Amon Amarth Albums (7)
'With Oden on Our Side'
Release Date 9/25/2006
Tracks 15
Label Metal Blade
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What The Critics Say
Death metal with some melody? Can it be? As evidenced by Amon Amarth's 2006 release, With Odin on Our Side, this dream seems to be a reality early on. On the album opening "Valhall Awaits Me," singer Johan Hegg's vocal lines aren't merely growled syllables. But don't be worried, longtime Amarth fans, it's not like the Swedish outfit has enlisted the help of Burt Bacharach to soften things up, as Hegg's vocals do resort back to the expected death metal growl soon enough, especially on such tracks as "Under the Northern Star." Yet all the while, Hegg manages to hold his own against the riffs and sometimes-Iron Maiden-esque guitar harmonies supplied by Olavi Mikkonen and Johan Söderberg. The aforementioned guitar duo also shows they have a talent for penning industrial strength riffs as well, evidenced by such tracks as "Hermods Ride to Hell" and "Runes to My Memory." Nothing remarkably new here, but for admirers of death metal with some added muscle, With Odin on Our Side shows that Amon Amarth continue to be champions of the worldwide death metal tournament. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Amon Amarth's fifth full-length isn't so different than its 2002 predecessor, The Crusher. Musically, Fate of Norns is Spartan death metal built on epic, anthemic melodies, a perfect example of the Iron Maiden/death metal fusion tagged the "New Wave of Swedish Heavy Metal." And lyrically it's still full of Viking imagery, as songs like "Valkyries Ride" and "The Pursuit of Vikings" attest. It's the same theme that these guys have been hammering at since their 1996 debut mini-album, Sorrow Throughout the Nine Worlds. It's also a theme that literally hundreds of other Scandinavian bands have hammered at too, most of them leaving it a hackneyed corpse ready for the pyre. Which is where Amon Amarth have set themselves apart. 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. ~ Wade Kergan, All Music Guide
'Versus the World'
Release Date 11/4/2002
Tracks 23
Label Metal Blade
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What The Critics Say
With Versus the World, Amon Amarth return with another terrain flattening, Viking-obsessed death metal platter. Vocalist Johan Hegg alternates between a whispery low rumble and an upper-register shriek, both of which are surprisingly able to render the lyrics quite intelligible at times. What's possibly most impressive about Versus the World is the ebb and flow of the record; there is an engaging variety of moods, tempos, and textures that is lacking from the work of many similar bands. The songs are truly songs, which are thoughtfully arranged and manage to deliver melody, and even beauty, along with moments of extreme brutality. ~ Andy Hinds, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
After nearly a decade of recording and a few lineup overhauls, each contributor to Amon Amarth's previous effort, Avenger, stuck around for The Crusher. Original members Johan Hegg (vocals) and Olavi Mikkonen (guitars) are again joined by Fredrik Andersson on drums, Johan Söderberg on guitar, and bassist Ted Lundström. There is nothing new on this outing to surprise fans of this band's familiar Scandinavian death metal. The riffing from guitar and drums is workmanlike, and Hegg's vocal rants carry all the requisite ferocity. During slower, more musically focused numbers like "As Long as the Raven Flies" and the opener, "Bastards of a Lying Breed," certain attributes of '80s thrash and song-driven metal create spaces that enhance the rest of this album's dense material. The Crusher blends seamlessly with the rest of Amon Amarth's Metal Blade catalog. There isn't a standout among these recordings, as their textural differences are negligible. Listeners who enjoy this kind of metal should certainly check out Amon Amarth, and The Crusher would be a good place to start. ~ Vincent Jeffries, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The Avenger is Amon Amarth's second album for Metal Blade, and it features new guitarist Johan Söderberg in place of the departed Anders Hansson. It's not dissimilar to Once Sent from the Golden Hall -- basic Scandinavian death/black metal, somewhere in between the predominant flavors of the Norwegian and Swedish scenes, mixing lightning-quick rhythms and noisy guitar textures with deep, growling grooves. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
'Once Sent From the Golden Hall'
Release Date 2/10/1998
Tracks 8
Label Metal Blade
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What The Critics Say
When a band is named after the Mountain of Doom in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, you're pretty much guaranteed epic metal at its most extravagant. But despite their lyrical bent (including Dungeons & Dragons titles like "Ride for Vengeance," "Victorious March," and "The Dragons' Flight Across the Waves"), Sweden's Amon Amarth eschews the expected Germanic power metal usually associated with such subject matter for brutally intense Scandinavian death metal. Firmly rooted in the At the Gates school, the band doesn't really break any new ground here. But they get the job done with plenty of spirit, more than competent songwriting, and excellent musicianship -- most notably from future Opeth drummer Martin Lopez. The song that bears the group's namesake is probably the most memorable, as it contains the chaotic noises of battle, the screams of the dying, and much sword-clashing to boot. Cool! Ultimately, Amon Amarth's war hymns often take themselves a bit too seriously and are bound to provoke either delirious head-banging or irresistible laughter, but what else would you expect from good heavy metal? ~ Eduardo Rivadavia, All Music Guide
'Sorrow Throughout the Nine Worlds'
Release Date 1/1/1996
Tracks 5
Label Pulverized
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