Track Listing:
1. First Kill
2. Wanderer
3. On A Sea Of Blood
4. One Against All
5. Raise Your Horns
6. The Way Of Vikings
7. At Dawn’s First Light
8. One Thousand Burning Arrows
9. Vengeance Is My Name
10. A Dream That Cannot Be
11. Back On Northern Shores
‘Jomsviking’, Amon Amarth’s latest offering, is based on a screenplay written by vocalist Johan Hegg. Which then, coincidentally, became a full-fledged concept album. While viking themes are nothing new for Amon Amarth, a concept album is new territory for the revered Swedes. After the departure of long-time drummer, Fredrik Andersson, drummer Tobias Gustafsson (of Vomitory fame) was recruited for the recording of ‘Jomsviking’.
‘Jomsviking’ is perhaps Amon Amarth’s most melodic offering to date, venturing far from their early, death metal roots. More epic than brutal, this album is a further progression of the direction that Amon Amarth has taken on their last few releases. The first few tracks set the scene for the epic story that follows. “Raise Your Horns” offers delightfully awkward verses, followed by an incredibly catchy chorus. It might actually be the most anthemic song of the entire album. ‘One Thousand Burning Arrows’ is reminiscent of a few earlier, very memorable Amon Amarth songs. At least in theme, if not in sound. It also seems to represent a turning point in the story woven throughout ‘Jomsviking’. “A Dream That Cannot Be” is a wickedly brutal song when listening to the lyrics. It proves to be the ultimate kick to the teeth in the game of pursuing an unrequited love. Which feels somewhat strange to be coming from a band that doesn’t typically sing about such a theme, but it’s woven nicely into the idea of a concept album. Having Doro Pesch singing vocals throughout the song doesn’t hurt either.
Containing some spoken elements, this aspect of ‘Jomsviking’ might be a first for Amon Amarth. It is certainly something that further differentiates this album from previous efforts. It’s difficult to pick a song that has potential to become a live favorite, unlike other albums where this proved an easy task. ‘Jomsviking’ seems to lack the element of an epic live song. It also seems to lack the thundering, relentless, in-your-face feel of some of the band’s previous material. If you vastly prefer earlier Amon Amarth, this probably isn’t the album for you. However, if you enjoy an epic story with sentiment, and don’t mind some more mellow elements, this will be a good listen.
Best Tracks: First Kill, On A Sea Of Blood, One Thousand Burning Arrows
