Amon Amarth - Twilight Of The Thunder God review
| Band: | Amon Amarth |
| Album: | Twilight Of The Thunder God |
| Style: | Melodic death metal |
| Release date: | September 17, 2008 |
| Guest review by: | Fane |
Disc I [CD]
01. Twilight Of The Thunder God [feat. Roope Latvala]
02. Free Will Sacrifice
03. Guardians Of Asgaard [feat. Lars-Göran Petrov]
04. Where Is Your God?
05. Varyags Of Miklagaard
06. Tattered Banners And Bloody Flags
07. No Fear For The Setting Sun
08. The Hero
09. Live For The Kill [feat. Apocalyptica]
10. Embrace Of The Endless Ocean
11. Valhall Awaits Me [Live at Summer Breeze Open Air 2007] [Vinyl bonus]
12. Runes To My Memory [Live at Summer Breeze Open Air 2007] [Vinyl bonus]
13. Cry Of The Black Birds [Live at Summer Breeze Open Air 2007] [Vinyl bonus]
14. Asator [Live at Summer Breeze Open Air 2007] [Vinyl bonus]
15. Pursuit Of Vikings [Live at Summer Breeze Open Air 2007] [Vinyl bonus]
16. Fate Of Norns [Live at Summer Breeze Open Air 2007] [Vinyl bonus]
17. Without Fear [Live at Summer Breeze Open Air 2007] [Vinyl bonus]
18. With Oden On Our Side [Live at Summer Breeze Open Air 2007] [Vinyl bonus]
19. Where Silent Gods Stand Guard [Live at Summer Breeze Open Air 2007] [Vinyl bonus]
Disc II [CD: Live At Summer Breeze 2007][Limited Edition bonus]
01. Intro
02. Valhall Awaits Me
03. Runes To My Memory
04. Cry Of The Black Birds
05. Asator
06. Pursuit Of Vikings
07. Fate Of Norns
08. Without Fear
09. With Oden On Our Side
10. Where Silent Gods Stand Guard
11. An Ancient Sign Of Coming Storm
12. Victorious March
13. Death In Fire
Disc III [DVD: Live At Summer Breeze 2007][Limited Edition bonus]
01. Intro
02. Valhall Awaits Me
03. Runes To My Memory
04. Cry Of The Black Birds
05. Asator
06. Pursuit Of Vikings
07. Fate Of Norns
08. Without Fear
09. With Oden On Our Side
10. Where Silent Gods Stand Guard
11. An Ancient Sign Of Coming Storm
12. Victorious March
13. Death In Fire
+ 40 page booklet [Limited Edition bonus]
Amon Amarth is a name that makes every true viking look up from their mead tankards. Unlike Ensiferum or Turisas these guys leave weaponry home and hop into a car instead of saddling their horses. They don't need props as they are vikings by heart and their album Twilight Of The Thunder God shows this more than well.
Amon Amarth turned a new page in their saga upon the release of With Oden On Our Side. Compared to their earlier works, the album was more melodic and straigthforward instead of progressive. For some fans this was a disappointment, but we others agree that this is how Amon Amarth was meant to sound in the first place.
Twilight Of The Thunder God continues from its predecessor's footsteps by bringing us an even more powerful and aggressive sound while going with the straightforward song structure. Riffs are catchy, but nothing too fancy, guitar solos are ordinary Amon Amarth stuff and the drummer is doing his backing more than well. Top-notch performing is guaranteed from these veterans, although simplicity of songs doesn't let the players show their true potential.
The truth is that the songs don't vary a lot and have much in common with the previous album's content. The band has discovered their own style and they're happy with it. This drops originality, but then again, it doesn't have to be original to be excellent. Even after multiple listening sessions the album won't get old and keeps the listener entertained. Each time it makes your skin get goose bumps and releases adrenaline to run through your veins, reviving that hidden viking in you. And it feels just marvelous. That is the true power of this album: the atmosphere. It makes you feel great, even invincible. Talking about legal doping...
Lyrics concentrate around the same topics as on former albums: ancient warriors, Scandinavian mythology, brutal battles etc. Only thing I felt missing were the sorrowful lyrics as those in "Once Sealed In Blood" and "Arson" which I found more heroic than the battle ones on this album. Another downside is that the songs aren't tied together in any way making them appear only random. On the other hand it seems that the vocalist Johan Hegg put the mythology part more forward this time, which of course is splendid.
