| CD REVIEW Amon Amarth |
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Band: Amon Amarth The combination of epic Viking-oriented Metal with Black Metal isn’t that unusual; the combination with Death Metal, however, isn’t that common at all. Yet Sweden does house some bands that combine Viking with Death Metal in a glorious way. I guess Unleashed may be the best known of them (think for example about their appearance on the Nuclear Blast compilation Pagan Fire), yet also Amon Amarth (also appearing on this nice sampler) is huge. I’ve always been an enormous fan of this band and this newest studio album does confirm this emotional conviction. Like their 2006-hymn With Oden On Our Side, Twilight Of The Thunder God was recorded with Jens Bogren (think Soilwork, Opeth, Oceans Of Sadness, Draconian, Katatonia amongst others), and this full length lasts for 43:28 minutes. The heroic concept hasn’t changed, the ingredients remain the same, but I cannot but praise this. The combination of war-like and battle-lusting epic with a victorious sound and intelligent compositions belongs to the best in Sweden, excuse me, in the world. Like before, there is a lot of variation too. The tempo changes from slow over mid- to up-tempo, the heaviness sometimes is melodic, sometimes it is much more battlefield-orgiastic, and the melody varies from harmonious to proud, intense and fearless. Some songs (like Where Is Your God ?) are pretty brutal and massive, while others are much more intimate and melancholic (yet without any form of weakness, of course!). One of this band’s strengths is that they are appreciated by both the Death and the Black Metal scene (even though Amon Amarth’s music isn’t ‘blackish’ at all, but it does exhale, in a darkened way, a comparable atmosphere). As said before, Twilight … isn’t a renewing album, but it might be as strong as any former release. Superb! 91/100 Ivan Tibos. |