Swedish
Melodic Death Metal legends, Amon Amarth
are back with their tenth album “Jomsviking”
and the first concept album written by the band. A total of ten songs (eleven
if you get the bonus track, which is worth it as it pushes the story just a
little more), it’s been a long wait for the fans since 2013 but the wait was
probably worth it for most of you. While reading a bunch of hate about how
their first couple songs basically sound too much like Amon Amarth, I’m gonna tell you to just leave if you’re one of
those people.
Side
note: this is a concept album about a man who loves a woman who is being
married off, he proceeds to kill the man she’s being married to. Banished, our
character faces all sorts of hardship before returning a full-fledged Viking
Man and trying to make her love him, all just to be shunned away in rejection.
I, personally, cannot wait for the full release to read the lyrics and properly
follow the story, but this is what I gathered.
The
album kicks off with the first released single and video “First Kill” which sounds like a throwback to “Surtur Rising” and “Twilight
of the Thudergod” more than any other albums. Starting with a signature Amon Amarth opener the song instantly
draws you in the way the band know how to. Once the main riff kicks in with the
tapping over top of a consistent speed guitar and blastbeats you’re hooked,
while the chorus does sound a bit more like something from “Deceiver of the Gods” the song is a
constant hook, pulling you in and while its more along the lines of a standard Amon Amarth song, that’s all most
people want from the album opener.
A few
tracks down you’ll find “Raise Your Horn,”
a drinking song dedicated to the dead. This song takes a bit more of a page
from “A Fate of Norns” and “With Odin On Our Side,” with a chorus
like “raise your horns, raise them up to
the sky, we will drink to glory tonight” not only will this song become a
live staple, but just another reason for me to buy a drinking horn when the
band come through on their tour. The song is a bit slower than average, but its
heavy, catchy and harmonic in all the right places.
“At Dawn’s First Light, run for your lives”
is how you’re welcome to the second released single “At Dawn’s First Light,” this song reminds me a lot of “Where Is Your God” and a bunch of songs
from “Twilight of the Thundergod”
while still sounding completely new. The versus are straight speed, the chorus
slows down a little for the intense harmonies Amon Amarth are known for and in between the chorus and verse is my
favourite section, just a straight heavy instrumental with Johan Hegg screaming “slashing,
killing, thrashing, spilling, blood for honour, death and glory” over top
is just spectacular. Following the second chorus is a lower set of vocals from Hegg as the song gets heavier just
before a short but sweet solo. It should also be noted the lower sound at the
beginning and near the end, it’s neat to here Hegg almost doing a spoken word section during songs.
Last
track of significant mention is “A Dream
That Cannot Be” featuring our main characters love, voiced by Doro Pesch and while not normally being
a fan of her vocals the almost raspy womanly tone of her singing voice in
contrast with Hegg’s growls is quite
special. The band played with this idea on the last album “Deceiver of the Gods” having Messiah
Marcolin on the track “Hel” and
while it worked then, the way this song pushes the story makes it a significant
song on the album. The song isn’t over the top in any way and is fairly
consistent beginning to end not really changing pace or tone at all but if you
like Pesch you’ll enjoy the song,
and if you don’t, like myself, you may still just enjoy the song.
In the
end, “Jomsviking” is now my second favourite
Amon Amarth album, just behind “Surtur Rising.” It’s heavy, it’s
melodic and it’s surprisingly touching once you pick up some of the vocals.
There is real emotion to all of the songs and you can understand how much the
character must have gone through. Out through Metal Blade Records, any fan of Melodic Death Metal should pick up
this spectacular concept album and you should definitely see them on tour in
April/May with Entombed and Exmortus!
95/100
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