The Great Heathen Army

Amon Amarth

Released on 8/5/22 by Metal Blade Records
Main artists: Amon Amarth
Genre: Metal

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Let’s face it: Amon Amarth is divisive. Like Sabaton or Five Finger Death Punch, they’re one of those bands that enjoy undeniable popularity and success despite being met with derision by purists. Yet, on closer inspection, Amon Amarth’s death metal has never been a lesser form of the genre. At worst, you could say it has the finesse of a bull in a china shop, but it certainly doesn’t betray its cause. More than anything, it’s the band’s set design that might make its audience smirk: in the world of augmented reality, five proud Vikings in a papier-mâché longboat don’t impress crowds much. However, when it comes to their recorded material, the Stockholm band has absolutely nothing to be ashamed of, even less so with The Great Heathen Army. Produced by Andy Sneap (Accept, Exodus, Judas Priest…), this new collection of hymns praising the glory of Odin proves to be masterfully conceived, cleverly avoiding the sense of redundancy that could sometimes mar the experience of listening to an entire album by the band. The subject matter is much more varied here too: there’s the rocky rhythm of ‘Heidrun’, the devastating ‘Oden Owns You All’, and ‘Find a Way or Make One’, which sounds like it could go on to become a pillar of the band’s repertoire. Whether you’re a fan of the band or you’ve only recently discovered them, this album is for you. The highlight is, of course, ‘Saxons and Vikings’, which sees Amon Amarth cross swords with Saxon’s ‘godfathers’ Biff Byford, Doug Scarratt and Paul Quinn on a brilliant up-tempo track. The presence of these heavy metal legends is not the only treat in store either. Purists might claim ‘they were better before’, that their 1994 demo sounds more authentic than their first studio album, which sounds less commercial than their second etc, etc… the usual. The fact remains that Amon Amarth’s twelfth album does everything right, and it is anything but mundane. Those waiting for them to slip up might be waiting a long time; you’ll never crush a Viking’s spirit. © Charlélie Arnaud/Qobuz

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The Great Heathen Army

Amon Amarth

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