Amon Amarth – Berserker 2LP (Beige Marbled Vinyl)

Amon Amarth – Berserker

Berserker contains twelve Amon Amarth-typical heavy metal anthems, with their irresistible melodic arcs, powerful outbursts of rage and goosebump moments of dramatic dynamics. ultimately, "Berserker" is also the result of impressive creativity and a shared interest in uncompromising further development. The album offers a bit of everything: disarming melodrama and explosive riffing in the opener "Fafner's Gold", animalistic simplicity in the ferocious "Crack The Sky" as well as epic fury in the first single "Raven's Flight" and fierce, bold storytelling in "Ironside" and "Skoll And Hati".

In other words, "Berserker" is an album with all the hallmarks of Amon Amarth: the Swedish metal band still rages and rages as much as ever, but somehow it has also evolved in terms of sound, sounding more mature without neglecting the metal and its emotional power. All of this is best summed up in the album's near-title track, the historical epic "The Berserker At Stamford Bridge", which tells the story of the Vikings' last battle against the English army in 1066 extremely vividly from the perspective of a heroic warrior. The album's lush production also marks an undeniable step forward for Amon Amarth's sound. Berserker was recorded in Los Angeles with renowned producer Jay Ruston (Anthrax/Stone Sour). After the first professional demos with Swedish metal icon Peter Tägtgren and Ruston, the band crossed the Atlantic for the final recordings in LA to find a fresh approach.

"For me, we're talking about Amon Amarth 2.0 now," explains vocalist Johan Hegg. "Here's what we've done: given ourselves the space and opportunity to explore other sides of our musicality and our band itself. If you're happy with what you have and what you are, why should you continue? We always wanted to experiment with new ideas and find new ways of doing things to create bigger and better shows to really try and improve every aspect of the band. We wanted to try and keep growing to be able to do it for as long as we can. Because it's the best fucking job in the world."

Tracklist:
Side A
Fafner’s Gold
Crack The Sky
Mjölner Hammer Of Thor

Side B
Shield Wall
Valkyria
Raven’s Flight

Side C
Ironside
The Berserker At Stamford Bridge
When Once Again We Can Set Out Sails

Side D
Skoll And Hati
Wings Of Eagles
Into The Dark

Label: Metal Blade Records 
Released: 2019/2024