Customer Reviews

Twilight Of The Thunder God

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

First off, I'm not a death metal aficionado. If you have read my review on "With Oden on Our Side" you'll know that Amon Amarth was my first real purchase in the Death Metal genre. I was attracted to them because the music in the snippets I'd heard was just the kind of thing I like. Aggressive, rough even, but beautifully melodic. It helped that Johan Hegg's vocals are incredibly easy to understand as he enunciates his growls and sings very rhythmically.

I'd read some of the early reviews on Metal sites about this CD, and snapped it up. While "With Oden on Our Side" had a few songs which really stuck out for me, and a couple which later elevated themselves on further listenings, "Twilight of the Thunder God" strikes me as an even more consistently melodic CD. The music is never pushed to the background by the vocals and usually takes the forefront. I'm listening to it yet again right now, and am reminded that there are even some guitar solos which wouldn't be out of place on traditional heavy metal or power metal CDs.

One other thing I really like about the music is that it's heavy and textured. Some other melodic death metal that I thought I might like left me a bit cold, and it was usually a combination of the singer being too dominant and the music sounding a bit thin. There's definitely a strong bass element here which works very nicely.

While the songs rarely tend to be extremely fast (most would fall squarely into 'mid tempo' with a couple of faster songs), different emphasis on drums or guitars make most of them feel unique. I really don't have any favorites yet, but overall I like it significantly more than their previous effort.

The special edition has a bonus DVD with some live performances that rounds out an already great package.

I have always considered Metallica as my overall favorite band (yes this is an Amon Amrth review). Then there has been the last 15 years and my confidence in my favorite band choice has been tarnished. The "Black" album was the twilight and the subsequent years brought only darkness and despair. There has recently been light again with "Death Magnetic" but let's get back to the twilight.

A few years ago I began expanding my metal horizons and discovered bands like Ensiferum, Turisas, Einherjer, Unleashed, Wintersun and Tyr to name just a few. Somewhere between Ensiferum and Turisas I picked up the album "Fate of Norns" by Amon Amarth (translated as Mount Doom for all you Tolkien fans). Now, I am of Norwegian heritage, and vikings hold a special place in my heart. "Fate of Norns" blew me away. It perfectly combined my love of all things metal and my love of all things viking. I had found the perfect band. I had to check out their previous work...

It turns out that "Fate of Norns" was the fifth full length album our friends from Sweden had released. Their previous efforts, "Once Sent From the Golden Hall", "The Crusher", "The Avenger" and "Versus the World" beckoned me. The first three albums were more stright forward death metal with a hint, here and there, of what was to come. "Versus the World" saw a change in the band, with a much more melodic texture over the double bass, pounding death metal machine underneath. It is also where Johan Hegg, the bands prodigiously bearded lead singer, hit his stride. Hegg is, quite frankly, amazing. I have failed to find another lead with such a powerful, growling voice who you can actually understand! Every freakin' word, clear as a bell, well at least to a semi-trained ear! So, I was hooked. "Versus the World" was even better then "Fate of Norns" and I began to wait for their next release...

In 2006 Amon Amarth released "With Oden on Our Side" to the world. To say the least, I was not disappointed. It was, I believe, better then "Fate of Norns" and in some ways better than "Versus the World". So, now here is a band that I have elevated to near the top of my all time favorite bands list and I read that they have signed a new three album deal. I start to worry. Is it the beginning of a sellout? There are guest appearances on the new album. Uh oh. They announce a special addition of "Twilight of the Thunder God" with a comic book and bobble head dolls. I start to panic! I want them to be more popular (in the U.S.) but will they just release garbage from here on out? It has happened to my favorite band before.....

...and then I hear the new album. Phew!!! It is a masterpiece!!! It is the band's best album of the seven they have now released. It has mid-tempo melodic tracks, specifically "Varyags of Miklagaard", "Free Will Sacrifice" and "Live for the Kill". The title track is brutal and has a short but outstanding guitar solo by Children of Bodom guitarist Roope Latvala. "Guardians of Asgaard" will stick in your head, well, for a long, long time. You could lead an army into battle with "Tattered Banners and Bloody Flags". And then there is "Where is your God?". Here you cannot really understand Mr. Hegg. But all is forgiven because Amon delivers almost four minutes of pure, unadulterated viking brutality! The first time I heard it I shed a tear, a tear of joy for it is truly hardcore ("Asator" on crack).

