Surtur Rising Amon Amarth Artist

{|Amon Amarth|}'s eighth full-length album is an important one in their discography, because it follows their breakthrough disc, 2008's {|Twilight of the Thunder God|}. That album, laden with guest appearances ({|Children of Bodom|}'s {|Roopi Latvala... Read more

{|Amon Amarth|}'s eighth full-length album is an important one in their discography, because it follows their breakthrough disc, 2008's {|Twilight of the Thunder God|}. That album, laden with guest appearances ({|Children of Bodom|}'s {|Roopi Latvala|}, {|Entombed|}'s {|LG Petrov|}, the cellists of {|Apocalyptica|}), was the Swedish band's most elaborate and powerful statement to date. Shockingly, on {|Surtur Rising|} they haven't fallen short of the mark they set for themselves three years earlier. The album's ten songs are typical anthemic {|Amon Amarth|} tracks, built for headbanging and chanting along with the powerful, warrior's-code choruses. Some, like {|Destroyers of the Universe|} and {|War of the Gods,|} but particularly {|A Beast Am I,|} are among the fastest songs the group has ever recorded, while others, like {|Toeck's Taunt: Loke's Treachery, Pt. II|} and {|The Last Stand of Frej,|} are slow, even brooding. The production has a bit more aggression than {|Twilight|} had, but the songs are arguably even catchier this time out, with some surprisingly clean guitar leads and atmospheric melodies emerging from the hair-spinning roar. A few subtle production flourishes -- the sounds of clashing swords on {|War of the Gods|} and crying ravens on {|Toeck's Taunt,|} plus some strings on {|For Victory or Death|} and the album-closing {|Doom Over Dead Man|} -- bolster the sound somewhat, but other than that it's up to the five members of {|Amon Amarth|} to keep the listener happy with nothing but guitars, bass, drums, and {|Johan Hegg|}'s barrel-chested roars, and they do that with admirable skill. They're one of the most consistent bands in metal, and this is a terrific example of them playing to their strengths. ~ Phil Freeman Less