Surtur Rising

Metal Blade

There are certain bands that in my mind really can do no wrong and Sweden’s magnificent Viking warriors Amon Amarth for the most part are just such a band (hey no one is perfect!). Ever since their inception they have continued to inspire and awe the Metal community with a power that could only stem from Odin himself. The bands penchant for presenting ultimate melodic dexterity amid brutalizing Death Metal, which is most definitely encoded into their DNA, dictates their potently forceful hand at every turn. Following in the wake of such great past accomplishments as 2002’s Versus the World and 2008’s Twilight of the Thunder God  their latest outpouring of wrath is no exception and defiantly lives up to critical expectations.

Surtur Rising, the bands ninth studio effort to date hits hard and without warning. From the opening track of “War of the God’s” it is evident that the Swedes have once again forged an unrelenting miracle of extreme competency in which Metalheads can unanimously rejoice. “Destroyer of the Universe“,”Töck's Taunt - Loke's Treachery Part II” and “Wrath of the Norsemen” additionally serve as standout cuts from the album along with a few covers including Accepts “Balls to the Wall”, “War Machine” from KISS and what is probably the most unlikely of the bunch System of A Down’s “Aerials”; obviously chosen while consuming mass quantities of alcohol. Not surprising in the least, it outweighs the original by leaps and bounds.

What truly defines this band in any of their compositions is the never ending melodic abilities of guitarists Johan Söderberg and Olavi Mikkonen along with the gut wrenching zeal and baritone blasts of frontman Johan Hegg, all of which are felt heartily throughout the whole of Surtur Rising. Arbitrarily the most aggressive band within their genre Amon Amarth represent Melodic Death Metal at its best.

-Priest