I can't stop listening to their pre-release songs. I don't think their new album will be as good as Twilight of the Thunder God, but I still think it will be pretty damn amazing.

Surtur Rising will be released at the end this month. The theme of the album stays within Norse Mythology like the rest of their albums. Surtur is the fire giant that appears during the apocalypse (Ragnorak, end of the world, etc...) to destroy us all.

Anyways, if you don't know who Amon Amarth is (for shame!) then I suggest you give some of their newer albums a whirl. They don't have any bad albums, but their earlier ones lack the good production/studio sound of the new ones.

Oh, I suppose I'll give another warning. They are Melodic Death Metal, so if you are the kind of person who can't stand heavy guitars, melodic riffs, shredding solos, catchy but brutal double drum blast beats, and growly vocals, then they may not be for you. But hey, maybe they will be your first intro into a whole new music genre that you never thought you would like.

There are 2 official singles released from the new album.

War of the Gods
Slaves of Fear


And here's an interview with the singer about the new album, including brief clips of every song.

Interview with Johan Hegg

I do think their last album was better (but I haven't heard the entirety of the new one yet, I refuse to download it illegally) so if you like the sound of this album, you will definitely like their last album.

 

Not much for that kind of metal, the gravelly voices are hard to understand. The music wasn't that bad, though in "War of the Gods" the melody wasn't very original. I'd heard something very familiar sometime in the past. Can't be fucked to remember it, though. My brain kept telling me the song was doing it wrong. >.<

 

Amon Amarth is not the greatest band in the world, but I like them on occasion. Their newest album seems to be a good direction for them.

 

It sounds like a few of their own older songs or possibly ATR or Metallica. When I first heard it I thought it sound like a song I couldn't name as well, but now it's stuck in my head. My friends first comment was that it 'sounded like generic Amon Amarth'.

The lyrics can be hard to understand at times, but that is the nature of music and not just limited to metal. I think the melody and structure of their music more than makes up for it, but I have been listening to them for a long time and can understand the lyrics for the most part.

 

I've just listened to the album, and as a whole, it was pretty good. I wouldn't say its their best, or even second best, but it was still enjoyable.

There were not too many stand out songs (as opposed to Twilight of the Thunder God which doesn't have a single bad song on it).

War of the Gods is still the stand out song in my opinion, but that is probably because i have listened to it a few dozen times more than the other songs.

I enjoyed Loke's Treachery, Part 2, Töck's Taunt. It has a similar melodic feel as part 1, Hermod Rides to Hel from the 'With Oden on Our Side' album.

The Last Stand of Frej has a similar feel to Live for the Kill. It's real smooth and melodic, and just bursts into fiery passion at parts.

Other than those though, I can't remember specific names for the other songs. I just remember one of the later songs was really heavy.

Oh, and I didn't know this before the song started to play, but they did a cover of Aerials (by SOAD, as if anyone hasn't heard that song before...) I have mixed feeling about the song. The growly vocals were meh for it, and more funny than anything. And there were some clean vocals in it as well, and it sounded more spooky and emo than anything. The guitars and drums were good though, but it didn't have the distinct Amon Amarth melodic feel. The guitars were tuned weird, trying get get that SOAD vibe, but it was still different. It did get very intense in places too, which was awesome.

Going to listen through it again, and remember more names for the songs so I can give better reviews, and maybe hear an amazing song that I didn't notice the first time.

And, in case anyone's going to call me out, I did pre-order the cd. I like to support my favorite bands.

-edit-

Listening through again so I can give my thoughts on individual songs.

Destroyer of the Universe; Very heavy, but the vocals are awkward. It is just hard to fit 'destroyer of the universe' into any lyrical pattern or rhythm.

Slaves of Fear; Good song, very melodic, and perhaps one of their only songs with a modern political feel to it.

Live without regrets; great song. has a Thousand Years of Oppression feel to it.

For Victory or Death; I love this song. feels like a mix of all their long, melodic droning songs, such as Embrace of the Ocean, or Under the Northern Star.

Wrath of the Norseman; Unremarkable song. It's not bad, and the vocal patters are decent. just standrad, but solid Amon Amarth guitar riffs/drums

A Beast I Am; Meh. fast paced song, but it remains me of St. Anger, which is a not a good thing. The song sort of last minute of the song reminds me stylistically of 'Mutter' by Rammstein.

Doomed over Deadman; The last song on the album follows in the tracks of previous album enders. it is a slow paced song. It forsakes the melody in favor of slow heavy guitars early on. it picks up intensity as the song goes on, and becomes more enjoyable to listen to. not bad. The second half picks up a tune that is distinct Amon Amarth style and is a fitting way to end.

---edit #2---

I've come to the conclusion that 'For Victory or Death' is the best song on this album. It's just so fucking epic. #2 would be the last stand of frej #3 would be loke's treachery part 2.