The Great Heathen Army

Considering how much I love melodic death metal, it's sort of surprising it took me so long to get to some of the more iconic ones, particularly Amon Amarth. Forming in 1992, the band has stood out from the crowd with its themes of vikings and Norse mythology, as well as some stellar records. While the quality can be more mixed at times, with the band's latest output "The Great Heathen Army", it shows that the band still has a lot going for it.

Starting with the first track "Get in the Ring", it begins with a slow, yet powerful riff followed by some drumming that goes on for a while before it transitions to a more louder and chaotic moment. The riffs are noticeably more heavy, but the more melodic riffs still hit with that viking pride that Amon Amarth is known for. The drumming is also really good, as while it's a bit slow in this particular track, it's still more than enough to lead the track with its booming beats and cymbals. The bass isn't as strong composition-wise, but is still decent enough to lay in a foundation. While some would argue that this is standard and even generic at times, I still felt like the instrumentals were still powerful in not only execution, but even with the atmosphere, having retained that war-like landscape that we've come to known with the band. Get in the Ring is a strong opener, but tracks like "The Great Heathen Army", "Oden Owns You All", and the criminally underrated "Skagul Rides with Me" also have some fantastic mixes of heavy riffs and melodic passages. Even though it's sort of the standard composition that Amon Amarth is known for, the songwriting on this album is still powerful enough to carry it throughout its duration.

The vocals are also just as good. Johan Hegg's vocals have always been a highlight in the albums since day one, but in this particular album, they go really hard. To see what I mean, check out "Dawn of Norsemen", which is more melodic in terns of structure. Johan's growls not only push through the more heavy and intense moments, but in the softer and melodic riffs, his growls further enhance the emotional tone and add in some sort of extremity in the grand atmosphere. Biff Byford of Saxon also does guest vocals in the track "Saxons and Vikings", and while I was initially mixed with his performance, it's since grew on me a lot, as his melodic singing flows really well with the riffs and contrasts Johan's growls decently. While Johan's vocals haven't change a lot, they still boom with pride and flow through the melodic riffs well.

However, we can't talk about Amon Amarth and not talk about the lyrics. The lyrics in Amon Amarth are generally good, and this album is no exception. For example, in the track "Heidrun", this verse quotes:

There's no dread in our hearts, no remorse in our soul
Pillage the world for silver and gold
It's the path we have chosen, the creed of our kind
Standing together, leave no one behind

At first, this verse looks like a standard story of vikings persevering in their mission to honor Odin. However, the structure and wording of the verse balances out the details with simplicity to create a strong, but direct feeling of pride and strength, which the band has done well for much of their career. Furthermore, while the Heidrun's instrumentals are a bit weaker when compared to other tracks, it still does convey the emotions within the lyrics well with the heavy and melodic riffs. As usual, the lyrics of Amon Amarth tell some fantastic viking stories that are fitting to the instruments and vocals.

Amon Amarth's last album "Berserker" was okay, but felt weak and forgettable overall. With The Great Heathen Army, however, it seems like much of the faults of the last album have been fixed drastically with greater instrumentals, greater vocals, and some excellent viking stories to top it all off. Even though modern Amon Amarth isn't for everyone, I do highly suggest giving this album a chance if you're in the mood for some viking-themed melodeath.