Amon Amarth are unquestionably the kings of Viking metal. From the inspiring and vivid lyrics, to the most badass, anthemic choruses out there, they bring the heat with every release they put out. Twilight of the Thunder God is an album with a lot of groove and more focus on melody than some of their previous releases. In spite of this there is no lack of heaviness. There are some absolutely brutal tracks on this album and such a wide range of songs. Some are very fast paced and melodic or others slow and brooding and dark.This album was the best possible next step in their musical journey, everything good about their sound was honed and crafted into this Viking epic. This masterpiece of slaughter and mayhem.
The playing on the album is insanely tight as always, and the production quality makes this album a masterpiece. The tones on everything are phenomenal. The drums sound massive, the guitars are tight and heavy as hell, and Johan's vocals are even gritter and more brutal than before. I feel that this album also has some of their best songwriting, utilizing some basic song structures but with really well developed riffs and melodies that compliment each other beautifully. And of course no Amon Amarth album would be complete without some absolute bangers. This album is loaded with riffs from front to back that will make you start a mosh pit in a nursing home. This album is your new gym playlist. Your warcry. Your larping soundtrack. Any song that comes on and it makes you wanna rampage on your way to Vahalla. Unbelievably killer release.
The playing on the album is insanely tight as always, and the production quality makes this album a masterpiece. The tones on everything are phenomenal. The drums sound massive, the guitars are tight and heavy as hell, and Johan's vocals are even gritter and more brutal than before. I feel that this album also has some of their best songwriting, utilizing some basic song structures but with really well developed riffs and melodies that compliment each other beautifully. And of course no Amon Amarth album would be complete without some absolute bangers. This album is loaded with riffs from front to back that will make you start a mosh pit in a nursing home. This album is your new gym playlist. Your warcry. Your larping soundtrack. Any song that comes on and it makes you wanna rampage on your way to Vahalla. Unbelievably killer release.
Aug 08, 2016 While I have been a rivet head for years I have not listened to much Icelandic metal and it wasn't until I stumbled upon a friend's posting of the video of 'Twilight of the Thunder God' on Facebook that I even heard about Amon Amarth.
Twilight of the Thunder God | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 17 September 2008 | |||
Recorded | May - June 2008 | |||
Studio | Fascination Street Studio in Örebro, Sweden | |||
Genre | Melodic death metal | |||
Length | 43:34 | |||
Label | Metal Blade | |||
Producer | Jens Bogren | |||
Amon Amarth chronology | ||||
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Twilight of the Thunder God is the seventh studio album by the Swedishmelodic death metal band Amon Amarth. Twilight of the Thunder God was released in September 2008. It is based on Thor's slaying of the serpent Jörmungandr.
- 4Personnel
Background[edit]
In anticipation of this album, there was a series of studio diaries in the form of vlogs that discussed the recording process of this album in the studio. There were six vlogs recorded. The first focused on Fredrik Andersson recording the drums.[1] The second vlog focused on Olavi Mikkonen recording the rhythm guitar position.[2] The third vlog focused on Ted Lundström recording bass guitar and band members preparing food. The fourth episode focused on Johan Hegg recording vocals. The fifth video was Johan Söderberg performing and recording guitar solos. The final vlog featured Olavi Mikkonen and Ted Lundström packing up the studio and a sneak peek of the album.
A series of 8-page comics were made during the production of the album, eponymously entitled 'Twilight of the Thunder God', released in magazines throughout Europe.[3]
On 27 June 2008, the title of this album was announced. Twilight of the Thunder God features several guest appearances featuring Entombed vocalist Lars Göran Petrov on 'Guardians of Asgaard', Children of Bodom and Stone guitarist Roope Latvala who contributes a solo on the track 'Twilight of the Thunder God', and Finnish cello metal band Apocalyptica as a guest appearance on 'Live for the Kill'.[4]
Approximately a month later on 25 July 2008, the album artwork was revealed, featuring Thor, the Norse God of Thunder, in battle with Jörmungandr.
On 27 August 2008, Amon Amarth released the information that they had recently finished work on a video clip for the title track of the album. The video clip was shot in Jomsborg,[dubious]Poland. The band notes that while they were there, a heavy storm came through the town, resulting in the roughest conditions the band has ever shot a music video in.[5]
Reception[edit]
Professional ratings | |
---|---|
Aggregate scores | |
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | (80/100)[6] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
About.com | [7] |
Allmusic | [8] |
Blabbermouth | [9] |
IGN | [10] |
PopMatters | [11] |
Sputnikmusic | [12] |
The album debuted at number 50 on the Billboard 200, and debuted at number 11 on the Swedish album charts. This makes the band's first album to chart on the top 200, and also the band's highest chart debut in their native country of Sweden, debuting 10 places higher than their previous release, With Oden on Our Side.