So, Amon Amarth delivered. Their string of awesomeness is unbroken. I will now enjoy an even larger library of melodic, brutal viking death metal. And then I will wait. Wait with apprehension for their next album. Will they pull it off again? I believe they have the gods on their side. If you have any interest at all in death metal, melodic death metal, metal, vikings, head banging, moshing, etc. you owe it to yourself to at least try listening to Amon Amarth. I guarantee you will find something you like.

Hail to the mighty Amon Amarth!

What a beautiful album this is. this could very well be my new favorite AA cd. i cant stop listening to it. great diverse blend of old and new styles and everything in between. can listen to this album straight through without skipping over any filler tracks, and ive done just that several times a day since it arrived last week. beautiful production. every instrument is crystal clear. Hegg's vocals sound amazing. if you're any kind of AA fan this album shouldnt disappoint cuz it has a little of everything on it. if you like super heavy brutal, there is "where is your God?". if you like sing along arena songs, there is "Guardians of Asgaard" which is sure to be a concert favorite for years to come. if you like the classic AA sound, there is "Varyags of Miklagaard" which is my personal favorite. if you like galloping battle songs, then "tattered banners and bloody flags" is for you.


just when the cd is over and you dont think anything could be better than this, you pop in the free DVD and get your butt kicked once again. yes a FREE DVD. and its not some bootleg low quality drivel that other bands might through in just to get sales. this is a professionally done full concert. it is just over an hour long. crystal clear footage, letterboxed for your widescreen viewing enjoyment. 5.1 surround sound. beautiful. features many songs from their last album "with oden on our side". they could have easily sold this concert DVD seperate and the fans would buy it. but no. AA gives it to you for free. thats what kind of band this is.

so if you are a long time AA fan, this wont disappoint you. if you wanna get into AA for the first time there is no reason why you shouldnt start here cuz you get a great album showcasing their style as well as the DVD which contains some of their older songs.

Well, like most people I had high expectations for this album after their previous album "With Oden on our Side" which was regarded by many to be their best work to date. This album blew me away. Granted it's not a dark as WOooS but it is WAY more melodic. They have really taken their songwriting to the next level. I love basically every track, though their are some that kind of stand above the rest, but all are more than worthy of many, many listens. I personally have listened to the entire disc like 50 times already, it's like crack to me it's just so damn good.

Here's some ratings for ya :)

1. Twilight of the Thunder God - 9/10 Nice track and a good choice for a single

2. Free Will Sacrifice - 10/10 Excellent track, I find the riffs really catchy along with the humming or w/e in the background. On top of that the lyrics are sweet, kind of in a similar vein to the title track of the last album

3. Guardians of Asgaard - 10/10 Catchy as hell, will have you singing along for sure. This will most likely become one of the concert faves and makes a good "theme song" for the band, much like songs such as Versus the World, etc.

4. Where is Your God - 9/10 This track kind sticks out because it doesn't have the rolling epic feel of the other tracks, just straight up pummeling and it's good.

5. Varyags of Miklagaard - 10/10 One of my favorite tracks, melodic as hell. Song is about Varangian mercenaries that served the Byzantine Empire during the Middle Ages, they were universally renowned for their skill in battle and sheer ferocity.

6. Tattered Banners and Bloody Flags - 10/10 THIS is my favorite song on the whole cd. Basically chronicles the events immediately preceding the climactic battle during Ragnarok, Loki leading the dead to fight the Aesir, Fenris breaking free of his bonds, Surtr and the giants of Muspelheim riding over the Bifrost bridge and engulfing the middle world (midgaard) in flames, etc. Would have really been nice if they actually including the battle in the lyrics but maybe they're saving that for a future song ;)

7. No Fear for the Setting Sun - 9/10 This song really gets my blood pumping hehe, has a nice somewhat fast tempo and the chorus is memorable. The solo is pretty decent as well.

8. The Hero - 9/10 Another quality track, not much to really say about this one, basically about a mercenary wondering why people actually care for him as he lay dying from trying to defend them.

9. Live for the Kill - 10/10 Awesome track comparing warriors to wolves basically and the cello bit near the end really adds a nice touch. Another nice solo in this song as well.

10. Embrace of the Endless Ocean - 10/10 Second favorite song on the disc, will go down as one of their best songs. This is by far the best track to close the album with.

In summary this album is nothing short of a masterpiece, while some may like WOooS better for it's darker atmosphere, I see this as their capstone album or the "album of their career". If they keep pushing quality stuff like this they are going to cement their place as one of the best metal bands of all time.

