Image from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:DeceiveroftheGodsAmonAmarth.jpg
Earlier this summer, Swedish metal conquerors Amon Amarth
released their ninth studio album, and they are currently touring with this new
material as part of the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival. The album, titled Deceiver of the Gods (Metal Blade Records), continues the band’s
sonic worship of all things Viking and will surely please longtime fans of the
group. If this album is anything,
it is a fun album. It’s not the
type of album that you play late at night, relaxing in a broad-backed chair
with a glass of brandy while staring musingly into the distance. It’s an album that you blast at full
volume while cruising in your car, windows down, preferably with Leif Ericson
riding shotgun. Deceiver of the Gods has much to offer a
diehard metal fan. Though Amon
Amarth is generally considered a melodic death metal band, with this release
they plunder liberally from the arsenal of metallic stylings. Death metal beats and growls converge
with thrash-sounding rhythms, black metal influenced tremolos, and lead guitar
work that whines with power metal attitude. Taking no prisoners, Deceiver
of the Gods assaults the ear with a diverse array of weapons.
The
album comes filled with precious gems that make it worth a raiding voyage to
your local record store. Powerful
and growling, Johan Hegg’s vocals echo in the mind like the guttural portents
of a tongue possessed. Colorful
twin guitar harmonies shimmer like the northern lights, empowering each track
with cosmic significance. Carrying
emotive authority, the lead work acts as a spirited bard, conveying equal parts
sorrow, celebration, and honor with its vibrant voice. Tightly executed at every turn, the
album presents a skilled layering of battle-ready vocals, cantering drumbeats,
and poetic lead guitar. Through
lively, unapologetic riffs, Amon Amarth craft a sound fit for performing in the
arena with head cocked back, pick raised high.
It’s
difficult to find flaw in any one song on its own. “Father of the Wolf” rings with blood-soaked, questing
mirth. In “Shape Shifter,” musical
lines and lyrical content march in tandem, exuding grim glory step by
step. Throughout “Under Siege,”
riffs duck and dodge, weaving a pillaged path through this combative canto. However, it’s as a whole album that Deceiver of the Gods falls short. It simply lacks variety. Despite diverse influence, the overall
sound is fairly constant. While
each track is solid in its own right, as the album wears on, the tracks seem to
blur together. They start to feel
stale and formulaic; musical motifs start to feel recycled. In addition, the songs on the whole
feel rushed, not in terms of song length (though most tracks fall under five
minutes), but in a conceptual sense.
Amon Amarth don’t seem to develop their sounds and themes as dynamically
as they could. Even the
eight-minute “Warriors of the North” feels shorter than it really is, lacking
the kind of epic breakdown or ear-catching tone change that causes a song to
seem like a sonic journey. In the
middle, the song almost appears to enter a riveting breakdown, but it
ends up being a short-lived tease.
Overall,
the album doesn’t really take any risks. On the one hand, this means that all of the tracks are
solid efforts, but, on the other hand, it means that no one track stands out or
leaves a lasting impression. But,
as I said earlier, the album is fun.
It's simply entertaining, nothing more, nothing less. Thus, it will certainly enthrall fans of the band, sound, or
genre, or any metal fan looking to enjoy a good romp. However, due to its somewhat narrow approach, it won’t
likely amass attention as a critically acclaimed work. It’s worth a listen, but can easily be
left behind.
Score: 7/10
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