested roars, and they do that with admirable skill.” [More here]
AMON AMARTH features: Johan Hegg on lead vocals, Johan Söderberg on guitar, Olavi Mikkonen on guitar, Ted Lundström on bass and Fredrik Andersson on drums
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