Tragedy as an art has manifested itself in countless different forms from the earliest Greeks, innovators of theatre, until the likes of Shakespeare brought the genre home. Amon Amarth like the great Greeks see beauty in tragedy. Lying closely together lyric and story often go hand in hand, giving rise particularly recently to concept records a sudden resurgence in the pastiche of the seventies seems to be a la mode. Known for their Viking heritage Amon Amarth have consistently delivered excellent songs, cementing their reputation as steadfast heavy weights in the Death Metal arena. Drawing on their influences, having told numerous tales of bravery and valour at last Amon Amarth begin their own story.
[tracklist]
- First Kill
- Wanderer
- On A Sea Of Blood
- One Against All
- Raise Your Horns
- The Way Of Vikings
- At Dawn’s First Light
- One Thousand Burning Arrows
- Vengeance Is My Name
- A Dream That Cannot Ne
- Back On Northern Shores
[/tracklist][details]
[length]51:00[/length]
[record_label]Sony[/record_label]
[release_date]March 25th 2016[/release_date]
[/details]
One of the corner stones of a concept album is the retention of atmosphere. Inspired by the Jomsviking, a group of mercenaries if you will, the record follows our young protagonist. Having slain a man owing to the love of a fair maiden the young Viking is branded a murderer and banished swearing that he will return for vengeance. Beginning with a flurry of riffs setting the scene in “First Kill” where we are introduced to our protagonist. Illustrated in part by history and the band’s collective imagination gives a backdrop aided by spoken word to create a palpable world making the likes of “The Wanderer” come to life. Mirroring our heroes training “The Way Of Vikings” contains an imperious marching riff making for an strident verse before the rousing chorus. Hegg’s carefully crafted lyrics, describe the situation whilst retaining memorable hooks without rehashing the classic “blood flows forth” routine. Ode to the fallen “Raise Your Horns” no doubt a rousing call to arms with its sense of brotherhood translating brilliantly in a live setting, especially if beers were in hand.
Filled with dramatic tonality “At Dawns First Light” sees the foreshadowing of tragedy hanging over our hero without plagiarising from other examples. Cinematic calls of “A Thousand Burning Arrows” create an emotional section in our story. Not only aided in the understanding of the story through lyrics but often the emotional themes are simultaneously represented with different tones similar to the setting of that particular scene. Enlisting Cut Up and Vomitory sticksman Tobias Gustafsson on drum duties the man positively excels in those quintessential double bass sections. Urgent delivery of “Vengeance My Name” seeing our young Viking as his prophecy come to fruition. Though the revelation of “A Dream That Cannot Be“, a clever incorporation of female vocalist Doro Pesch mirroring the idea of tragedy whilst also making the character of the woman more corporeal in the beginning of our denouement that leads to the forlorn “Back On Northern Shores“.
The pretence of a story makes for a brilliant differential point in Amon Amarth. Now having solidified their presence among the Metal elite the band are able to triumphantly build on their past releases. Having created a weatherworn legacy the band are at long last able to push new boundaries. Creating an interesting story cherry picking elements from the classics of tragedy whilst shrouding the record in a veil of mythology Amon Amarth have created their own tale drawing on their musical history, contextualised in the past to deliver one of their most creative and consistent releases yet. Completely turning the band’s modus operandi on its head now the real beginning of Amon Amarth. Jomsviking may illustrate a tale from the past but presents a bright future for these Swedish tragedy mongers.
[verdict]Yes[/verdict]
[why]At last Amon Amarth have gone the full hog and delivered a concept album that reflects the band’s musical past whilst ushering in a fantastically exciting new era of the present.[/why]
