Album Review: Amon Amarth – The Great Heathen Army

Fiery metalcore

Amon Amarth is a popular melodic death metal band based out of Sweden. The group first formed in 1992 as an evolution from a grindcore band called Scum and is celebrating its thirtieth anniversary this year. Marking this anniversary is the release of The Great Heathen Army.

Amon Amarth has retained three of its original members while adding new ones along the way. The current lineup consists of Olavi Mikkonen at lead guitar, Johan Hegg at vocals, Ted Lundström at bass, Johan Söderberg at rhythmic guitar and Jocke Wallgren at drums. The Great Heathen Army is the group’s twelfth album release and its first since Berserker in 2019.

“Get in the Ring” kicks off The Great Heathen Army with an incredible instrumental line. The music is fast and electric with its heavy riffs and banging of drums which sets the stage for the rest of the album. Another upside is the vocals, which flow nicely with the fast-paced music.

“The Great Heathen Army” is similar to “Get in the Ring” with its musical flow. The music is once again electric and has consistent electric beats. Once again, the music stars on The Great Heathen Army and is arguably the best part of the album.

While other songs utilize their bass and guitar more, “Oden Owns You All” is more drum-focused. This makes for a refreshing feeling in the album while also remaining true to the fast-paced feeling of the album. “Oden Owns You All” serves as a nice midway point for the album.

The Great Heathen Army is electric but ends on a slower but still epic note. On “The Serpent’s Trail”, the music is slower but it has its moments where it is just as fast as other songs. “The Serpent’s Trail” serves as a strong conclusion to a strong album with its slowed speed, making for a satisfying album.

The Great Heathen Army is a worthy entry to Amon Amarth’s thirty-year history. On this album, the music shines the most but the vocals are still strong and flow nicely with the music. Each song has a clear-cut point and well-made metalcore music and continues Amon Amarth’s legacy as a band.