Amon Amarth are an awesome viking/melodic death metal band. I got into them when I bought "With Oden on our Side" over the summer, and I instantly loved it, and I became a fan of Amon Amarth after that. I recently picked up their brand new album "Twilight of the Thunder God" which is their seventh official release and it's the second AA album that I proudly own thus far. This is definately the best album that Amon Amarth has released thus far, and not to mention it's already one of my heavily favorite albums of 2008 as well, I just love it. This album is just simply a 100% all killer, no filler melodic death metal masterpiece that's brutal, vicious, and aggressively heavy yet beautifully melodic beyond words, I really don't know what else to say. It also features guest appearances by Children of Bodom guitarist Roope Latvala, LG Petrov of Entombed and the cello metal outfit Apocalyptica as well. Jens Bogren once again handles the production on this album, and he never fails at that. The musicians are definately in top form here. Johan Hegg's vocals are strong, monstrous and powerful throughout, and they definately pack tons of heartfelt emotion on here. Johan Soderberg and Olavi Mikkonen really shine and shred on the guitars with sharp, heavy headbanging riffs and catchy melodic leads and solos. Ted Lundstrom's bass does a nice job with following and keeping up with Johan and Olavi's guitars, and Fredrik Andersson does a fantastic, solid, all around work behind the drums, and he also does an absolute killer job with his double bass kicking as well. Every song on here is just awesome and memorable, seriously, there's not even one bad song on here. The opening song "Twilight of the Thunder God" is an excellent, catchy, fast paced headbanger that immediately gets things pumping with fast, churning riffage, relentless double bass drumming, monstrous growls, and a great chorus, and let's not forget that awesome guitar solo by Roope Latvala. This is definately my favorite song on here and the reason I got this album. The next two tracks "Free Will Sacrifice" and "Guardians of Asgaard" are both excellent catchy and heavy mid tempo monsters that both feature awesome monstrous growling choruses while "Guardians of Asgaard" features a nice, beautifully soaring melodic guitar solo by Johan Soderberg, as well as guest vocals by LG Petrov. Track four "Where Is Your God?" picks up the fast and brutal pace again with ruthless, punishing skin pounding, aggressive riffing, and catchy striking leads that will make you hum along in sheer delight. And let's not also forget both "Varyags of Miklagaard" (which is very addicting and melodic, especially during the chorus) and "Tattered Banners and Bloody Flags" which are both great epic metal classics as well. Track nine "Live for the Kill" is another awesome track that has some excellent double bass drumming and riffing, and there's also another good guitar solo as well as a beautiful, melodic cello string section by Apocalyptica to boot. The tenth track and album closer "Embrace of the Endless Ocean" is an epic, beautifully melodic closer that features great guitarwork that is just downright melodic and addicting, and a nice catchy mid tempo drum beat, and there's also a gorgeous harmony lead near the end as well. Please read on for the song ratings.
Jeremy's song ratings:
1. Twilight of the Thunder God (4:08) - 5/5
2. Free Will Sacrifice (4:08) - 5/5
3. Guardians of Asgaard (4:23) - 5/5
4. Where Is Your God? (3:11) - 5/5
5. Varyags of Miklagaard (4:18) - 5/5
6. Tattered Banners and Bloody Flags (4:30) - 5/5
7. No Fear for the Setting Sun (3:52) - 5/5
8. The Hero (4:01) - 5/5
9. Live for the Kill (4:09) - 5/5
10. Embrace of the Endless Ocean (6:44) - 5/5

Overall, if you're a fan of Amon Amarth, death metal, viking metal, melodic death metal, or if you just like anything that gets your head banging and adrenaline pumping like crazy, then "Twilight of the Thunder God" is exactly your big ticket to a true headbanging thrillride that is indeed 100% all killer, no filler. Buy this masterpiece of an album now. LONG LIVE AMON AMARTH!!

Just by reading this you have shown that you have an interest in the kind of music Amon Amarth produces, and if you are in any way inspired by this type of music, you will not find a better example of all that is good about what metal has become. This stands to be a true classic 20 years from now as the greats of the past still stand tall today such as Iron Maiden's Piece of Mind, Judas Priest's Defenders of the faith, Dio's Holy Diver, Ozzy's Diary of a Madman, Metalica's Master of Puppets etc. etc. Yes its that good!! for those who are not familiar with Johan Hegg's vocal style, I recommend that you do your best to dis-associate any associations you may have to link with just about every pretender who ever tried to use this style in the past. Johan Hegg Stands alone in this category. He does the un-imaginable of conveying true heart felt emotion in a growl that I have never heard anyone even come close to. He is the best in the business hands down. The rest of the band are the epitome of what good heavy metal is supposed to be, and they have refined all that got us excited about this form of music in the first place and concentrated it into a form of crack for the musical soul and delivered it to us in the form of a Viking warrior.
Bang your heads my friends, it doesn't get any better than this! \m/

