Taken by themselves, some of the riffs here are a bit generic, like the verse riff on the title track, or main riffs of Under Siege or Hel. But there are certain things that can outweigh. Meaning, there's almost a vague checklist of things an album must, and must not do before it can cross the 90 threshold. I like to have my ducks in a row before I give albums really high scores. The classic melodies of some of the earlier tracks, the brutality of the middle tracks, the epicness of the closing track, no need to skip tracks with this album. Many of the songs here are of the caliber that would make them standout tracks on most albums – the “ooh, this is that song that really kicks ass” quality. Almost every song has something I look forward to, either a brilliant main riff, a great vocal line, a sweet middle section, or much of the time, all three of these things. The potent lyrics in Hegg's booming, vicious voice just knock you over. The riffs are great throughout, the shifting from all-out punishing death metal, to old school heavy metal style riffs never seems to lose the focus - the undertone of the bittersweet yet powerful. Albums that legitimately connect with me emotionally, are rarer still. Albums that really implore me to bang my head wildly, are pretty rare. It's just amazing that this band can make you feel such stinging sorrowful emotions, and bang your head till you're nearly concussed, at the very same time. But something about Amon Amarth has always tugged on my heartstrings. Oftentimes, I tend not to elaborate on is how albums emotionally connect with me – although this is partly because so few do. Coming of the Tide is another track that plays very much like a strong Maiden guitar line, but of course backed with a constant double-bass drum part. It's got just a dark enough undercurrent to convey the great lyrics of Loki birthing Fenrir to kill Odin.
It's secondary riff is a nod to early Dickenson-era Iron Maiden. It's got this really driving, perhaps even stiff sounding drum beat, but it just works so well. Few songs make me bang my head like this track. But man, if you ever thought Judas Priest in the style of death metal wouldn't work, lemme tell you, you could not be more wrong. The most conspicuous of all the nods to classic heavy metal is in tracks like Father of the Wolf, which is pure Judas Priest. We Shall Destroy is a slower pace, where Hegg really gets to draw out the vocal lines and the thunderous tone of his voice can really be appreciated in full. Blood Eagle is maybe the fastest track, and maybe the most brutal - which after all is about splitting someone open like a baked potato, but still drops in a great, even slightly lighthearted sounding melody in the mid section of the song. In the less common moment where they focus on brutality ahead of melody, they still do it expertly – as in Blood Eagle or We Shall Destroy. I tend not to review such popular bands, or those with so many reviews, but I just had to offer my diverging opinion here. I've been listening to this band for about 15 years, and I might be tempted to even say this is their best album, period. Past there, you might make an argument, but of anything since Fate Of Norns, there's no question in my mind, this is their strongest album. It's more melodic than Surtur Rising, more consistent than Twilight of the Thunder God, or Jomsviking, and all the same, still more true to the band's sound than With Oden On Our Side. This subtle shift in style is the only thing that can account, in my mind, for the lukewarm response this album seemed to have gotten. What the band has done here is add a flavor of classic heavy metal in the spirit of Judas Priest with tremendous results, and refined the blending of vicious and bittersweet to virtual perfection. But what has always been Amon Amarth's strength and signature, is their poignant melodic guitar melodies that are as heroic as they are sorrowful, and leave the band's overall sound as melodic as it is brutal. Hegg's brutal growls leave no wiggle room in defining this as anything but death metal, along with the deep, crushing guitar tone, and double-bass filled drum beats. Rather than being melodic death metal, Amon Amarth is death metal, which happens to be melodic.
At this point in their careers the music has become a touch formulaic, but extremely well honed. Amon Amarth's 9th studio album is one that sees them diving headlong into their most melodic aspects.
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