The news that Amon Amarth’s 10th album will be a concept album made me very skeptical about the final result. There are many bands who tried to release a concept album and as a result they were focused on the story rather than the music. But the Swedes didn’t have any problem about that and the proof was their first video from this album, “First Kill”. A killer song and video that left us without worries.

The story is about a legendary Viking mercenaries, the Jomsvikings. A young man is in love with a woman, but she is getting married with another one. The young man kills by accident the man who came to taker her and then escapes to the wilderness to save his life, promising that he will return some day to make her his wife. And the story continues with the classic lyrics of Johan Hegg’s telling the events that follows our hero and the river of blood that he is leaving behind him on his way back home. The music of course isn’t any surprise at all. The Swedes released another killer album. Sometimes mid-tempo and melodic, sometimes fast and brutal. You grow a beard just by listening to it, even if you are a woman. Mikkonen/Soderberg make their guitars beg for mercy, Hegg is throwing his guts out with his vocals and Tobias Gustafsson (Cut Up,  ex-Vomitory) fills the empty stand behind the drum kit after the departure of Fredrik Andersson who left after 17 years with the band. Of course Tobias is not a permanent member because the band hasn’t announced yet their new drummer. When you have songs like “One Against All”, “The Way Of Vikings” and “At Dawn’s First Light” you have nothing to worry about. Also, as in their previous album where we heard Messiah Marcolin as guest, we meet another metal legend. This time is Doro Pesch on “A Dream That Cannot Be”. Finally, Andy Sneap did an excellent job being the producer, as he always does.

Amon Amarth continue their steadily upward career over the last years. With amazing albums, excellent live performances and killer videos they are an example of true professionals. The only bad thing about this album is that it’s being released while the 4th season of the show Vikings is being aired and I’m afraid that I’ll grab an axe and start climbing the mountains.

For the fans of: Amon Amarth