Tenth Kill
A familiar criticism of bands is that they repeat themselves over and over again. This gripe seems daft as how many acts really change drastically and the ones that do normally end up as the recipients of heightened outrage and return to their roots (Metallica, Morbid Angel, Sepultura etc.) so fans, on the whole, are quite happy for a band to keep doing what they’re good at. If it ain’t broke... That brings us to Jomsviking, the latest record from Swedish behemoths Amon Amarth. A band that have done more than most to drive melodic death metal forward in terms of popularity and their use of Norse mythology and Viking lore has made them a distinctive presence for over 20 years. However, this new album perhaps marks a blunting of the Amon Amarth edge.
Jomsviking comes off the back of two great examples of the band’s craft in their lengthy career - 2011’s Surtur Rising and Deceiver of the Gods released in 2013 - two records that bristled with rage and vitality. To their credit, Johan Hegg and co seem to have taken a slightly different tack on Jomsviking focusing more tightly on a single narrative. A man unable to be with the woman he loves, subsequently cast out for committing some old fashioned murder so there’s still plenty of blood and vengeance as lyrically Amon Amarth haven’t mellowed and opener First Kill attests to that. After that killing our protagonist drifts through more epic violence before attempting a return for home.
To convey the story, Hegg’s vocals seem more defined than before and guitar players Olavi Mikkonen and Johan Soderberg frequently settle back into a holding chug to allow for the delivery of the narrative. The usual death metal grit is present but there are more out right melodic and contemplative moments on Jomsviking like on Wanderer with Amon Amarth leaning on Iron Maiden’s epic storytelling legacy as a guide (nodded to on At Dawn's First Light: “At dawn’s first light/Run for your lives). A Dream That Cannot Be features Doro Pesch alongside Hegg as the woman our Viking longs to love. These songs stand out as the rest of the album feels largely like what you expect from Amon Amarth - taut, dense riffing on One Against All and the militaristic stomp of The Way of Vikings - no bad thing necessarily.
Let's be clear though, this album is too long, with some of the songs being too similar - sounding lethargic at times. However, if you liked Amon Amarth before (and they have legions of fans) there are moments to revel on Jomsviking. They’ve hardly let anyone down but it sometimes feels, like BB King once sang, that the thrill is gone.