Amon Amarth – Deceiver of the Gods (2013)

Everybody’s favorite Metal Vikings return with yet another epic release with “Deceiver of the Gods”. Doing what they do best, catchy melodic tunes, the band delivers 10 tracks of signature Amon Amarth music that are prefect for a good dosage of beer drinking and headbanging. Mixing in some traditional Heavy Metal elements with their already well defined style, the band manages to release a very powerful and refined album that just adds to their amazing legacy.

Without wasting any time, the album title track delivers excellent melodic riffing that only Amon Amarth can produce. Johan Hegg’s powerful vocals lead the way and they are as brutal as ever. The melodic passages are top notch, an early indicator of how epic this release will be. “As Loke Falls” has all the ingredients for a typical anthem: catchy chorus section, pummeling riffs, violent vocals, and an overall melodic vibe that is quite amazing.

In “Father of the Wolf” and “Hel” we find the band’s Heavy Metal elements fused into their melodic music, with very direct and rather simple passages surrounded by melodic passages. Necks will start snapping with the mega catchy “Under Siege” and its amazing guitar work courtesy of Johan Söderberg and Olavi Mikkonen. With a very familiar sound, “We Shall Destroy” is one of our favorite tracks of this release thanks to the very lively drums of Fredrik Andersson, and the overall sense of melodic epicness of this track.

Closing the album with the best song, “Warriors of the North”, the band keeps the bar very high when it comes to this release. Having achieved the same level of epicness as with “Surtur Rising”, it is quite impressive to hear that they maintain their high-quality music and find space to incorporate new elements and grow musically. If you are a fan of the band, purchasing this release is a no-brainer. However, if for some reason you have never heard of this band, you need to really pick this one up and get on with the Amon Amarth program.

Label: Metal Blade Records

Release: Juen 25th, 2013

Genre: Melodic Death Metal

Country: Sweden