AMon AMARth

Swedish marauders chalk up another victorious rampage

rock and metal’s lack of a spotlight continue to wish for an or bolt from the blue, bands who have been consistently grinding out excellent albums and owning the live environment for years are reaping the rewards and proving that our genre is in very rude health if you can be bothered to look. Few make a finer examples of this than Amon Amarth, now headlining festivals and bothering charts in places further afield than their beloved Vikings were able to conquer, despite never deviating from their gallant yet gruff take on melodic death metal. It’s a testament to the steady ascent the Swedish quintet have been on since nearly packing the whole thing in after 2002’s

never putting a foot wrong and barely tinkering with the formula that has won them devoted legions of Thoramulet-clad disciples.

While last album, presented a mighty concept and added a dose of more traditional elements, this 11th effort instead sees a collection of short stories hoisted between twin pillars of the grand soundscapes that have become their hallmark and the adoration of classic metal emblems.

Planting their standard in the soil with Olavi Mikkonen and Johan Söderberg’s galloping twin guitars on you know exactly what you’re getting, especially once Johan Hegg unleashes his first mighty growl to welcome you on another epic voyage of escapism. While others have Neil Gaiman and the Marvel Cinematic Universe to make Norse history and mythology palatable, metalheads have Hegg to guide them through the sagas and proud tales of yesteryear.

Not only are the lyrics able to conjure images of battlefields, longships thrusting into stormy seas and gods pitted against one