Amon Amarth – The Great Heathen Army (Review)

Amon Amarth are a melodic death metal band from Sweden and this is their twelfth album.

Following on from 2019’s Berserker, the mighty Viking warriors of Amon Amarth have returned, with 43 minutes of new material. Amon Amarth are one of the most consistently entertaining and impressive bands in metal, and on their new record they’re firing on all cylinders.

The Great Heathen Army is a strong Amon Amarth album. Lean and mean, the tight running time is well-used and the nine songs on offer are satisfying, well-rounded, and deliver longboats full of metallic fun. If you randomly selected any of these tracks you will have picked a hit song, essentially; pretty much any of them I can imagine having a video made for it and/or it going down a storm live.

Amon Amarth are a band that know how to write a damn good tune. At this stage in their career they can craft an anthemic melodic death metal song in their sleep, yet still manage to sound energised and enthusiastic while they do it. These new songs are packed with the sort of heroic melodies, epic choruses, and heavy riffs that you would expect. There are also some less expected moments on the album as well, such as the Bolt Thrower-esque Get in the Ring, the duet with the singer of Saxon on Saxons and Vikings, or the harder, darker, more aggressive sound in general, (Oden Owns You All is a great example of this). It’s great to hear the very capable and charismatic singer perform some of his deeper growls again too.

The Great Heathen Army is a first-rate Amon Amarth album. Catchy, characterful, heavy, and fun, it’s just a great all-round listen.

Very highly recommended. LISTEN TO AMON AMARTH!