ALBUM REVIEW: Berserker – Amon Amarth
AMON AMARTH are unstoppable. The Swedish berserkers have been on a trajectory to the upper echelons of heavy metal for over a decade now, since the release of their critically acclaimed 2008 breakthrough album Twilight Of The Thunder God, and are showing no signs of slowing down. Having progressed from the raw, eviscerating death metal of their earlier albums to their present, arena-ready brand of melodic death metal, and headlining festivals and tours the world over, AMON AMARTH are on the cusp of breaking the glass ceiling of extreme metal and bursting into heavy music’s mainstream. Is Berserker the album to push them to the next level?
It’s easy to be a little bit cynical going into an AMON AMARTH album at this point in their career – you could never accuse them of being unpredictable. And Berserker checks all the necessary, if predictable, boxes. Lyrics revolving entirely around Norse mythology and history? Check. Big, sexy choruses that will get growl-a-longs from even the most unresponsive audience? Check. IRON MAIDEN worshipping riffs and melodies with a melodic death metal twist? Check. On paper, this should be a fun, but unsurprising album.
But a check-list on paper doesn’t account for the magic spark that always seems to come into play when AMON AMARTH get writing. From the first listen of Berserker it is abundantly clear that while the band may, arguably, be a touch safe and formulaic in their writing, they are bloody excellent at making sure the formula delivers. Crack The Sky and Shield Wall are destined to be mainstays in the band’s set-list, bringing in those huge chorus’s and crushing grooves AMON AMARTH have become absolute masters of with the former showcasing some of the half-sung-half-spoken vocals from Johan Hegg the band experimented with on Jomsviking. Meanwhile, Valkyria delivers a dose of dark melody letting the lead guitars shine and lead single Raven’s Flight is AMON AMARTH at their purest, channelling their IRON MAIDEN adoration amid the ten ton heavy riffing. Berserker‘s penultimate offering Wings Of Eagles carries all the immediate-live-favourite hallmarks, wrapped up in a dizzying tempo that barely subsides – while Shield Wall was crafted for show-topping walls of death, Wings Of Eagle is a circle pit anthem if ever there was one.
However, AMON AMARTH are at their strongest when they channel the essence of the mythology that has inspired their career: telling stories. Yes, the simpler, horns-in-the-air tracks with easily memorable choruses are always going to be favourites in the live set – but on record these songs, strong as they are, pale in comparison to the storytelling marvel of Berserker‘s finest moments. Fafner’s Gold opens Berserker in a wonderful fashion, telling the story of the dragon Fafnir and his curse from the dwarf Andvari, all wrapped up in classic AMON AMARTH-isms, while Ironside delves into the history surrounding the Swedish king, Bjorn Ironside. Taking its name from the mythical wolves that chase the sun and moon across the sky, Skoll And Hati is a clear album highlight, blending the arena crowd-pleasing aspects of AMON AMARTH‘s sound with the storytelling majesty that made us fall in love with the band.
Pseudo-title track The Berserker Of Stamford Bridge is a clear contender for Berserker‘s best moment. The song-writing genius of guitarists Olavi Mikkonen and Johan Söderberg blends perfectly with Hegg‘s lyricism, delving into an overlooked moment in history. It’s impossible not to feel your blood pumping a little harder when Hegg bellows “Englishmen! I am waiting here!/In my heart I know not an ounce of fear!/We are waiting here, my trusted axe and me!/Just come at me, I will not flee!/Death! I know that it awaits!/Soon I will enter Valhalla’s gates!” as the track gets into its second half. Ever the masters of the closing song, AMON AMARTH continue their tradition of ending albums on a high with Into The Dark. Berserker‘s longest track, Into The Dark is bookended with a beautiful string-and-piano section, while the bulk of the track is built on melancholic leads, rumbling riffs and an emotive solo.
How Berserker will be received entirely depends on how listeners feel about the tried-and-tested formula the band have been using since Deceiver Of The Gods. Those longing for a return to the unrestrained savagery and dark melody of The Last With Pagan Blood, For The Stabwounds In Our Backs and An Ancient Sign Of Coming Storm are guaranteed to be disappointed – although, that’s probably to be expected. However, those who enjoy the anthemic, hook-heavy style of melo-death AMON AMARTH have made their trademark will find a lot to love here. There isn’t much innovation or risk taking with Berserker, but it could be argued that the band don’t need to innovate – they have become masters of crafting crushing death metal that is palatable to arena-sized crowds, and their 11th album showcases this perfectly. This is AMON AMARTH doing what AMON AMARTH do best, doing it increasingly well, and highlighting exactly why they are arguably the biggest band in death metal.
Rating: 8/10
Berserker is out now via Music For Nations/Metal Blade Records.
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