Review of Amon Amarth - With Oden On Our Side

I’m not sure it’s quite fair to accuse Amon Amarth of putting out the same album over and over, but it’s not too far off the mark either. The world’s foremost…uh…Viking melodic death metal band is nothing if not consistent, and since their early days in the 90s their albums have varied primarily in production and tempo rather than actual style. In short, you’ve likely already heard most of With Oden On Our Side before, and your appreciation of these latest tales of conquest and honor rides on your opinion of Amon Amarth’s back catalogue. This said, With Oden On Our Side is of notably higher quality than the slightly disappointing Fate of Norns and will likely appeal strongly to fans of the band’s earlier works.

This album is drenched in Amon Amarth trademarks enough that some might call it tired right off the bat, but the band’s energetic delivery will protect them from most condemnation. Johan Hegg’s “I am a seven foot tall Viking” vocal delivery is as intimidating as ever, and his yarns about invading Ireland and fireship funerals and whatnot maintain his standard of amusing gimmickry. Fredrick Andersson’s drumming is still primal and direct, and generally of a faster clip than the band’s previous (and largely mid-tempo) outing. Said drumming continues to anchor the band’s small but potent arsenal of windswept, almost-blackened melodies, which remain about as feral and muscular as they were on Once Sent from the Golden Hall. Like the somewhat like-minded Hypocrisy’s latest effort, there’s a smidge of extra black metal on With Oden On Our Side; where Virus had the blistering “Warpath,” the brief “Asator” sees some distinctly buzz saw-ish riffing breaking through the Nordic dramatics.

Other than that small detail, this is pure Amon. Opener “Valhalla Awaits Me” flirts with thrash before deploying the signature ironclad tremolo guitar interplay, while “Runes to My Memory” features a rousing mid-tempo chorus that will surely become a live favorite. “Cry of the Blackbirds” is brief enough and catchy enough to provide the obligatory video track for the album, but the meat of With Oden On Our Side is devoted to lengthier storytellers like “Gods of War Arise” and grandiose closer “Prediction of Warfare.” There’s no huge variation in style or sound from song to song, and favorites will certainly vary broadly from listener to listener, but it’s a fair guess that the majority of Amon Amarth’s fans will be satisfied by the selection available.

But is that enough? Frankly, I love this kind of chest-thumping metal as much as the next guy, but there’s something a little uncomfortable about being able to hum along with a track before having even heard it all the way through. The picky music connoisseur in me is galled by Amon Amarth’s refusal to ever make any significant changes in their sound, but my unabashed metalhead side is perfectly content to rock out to their undeniably potent melodic death metal. Ultimately, the deciding factor is how much fun I have while listening to With Oden On Our Side, which is dragonship-load. Horns up to this band--just don't expect a whit of change from'em.

Release Details

Amon Amarth

With Oden On Our Side

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