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Amon Amarth - "Twilight Of The Thunder God" (Metal Blade)

The Northmen have returned!! No messin', if you heard their last epic 'With Oden On Our Side' - then AA have done the right thing and continued the same trend of winning formula songs (working yet again with producer Jens Bodren) on "Twilight Of The Thunder God", with the title track (featuring Children of Bodom's Roope Latvala on guest guitar) just continuing the barrage of relentless double bass drumming, crashing power chords and drilling riffs coupled with rasping baritone vocals. If there is one difference with it's precedessor, then some of the songs like 'Guardians Of Asgaard' (featuring Entombed's LG Petrov on guest vox) are comparatively slower, heavier and more mellower. There are also mid tempo songs like 'Varyags of Miklagaard' but personal preference remains for AA's faster material like 'Where Is Your God?' which is where they excel. Complete with cool album artwork featuring the classic battle between Thor and the serpent Jörmungandr, these last two albums have given AA a near perfect compendium of songs on which to carry on their ceaseless onward conquest!

-Shan Siva

Amon Amarth
“With Oden On Our Side”
(Metal Blade)

The Northmen cometh! With whirling tornado riffs, pounding double bass drums, and ragnar redbeardesque roaring vocals Amon Amarth have let sail from Sweden and brought a Viking metal classic to us in “With Oden On Our Side”. Quite simply, there is no let up in the 9 tracks as the band shift from berzerker frenzy to feeding frenzy with only the occasional break to tell tales of valor and remember their fallen kameraden gone to Valhalla. I never thought Amon Amarth this good! I think this is their 6th album and a truely worthy successor to their breakthough album ‘Fate of Noms’. If I was to analyse their sound further there are hints of heavy Sepultura and Marduk but the band have an original concept and sound, which producer Jens Bogren has brought to fruition and unleashed so I hope they use this guy again. Also, this might be the first album that the band have written together as a unit so the collaborative approach, coupled with the intense recording schedule, have come together - perhaps under Odin’s watchful eye - to produce this masterpiece. With Manowar moving into other musical dimensions, its now left to bands like Amon Amarth to carry on the legacy of barbarian metal and in “With Oden On Our Side”, they have demonstrated they are indeed worthy heirs to their Viking ancestors.

-Shan Siva

AMON AMARTH
”Versus The World”
(Metal Blade)

There’s no use denying it. I like Amon Amarth and have since their first M-CD “Sorrow Throughout The Nine Worlds”. So whenever a new Amon Amarth album is about to be released it’s close to a small holiday. Even without hearing it I’ll know that they’ll deliver the goods. “Versus The World”, Amon Amarth’s fifth record, is no exception to that rule. Filled with Amon Amarth’s trademarks, groove and melodies, we’re taken on a journey were the melodies tell of a time when life was harder. The thing I like about Amon Amarth is that they’ve captured the Swedish melancholy brilliantly in their melodies. Listen closely and you can almost hear the sorrow of the Vikings leaving their homelands. This is music that is best suited for headphone, just so that you won’t miss out on all the subtleties.

-Anders Ekdahl