Lyrical content has never been a big consideration with me. While I appreciate the intelligent lyric as much as anyone, the music is what I pay attention to. Maybe that's how most musicians are - I've noticed non-musician fans tend to pay much more attention to the lyrical content. Whatever floats your boat, or in this case, a longboat.
Not being a student of Norse historical mythology, the tales of warriors and bravado earn at most a big shrug with me and the subject matter not changing album after album for Amon Amarth could get monotonous, but with the music this catchy, who cares?
"Twilight Of The Thunder God" is the best AA CD I own, with more musical muscle than ever before without sacrificing the signature guitar attack that could have easily had ol' King Olaf headbanging with the best of 'em had this type of metal existed back in the good old days. The title track has lead guitar, as do a few others, and that's a plus because the tunes really did need some icing here and there. The use of real minor chord structures adds depth to the rhythm playing and helps accent the lead work, which is pretty damn good. More, please.
Of course, much is made of the appearance of Apocalyptica, but the CD's main strength is the pounding beat, lyrics you can decipher and good melody work. Amon Amarth have grown, and one hopes they continue to expand their sound, with more lead guitar work, and maybe some clean vocal lines here and there just to spice it up. Pillaging a village near you.

Twilight Of The Thunder God was a very nice album, I find this new offering from Amon to be very enjoyable. It has some amazing songs and my favorites being Varyags of Miklagaard, Twilight Of The Thunder God, Guardians Of Asgaard and Tattered Banners and Bloody Flags while not as perfect as their previous album With Oden On Our Side. With Oden on Our Side was such a solid album which made it harder for them to top it off, I mean don't get me wrong this was still a brilliant album and the addition of guest musicians like Apocaliptica, Lars Petrov from Entombed and Roope Latvala from Children of Bodom which in my opinion was quite impressive made the whole album feel more epic. Johan Hegg outdoes himself once again on vocals, and the riffs growl and stomp like charging vikings. This latest album also sees guitarists Olavi Mikkonen and Johan Söderberg raising their game to new highs, something that pushes the album on to another level. What else can I say, this album is just incredible and is up there with Versus the World if not better. I have just started to become a fan and will listen to anything these guys make since they have been consistently good and have improved with each subsequent release, but then this album came out and managed to blow me away. The melodies are just awesome and the guitars have a new sound that is amazing, The epic melodies, relentless pounding and Norse growls are mightier than ever and the lyrics were fantastic. For those who like me, are looking for more of Amon Amarth's inimitable take on melodic death metal, Twilight of the Thunder God will render you nothing short of ecstatic with great headbanging metal anthems like Guardian's Of Asgaard, and Twilight Of The Thunder God is also no exception. With such a catchy lead melody, triumphant chorus, and epic guitar solo, this track just kicks so much a**. This is definitely a must have album and one of the best metal albums of 2008, Amon Amarth rules! check it out.

I'm not a particular fan of Death Metal but this album is just great!
Their best album yet. I can't wait for the next one.

First thing you'll hear when you put this cd in is a melodic riff pattern that is oft-used, making you think that perhaps the guys have run out of ideas... but then their traditional speedy rhythm buzz sits underneath the riff and before the song is done you've been shown that they're picking up tricks from Dragonforce in a small solo riff that sounds like Herman Li's now infamous Nintendo squeal.

Amon Amarth have always been very melodic in composition. They've taken that idea up a notch on this new disc... they've infused the best aspects of powermetal and mixed some great death metal into it.

They do occasionally use some riff patterns that have been used before, but they do them so well... I would dare say that this is the 'poppiest' death metal album I've ever heard. It's nowhere near as dark as "With Odin on Our Side," so don't expect that kind of death metal, this is death-metal tinged with power, and it is great.

Stand out songs for me are "Where is your God," "Twilight of the Thunder God," and the uber-melodic "Varyags of Miklagaard."

EDIT:
Two weeks later and I must add that the song "Live for the Kill" is sublime... the classical interlude is so unexpected and so beautifully placed that it stands apart of the album as a whole and lifts this album to a height they haven't reached before. If you haven't already bought it, get it in your hands as fast as possible!