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Album Details
- Artist: Amon Amarth
- Album: Twilight Of The Thunder God
- Label: Metal Blade
- Year of Release: 2008
- ME Rating:
- Reviewed by: solitaryman on 2008-11-02
RecommendIt's safe to say that the majority of metal fans know the name Amon Amarth, but despite their long journey it's only been a fairly recent rise into the spotlight for the true definers of viking metal. After With Oden On Our Side turned the heads of everyone who wasn't expecting it's familiar and intensely precise bombardment, it became apparent that the band wasn't looking to shake things up internally at all. Their core sound has remained the same more or less since the beginning, and on Twilight Of The Thunder God, the song remains the same.
The title track opener bulldozes along with the same ass-kicking tenacity they've been conjuring up all along. For a band with so much experience, it shines in the technically sharp riffing and the songwriting lean towards powerful melody and rhythm. They haven't changed a bit, but somehow still remain a joy to listen to song after song. Anyone who's heard an Amon Amarth record before knows what to expect, but some tracks do stand out. For me, the best of the bunch is "Tattered Banners And Bloody Flags", which contains the most memorable guitar lines and chorus work since "Thousand Years Of Oppression".
My score might not reflect the overall value of the record simply because I've never been the biggest fan of Amon Amarth and also I find it just somewhat unsettling that they've not been able to inject a fair amount of newness to an old formula. If it ain't broke, don't fix it I suppose. Their legions of fans will have nothing but love for Twilight, and to the band's credit, their inclusion of Apocalyptica on a track and a few other guest spots at least show a mind towards progression. As with any other AA album, this is a perfect place to start for the uninitiated.
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on 2012-03-22 CharlesMartel Said:
There is something of an inevitability that death metal should find a home in Scandinavia. And, given the genres obsession with, well death, and the sort of pseudo-pagan, mock-Satanic, anti-Christian form of anti-establishment posturing, then it is hardly surprising that Scandinavian metal acts should evince a fascination for the old Norse religion. Bathory may have started it all, but there were plenty of other outfits, Amon Amarth among them, who have since taken up the Hammer of Thor and wielded it the cause of the Aesir. Whether any of these artists actually attempt to practice the Old Norse religion, I don't know, but they make a lot of fuss singing about it.
Now I have never really been one for mixing religion with anything. Partly because I am an atheist and partly because it seems so out of place. And it doesn't matter what the religion is, so I am not likely to be enthused by the themes of " Twilight of the Thunder God ", although in truth, apart from the obviously biased account of Adam of Bremen, we have little idea of how the Aesir were worshipped. But at least you could sort of rely on some solid chunky riffs to see you along and a lot of growling.
Unfortunately, Amon Amarth with this album seem to have forgotten that formula. As odd as it may sound, they have almost become and MTV pastiche. If I didn't know by the cover of the CD, I could even think that this was Manowar gone Viking. The riffs are pedestrian and cheesy production enhances the feeling that this is a return to the power metal of a couple of decades before. And then there are the numerous guest appearances . All I have to ask is, why? Who are these people and do they matter?
It would be true to say that, even though I hate growling on songs, the growling is the one thing that stands up. However, the quality of the words growled has deteriorated sharply and the fascination with the Norse Gods has become almost as childish as fairly tales. Besides, guest growlers are largely indistinguishable from resident ones so I don't really see the point.
Truth is that Amon Amarth have painted themselves into a corner. They have found a niche and stuck to it and now they are expected and expect to churn out album after album of the same stuff. As a result, it has become tedious and lacklustre. Perhaps they ought to go and find new gods to growl about.
Rating: 3/10
