Label: Metal Blade
Release Date: US - 3/29/2011
Website: Amon Amarth.com
My Rating: 4.75 out of 5
1. War of the Gods
2. Töck’s Taunt – Loke’s Treachery Part II
3. Destroyer of the Universe 4. Slaves of Fear
5. Live Without Regrets 6. The Last Stand of Frej
7. For Victory or Death 8. Wrath of the Norsemen
9. A Beast Am I 10. Doom Over Dead Man
“Surtur Rising” marks the 8th full length studio album of Amon Amarth and is once again released by Metal Blade.
3. Destroyer of the Universe 4. Slaves of Fear
5. Live Without Regrets 6. The Last Stand of Frej
7. For Victory or Death 8. Wrath of the Norsemen
9. A Beast Am I 10. Doom Over Dead Man
“Surtur Rising” marks the 8th full length studio album of Amon Amarth and is once again released by Metal Blade.
Stories about Surt, the fire demon and ruler of Muspelheim and oldest being in the nine worlds or Norse mythology, are not a new concept for the band. But with this newest piece they dedicate a lot to him. His story is dark and bloody and the band did a great job on bringing it to life.
Definitely a touch heavier then their 2008 release “Twilight of the Thunder God” the 5 dudes from Sweden proved us once again how melodic death metal should sound. Amon Amarth is clearly on a different level then their peers and I couldn’t ask for anything more, or would expect anything less.
They really stepped up the production on “Surtur Rising” and managed to whip out an album that is brutal while melodic and contains some of the best guitar solos I heard in a while.
Straight with the opening track “War of the Gods” you get that warm and fuzzy feeling for awesome things to come. Amon Amarth just knows how to start an album, always right there, in your face, true and tried approach that hasn’t failed them yet.
Clearly not enough can be said about the shredding abilities of Johan S. and Olavi on this release. Doesn’t matter if it’s a catchy riff or a memorable solo, both are right on target which makes each song go down like butter.
“Destroyer of the Universe” actually surprised me a bit with the dual guitar sound, heavy as shit and so easy on the ears. Fredrik showcases his ability to drum hard and fast without overdoing it on this song. And speaking of Fredrik’s drumming; it’s beyond fabulous on this album; fast when needed and almost rock metal like when called for.
“The Last Stand of Frej” is a prime example. Epic song; you almost feel being part of the last stand with the build up, slower drumming, fierce guitars and slow fade out.
Ted on the bass guitar is audible throughout the entire album which makes for a nice and deep listening.
But the icing on the cake is by far the vocal abilities of Johan H. I knew the dude could sing, but on this album I think he pushed it a bit farther. Nice low growls which carry each and every song just perfectly and some vocal parts you can sing along with. Perfect.
With “Live without Regrets” you get taken back to the old days of Amon Amarth. Johan’s vocals are beyond awesome on this track with really dark growls and his voice sure is deeper then on the other songs on the album. Great stuff; can’t wait to hear this one live.
“Wrath of the Norsemen”, holy crap can Johan’s vocals get any meaner and filthier? You can’t help but sing along with the chorus; “Somebody save meee”. Can the guitar solos get any better? Between this one and “The Last Stand of Frej” it really is a toss up on which song I like the best, well shit, they are all good.
“A Beast am I” is another fast and furious piece that just doesn’t let up. Nice touch is also the wolves howl. The song fades out toward the end with a nice instrumental outro.
Well, the only song on the entire album that doesn’t do it for me is “For Victory or Death”. I honestly thought for a minute I skip over to another band, because it is extremely modern sounding, almost Radio friendly metal.
The last track on the album “Doom over Dead Man” is an epic ballad that’s all that has to be said about the song.
I would almost venture to say that this is the best Amon Amarth album yet, but this wouldn’t give credit to the other amazing releases they had. But if you just take a lock at the cover artwork, which totally describes the entire vibe of the album, you will know why I rate this album almost perfect.