Initial critical response to Twilight of the Thunder God was positive. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 80, based on 5 reviews.[6]
The album was ranked number six on Metal Hammer's Top 50 Albums of 2008.[13]
Track listing[edit]
All tracks are written by Amon Amarth.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | 'Twilight of the Thunder God' (featuring Roope Latvala) | 4:09 |
2. | 'Free Will Sacrifice' | 4:09 |
3. | 'Guardians of Asgaard' (featuring Lars Göran Petrov) | 4:23 |
4. | 'Where Is Your God?' | 3:11 |
5. | 'Varyags of Miklagaard' | 4:18 |
6. | 'Tattered Banners and Bloody Flags' | 4:30 |
7. | 'No Fear for the Setting Sun' | 3:54 |
8. | 'The Hero' | 4:02 |
9. | 'Live for the Kill' (featuring Apocalyptica) | 4:10 |
10. | 'Embrace the Endless Ocean' | 6:44 |
Total length: | 43:34 |
Live at Summer Breeze Open Air 2007 - Limited digibook edition bonus DVD/CD | ||
---|---|---|
No. | Title | Length |
1. | 'Intro' | 2:38 |
2. | 'Valhall Awaits Me' | 4:48 |
3. | 'Runes to My Memory' | 4:45 |
4. | 'Cry of the Black Birds' | 4:34 |
5. | 'Asator' | 3:35 |
6. | 'Pursuit of Vikings' | 5:50 |
7. | 'Fate of Norns' | 6:50 |
8. | 'Without Fear' | 4:31 |
9. | 'With Oden on Our Side' | 4:47 |
10. | 'Where Silent Gods Stand Guard' | 7:31 |
11. | 'An Ancient Sign of Coming Storm' | 4:56 |
12. | 'Victorious March' | 8:47 |
13. | 'Death in Fire' | 6:02 |
Total length: | 69:34 |
Personnel[edit]
Band members[edit]
- Johan Hegg − vocals
- Olavi Mikkonen − lead guitar
- Johan Söderberg − rhythm guitar
- Ted Lundström − bass
- Fredrik Andersson − drums
Guest musicians[edit]
- Lars Göran Petrov (Entombed) − vocals on 'Guardians of Asgaard'
- Roope Latvala (Children of Bodom) − guitar solo on 'Twilight of the Thunder God'
- Apocalyptica − cellos on 'Live for the Kill'
- Ronny Milianowicz (ex-Sinergy) - horns, brass, choir vocals
Credits[edit]
- Tom Thiel − album artwork[14]
- Peter Damin − drum technician
Release history[edit]
Region | Date | Label | Format |
---|---|---|---|
Sweden, Finland | 17 September 2008 | Metal Blade | Compact Disc |
Denmark, Austria, Switzerland, Italy | 19 September 2008 | Metal Blade | Compact Disc |
The rest of Europe | 22 September 2008 | Metal Blade | Compact Disc |
North America and elsewhere | 30 September 2008 | Metal Blade | Compact Disc, Enhanced CD |
References[edit]
- ^Studio vlog on MySpace: News @ Amon Amarth official websiteArchived 2008-06-04 at the Wayback Machine
- ^New episode of studio diary on-line at MySpace: News @ Amon Amarth official websiteArchived 2008-06-01 at the Wayback Machine
- ^Amon Amarth upcoming studio album information @ metalblade.deArchived 2008-05-17 at the Wayback Machine
- ^AMON AMARTH: New Album Title Revealed - 27 June 2008: News @ blabbermouth.net
- ^Amon Amarth - Video Recorded For Twilight Of The Thundergod: News @ metalstorm.ee
- ^ ab'Twilight of the Thunder God by Amon Amarth'. Metacritic. CNET Networks, Inc. Retrieved 19 March 2009.
- ^Bowar, Chad. Twilight of the Thunder God review about.com. Retrieved 17 January 2010.
- ^Prato, Greg. Twilight of the Thunder God review allmusic.com. Retrieved 16 October 2009.
- ^Bergman, Keith. Twilight of the Thunder God reviewArchived 2008-11-03 at the Wayback Machine blabbermouth.net. Retrieved 16 October 2009.
- ^Ramirez, Carlos. Twilight of the Thunder God reviewArchived 2008-10-07 at the Wayback Machine music.ign.com. 2008-10-03. Retrieved 16 October 2009.
- ^Begrand, Adrien. Twilight of the Thunder God review popmatters.com. 28 October 2008. Retrieved 16 October 2009.
- ^Stagno, Mike. Twilight of the Thunder God review sputnikmusic.com. 16 September 2009. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
- ^Metal Hammer's Top 50 Albums of 2008, Numbers 6 through 4Archived 2008-12-25 at the Wayback Machine
- ^The Story Behind Metal's Greatest Album Covers; This Month: Amon Amarth's 'Twilight of the Thunder God', Revolver Magazine, May 2009, Page 82
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