Disc I
01. Bastards Of A Lying Breed
02. Masters Of War
03. The Sound Of Eight Hooves
04. Risen From The Sea [2000 version]
05. As Long As The Raven Flies
06. A Fury Divine
07. Annihilation Of Hammerfest
08. The Fall Through Ginnungagap
09. Releasing Surtur's Fire
10. Eyes Of Horror [Possessed cover] [bonus]

Disc II [Strictly Limited "Pop-up" Edition Re-issue bonus]
[Live at Bloodshed Over Bochum, 30.12.2008]
01. Bastards Of A Lying Breed
02. Masters Of War
03. The Sound Of Eight Hooves
04. Risen From The Sea [2000 version]
05. As Long As The Raven Flies
06. A Fury Divine
07. Annihilation Of Hammerfest
08. The Fall Through Ginnungagap
09. Releasing Surtur's Fire

Of the thousands of metal groups, there is none that offers such heavy and powerful music as Amon Amarth. Regardless of the fact that I have always loved Amon Amarth, I would like to say that this alloy of Swedish metals combined mythological cocnepts with precisely the right style of music. In fact, Sweden is the death metal capital, and Amon Amarth is at the top of this power pyramid. But The Crusher, the third album of this powerful and mighty group, reminds us of the days in which melodic death metal was at its peak, the days in which the band advertised the production of war music, not party music?

The Crusher is a full-blooded tale of brutal warfare, a war that began with the imposition of Christianity in Scandinavia at the expense of Odin, and today Amon Amarth wants to crush it. The album begins with an aggressive pace and ruthlessly drowns you in the fast guitar riffs. It's too early to start head-banging, though; this is just the beginning of a melodic death metal album from the heart of the old school, pure and sincere. "Bastards Of A Lying Breed" is in addition an epic piece of aggression. "Masters Of War" could be performed by an orchestra, and Fredrik Andersson, whose drum solos sound like a shield-wall, could join them. "The Sound Of Eight Hooves," which you can see a performance of in Bochum on the bonus DVD, contains a staggering drum solo in the middle of it, right smack in the middle of all the string instruments on the album, like cold water on a wounded warrior's body. It's like a blade descending on a frightened youth in painful death.

The track "Risen From The Sea," which is undoubtedly well-placed on the album, has speed and technical riffs; "As Long As The Raven Flies" has a similar guitar riff, one that originates in the very heart of music, the repetition of which underlines the concreteness of the phrase. "A Fury Divine" is in fact a prelude to an extremely stormy and aggressive breakdown that delivers on the album's every pledge. "Annihilation Of Hammerfest" opens with fearsome power and sharpness of cymbals from Fredrik Andersson, and a solo full of pride and passion from Johan Söderberg. "The Fall Through Ginnungagap" is the return to the peak of the album's glory until "Releasing Surtur's Fire," which creates a fissure on the face of every headbanger, and though the album could have been of a higher quality had the two switched places, this is what The Crusher did. This is an album not for pleasure but for crushing?

Enter The Crusher with a robust form and steel vessel?

Performance:	10
Songwriting:	8
Originality:	9
Production:	6