Initial Impressions: Amon Amarth: Surtur Rising

Amon Amarth is nothing if not consistent. This is their eighth album and the Swedish band still has a knack for crafting catchy songs and infectious melodies. Amon Amarth has always been an impressively melodic band, but that has always been lurking a little bit beneath the surface of their crushing riffs and singer Johan Hegg's deep guttural roars. However, on this release, Amon Amarth actually does sound as if they are focusing on the melodies.

This is not a massive change of pace for Amon Amarth. The band has been stripping away the death metal sound for quite some time. This is just a natural progression for the band. While this is not as heavy of a release for the band, it is still very clearly them. It is still recognizable.

All of the other elements are still present. Hegg's vocals sound just as powerful as they did on their debut album. The dual guitar attack still churns out melodeath riffs and rips off some impressive solos. And the rhythm section still thunders along as the foundation of Amon Amarth's sound.

As I stated earlier, Amon Amarth still puts out some catchy songs. Opener "War of the Gods" is another great leading track from the band and captures the listener's attention early on. "A Beast Am I" is an absolutely crushing song. Most of the rest of the songs definitely have their moments and fall in line with typical Amon Amarth material.

Amon Amarth has switched up the formula a little bit. While this is not an instant classic like some of their other albums, it is definitely a good album. This may disappoint some of the band's longtime fans, but it will more than likely win them many more.