Amon Amarth

The Avenger (Metal Blade)
by Tim Den

Sounding like a more majestic (perhaps because of its deeply devoted Viking lyrics), mythical, brooding, mid-paced version of The Crown or At The Gates, Sweden’s Amon Amarth provides Gothenburg death metal (meaning riffs meshed with classical undertones, for the uninitiated) with more weight than most of their countrymen by having the most fuzzed-out guitar sounds layered continuously on top of each other, creating gigantic sceneries as sprawling as the folklore told in the growls. There is a sense of sorrow in the telling of these tales, all of which is emphasized in the steady (not ultra-fast) palm-muting of minor-based chords. Brutal, mournful, with lots of pride in their ethnic history, Amon Amarth is an original and enjoyable welcome to the genre.
(www.metalblade.com)