Label: Metal Blade Records
Release date: August 22, 2022
Production: Andy Sneap
Album length: 42.59 min
Genre: Melodic Death Metal
Rating: 7/10
After three years, the long-bearded Swedes Amon Amarth have landed on the sonic shores of metal fans once again and, having beaten Covid, delivered their new album, already their 12th studio effort, ‘The Great Heathen Army’. The album takes its name from the coalition of Viking kingdoms that invaded England in 865, led by the sons of the legendary Ragnar Lothbrok in revenge for their murdered father.
The opener ‘Get in a Ring’ is an angry track with the dirty guitar sound of Olavi and Johan, and we’ll probably remember it mostly for its music video starring pro wrestling superstar Joseph Ruud, also known as “Eric the Redbeard”, himself a huge fan of heavy metal. The anger carries over from the opener into the next one, the title track ‘The Great Heathen Army’, which with its furious sounds and rather haunting melodies heralds the vengeful arrival of the Norsemen in England in 865 and, as a result, the capture of the city of York.
“We’ve traveled far to claim our right, With vengeance for our father’s death we fight, We’ll put your King’s head on a spike”
‘Heidrun’ is a melodic drinking song that, in true “raise your horns” style, describes the mythical goat standing on the roof of Valhalla, feeding on the leaves of Ygdrassil, with mead dripping from her udder instead of milk, cheering up the fallen Vikings who earned the honor of spending the afterlife in this venerable “establishment”. ‘Oden Owns You All’ turns, soon after a drum-heavy intro, into a raging, furious sonic berserker that calms down only for brief anthemic, melodic breathers.
“Hearts on fire, blood and steel, You will die or you will kneel
Death will follow, you can’t hide, Oden owns you, join his side”
‘Find A Way Or Make One’ is a classic AA battle hymn with that unmistakable rhythm and melody and great teamwork between both guitarists on the solo parts, while the lyrics are one of those that made Amon Amarth and the Viking age in general so popular – the story of a warrior who finds himself alone on the battlefield against a mighty opponent.
“No matter what thе odds I will never kneel, I trust in ancient Gods and my hеart of steel
So, send your best with wrath, you cannot block my path, Though your arrows block the sun, I’ll find a way or make one!”
Amon Amarth continue with the epic ‘Dawn of Norseman’, which, through melodic acoustic-style passages in the middle, touches on the melodeath style so skillfully cultivated by Insomnium. Next up is probably the most interesting track, ‘Saxons and Vikings’. The lyrics are basically both sides slinging mud at each other before battle, and the Swedes invited a real “Saxon” as a guest – Biff Byford; he nails his parts, as befits a legend of his caliber, and he also wrote his own section of the lyrics, while Saxon guitarists Paul Quinn and Doug Scarratt added their own touch with a guitar solo.
“Another day, another fight, The battle rages on
There is no truce in sight, ‘Tween Saxons and Vikings”
Last up are the album’s final two tracks, ‘Skagul Rides With Me’, yet another typical AA warrior anthem, and the slower, more epic ‘The Serpent’s Trail’; a philosophical song in which the trail of a venomous snake represents a labyrinth through the territory of death on the way to hell, and figuratively the path where you have to come to terms with a situation and face your “demons” to solve a problem.
“Someone told me, keep your feet, If you are to walk this way
A fearless heart with a steady beat, Or else you may be led astray”
Over their long career, Amon Amarth have built a real “brand” that they sell with ease. And anyone who’s ever been to one of their shows knows those are a spectacle that just keeps getting bigger over the years. With ‘The Great Heathen Army’ the band stays in the safe shelter of the familiar and doesn’t risk any plundering raids into other lands, which raises the question – have Amon Amarth become a band where we buy the spectacle instead of the music? The album is superbly produced, the music is played at a high level, the songs are typically Amon Amarth, and yet when the last note fades there’s still a feeling that something is missing.
Author: Sebastijan Videc
Track list:
1. Get in the Ring
2. The Great Heathen Army
3. Heidrun
4. Oden Owns You All
5. Find a Way or Make One
6. Dawn of Norseman
7. Saxons and Vikings (feat. Saxon)
8. Skagul Rides With Me
9. The Serpent’s Trail
Lineup:
Johan Hegg – vocals
Olavi Mikkonen – guitar
Johan Söderberg – guitar
Ted Lundström – bass
Jocke Wallgren – drums
