Amon Amarth
Twilight Of The Thunder God

It's true: the Viking genre is old and stale. No band can be original anymore and offer something truly alternative to the exhausted ears of those who perhaps started with Bathory, and today find themselves facing an endless army of groups that almost seem to enjoy disorienting fans, mixing simple melodies that stick in your head with Black Metal, for example, or with Heavy, or finally with Death.
It's true, Viking is dead, just as Metal is dead and Rock'n'Roll is dead. Rest in peace.
But, in the end, who cares about all these axioms if you can appreciate Amon Amarth?

A fairly "square" band with fairly clear goals and derivations, going through ups and downs with excellent and more or less good works, today it can be said that they are, perhaps without blaspheming, the symbol and emblem of that sound power that takes no prisoners and makes it forget in an instant that you are faced with a proposal, more or less obvious, of themes already said by others. But if that's the case, and if you don't appreciate the sound continuity and what comes from this band, then conversely you must acknowledge Amon Amarth for their innate talent in creating, time after time, always badass and powerful songs, well-calibrated and sure to delight those familiar with them.

This "Twilight of Thunder God" certainly won't be an album that will change history, nor will it ever change the mind of those who see nothing in it but gaudiness, modesty, or even boredom. It will be an album that many will love and many will ignore.
The substance doesn't change. According to which this is an album that has all the cards in order to offer truly exhilarating moments to those looking for the classic themes of the genre to which Amon Amarth belongs: a good balance of epic, power, melody and various Viking themes. All seasoned, here, with a visceral love for vintage Slayer in particular.

Compared to "With Oden On Our Side" the stylistic direction has not changed much, but those who know them understand well that this is not what you are looking for in Amon Amarth. The songs are all well made, well produced and do not fail to achieve the goal for which they were composed, which is "to rock". In this, the group is second to none, and does not give a moment's reprieve to those who listen to them, from the first notes of "Twilight of Thunder God" which, by the way, boasts the collaboration of Roope Latvala, formerly of Children of Bodom and Sinergy, passing through "Free Will Sacrifice" and reaching "Guardians of Asgaard", the first real jewel of this album, which this time features the collaboration of Lars Goran Petrov (if you don't know who he is it's not my business: find out, for heaven's sake!) who in the chorus of the song supports Johan Hegg's raspy growl, represents the excellent and clear example of what Amon Amarth want to be at the publication of their seventh work. In this song, which is kind of the manifesto of the entire global composition, all the band's peculiarities alternate in overlapping phases. Those I listed earlier, which certainly reiterate well the concept that for being "tough" a few simple things are enough, but well assorted and certainly keeping well in mind the talent and attitude. All those things that here, I reiterate again, are not lacking. The guitars spew chord after chord forming an impenetrable and granitic wall of sound. The drums churn out beats without missing a stroke, and indeed, perhaps it is Fredrik Andersson's excellent work that sometimes manages to pull the other members along, as, for example, in "Varyags of Miklagaard", where the wild attack in the first beat, preludes to a rhythmic base of a cadenced and heavy tone, finally unravelling into a chorus to be appreciated.

Earlier I was talking about "Slayerisms", or at least more or less marked hints between the beginning and end of the CD. Well, one above all: "Tattered Banners and Bloody Flag" is perhaps the archetype of this, besides being, in the opinion of the writer, the best-achieved track of the lot. The whole structure seems to retrace what Slayer had pioneered in the past, with greater sentiment and malice if possible, and here, Hegg's vocals are also the best and best paired with the sound base, alternately ranging from a bestial, furious and always cavernous growl, to a wild and dirty scream, which certainly cannot be compared to anything other than his vocal cords. Naturally, this is all hinged on a deadly epic scheme that becomes more pronounced towards the end with brutality and melodic power.
But the surprises are not finished here. Because the album continues, always moving on well-tested standard coordinates, introducing, from time to time, new and different elements, ranging from the whirlwind structure with the involvement of electronics in "The Hero", another small and furious gem, to the almost Heavy experiments of "Live for the Kill", melting three-quarters of the way through with a sweet and sad interlude performed by Apocalyptica, ending abruptly with a murderous and painful outburst.
Finally, to recap everything, there is "Embrace the Endless Ocean", the longest song on the tracklist, equipped with a fascinating and dark instrumental section, with melodic guitar solos embedded in the almost sacred atmosphere intended to be created. Perhaps the final result might seem to clash with everything else, but it's not so. This too is Amon Amarth, and it will be possible, I believe, to love only this track and overlook all the others if necessary. Nothing would change. The beauty emanated from the band's notes in six minutes and more is dazzling, and I say it without hesitation.

I have nothing more to add, except to urge you to listen to this album. Obviously, only to those who will be interested and will have more passion than preconceptions in their arsenal. I am sure I'm in good company when I listen to Amon Amarth.
After all, I said it before: who cares.