Album number 11 from Sweden’s finest melodic death metal band Amon Amarth, titled “Berserker” continues the tradition of pure viking metal in all it’s epic battle worn glory. The band have come a long way since their earlier works like “The Avenger” and even in later stuff like “With Oden On Our Side”, but certain aspects have remained as always to keep that trademark Amon Amarth sound intact But it’s the evolution of the band that has truly given the band some real longevity for the future at the same time.
Kicking off with “Fafner’s Gold” which I had to re-read a few times as I read the title as “Father’s Gold”, this fast paced melodic groover is signature Amon Amarth as fans will be surely familiar with and a nice way to lead into the album. “Crack The Sky” continues that groove goodness as the band know best and subtle nuances give you the idea in what the band are starting to reveal with their push to really keep things fresh.
The expectedly titled “Mjölner, Hammer of Thor” is choc full of guitar harmonies as the hooks drive this beast of a song, relentlessly but with some nice breathing space to really give the song some attention. “Shield Wall” brings the energy with some headbanging potential but it’s the dynamic changes halfway that catch you off guard with some interesting surprises. “Valkyria” brings further surprises in the form of a melodramatic closing passage led by some piano work that while is not necessarily a new concept, does seemingly add a new dimension to the band’s sound for this particular track.
Moving on to the latter half of the album and things don’t lose the momentum one bit. One of the highlights of Berserker is actually the lead single “Raven’s Flight” which in my experience is a rare thing to see as I always find the singles tend to be the weaker tracks on the album. That’s not to say that the rest of the album doesn’t match up in any way but this particular song has a driving force filled with epic melodic solos that really capture some of the best aspects of Amon Amarth. Epic viking metal delight comes to mind but those who have already heard this one will know what I mean.
Some historical significance comes into play with “The Berserker at Stamford Bridge“, a retelling of a battle between the English and the Vikings and the heroics of one particular warrior who stood out amongst them all and what ultimately becomes the basis of the album in it’s somewhat conceptual story. Musically the band capture the storytelling aspect very well which the band has historically always made a point to really do justice to and here it’s made very clear just what Amon Amarth do best.
“When Once Again We Can Set Our Sails” has one of the juiciest riffs on the album that is as addictive as it is memorable, it’s not necessarily typical Amon Amarth style but it feels right at home in this song. Flipping the mid-tempo stuff though, more thrashier elements come into play with tracks like “Skoll and Hati” and “Wings of Eagles” at a time on an album’s tracklist when things start to get either more experimental, mellower or simply lose momentum. Here Amon Amarth ramp things up with what feels like a burst of adrenaline just as things are starting to wrap up.
Closing things out however is the sombre “Into The Dark” which begins with a cinematic intro but still retaining a certain heaviness through-out the rest of the song. Ballad this is not but it’s as close to one that you’ll find on an album that gives you Amon Amarth at it’s pure best.
TRACKLIST
Fafner’s Gold
Crack the Sky
Mjölner, Hammer of Thor
Shield Wall
Valkyria
Raven’s Flight
Ironside
The Berserker at Stamford Bridge
When Once Again We Can Set Our Sails
Skoll and Hati
Wings of Eagles
Into the Dark