Altogether Twilight Of The Thunder God isn't anything new nor special. Only thing that separates it from decent albums is the atmosphere it sets. Not many albums accomplish this in the melo-death genre. This is an album to be listened when you need a lift up or you just want to feel almighty.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 10 |
| Songwriting: | 7 |
| Originality: | 6 |
| Production: | 10 |
Written by Fane | 02.01.2011
Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
Rating:
9.1
9.1
|
Rating: 9.1 |
I used to like a lot of music, but after finding MetalStorm, I discovered many new bands I had not heard before, including Amon Amarth. Seeing "With Oden On Our Side" on the MS Random Album feature started my interest about this band, and from there my position on "extreme metal" was changed. So, this is my fourth album of AA and have to say, that I crowd it into my head two times a day. The voice of Johann Hegg is fantastic, in melodic passages sounds really amazing. I already like the album "With Oden on our side", but "Twilight of the Thunder Gods" I now prefer. Read more ›› |
Comments
Comments: 16
Visited by: 167 users
| Mechanist Account deleted |
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| RavenKing Posts: 1941  |
"The truth is that the songs don't vary a lot and have much in common with the previous album's content. The band has discovered their own style and they're happy with it." This is not a flaw in itself but, at the same time, you mentioned why I find this band boring: it's the same over and over, song after song. You also said something about riffs having nothing too fancy. What kills this band for me is this combination: repetition (unoriginality) + it is the same average thing over and over. If it was impressive musically, faster (their stuff is too much mid-tempo with very little tempo variation), more complicated and well-written, I would not mind the lack of originality. However, as it is now, it's the same average boring mid-tempo thing song after song and album after album. Lacklustre. And I agree about songs being too simple and not allowing musicians to show their full potential. This band chose the easy and most likely more paying way, at the detriment of originality and complexity.
---- They shake your hand and they smile and they buy you a drink They say we'll be your friends we'll stick with you till the end But everybody's only looking out for themselves And you say who can you trust I'll tell you nobody
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| BMR Monkey Posts: 98  |
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| Cyroth Posts: 274  |
Written by BMR Monkey on 03.01.2011 at 09:05 It's just a rating, mind you that the review explained why the rating. Sure in your eyes, in mine it's 10, but one is a subjective view and another is a objective one. No need to use insults 
---- 
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| RavenKing Posts: 1941 |
Written by BMR Monkey on 03.01.2011 at 09:05 How pathetic to see people whine about something as trivial as a rating. Who cares for the rating? Read the review instead of acting like a crybaby who didn't get his lollipop. I could say that I find the rating way too high for such a generic mid-tempo piece of music where songs sound all the same, but ratings don't matter. It's the comments that matter and can lead to interesting discussions. Fighting over ratings is childish and pointless, a complete loss of time. We should fix this problem by not giving any rating in reviews. This way, the crybabies would have less matter to complain.
---- They shake your hand and they smile and they buy you a drink They say we'll be your friends we'll stick with you till the end But everybody's only looking out for themselves And you say who can you trust I'll tell you nobody
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| Valaskjalf Account deleted |
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| RavenKing Posts: 1941 |
Written by [user id=1909] on 03.01.2011 at 16:34 I would not go as far and be as negative as you but I agree on the basis (genericness, same pace, predictable, the fact they found their recipe and never try to do anything a bit different). Like you, I fail to see what people find so great about this band.
---- They shake your hand and they smile and they buy you a drink They say we'll be your friends we'll stick with you till the end But everybody's only looking out for themselves And you say who can you trust I'll tell you nobody
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071  |
Written by [user id=1909] on 03.01.2011 at 16:34 We do not agree on much metalwise  But here you worded my thoughts exactly.
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996 
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| Valaskjalf Account deleted |
Valaskjalf
Account deleted Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 03.01.2011 at 17:00 haha if it was later in the year Id thought you pulled an April fools on me lol good to know we agree on SOMETHING Marcel
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071 |
Written by [user id=1909] on 03.01.2011 at 17:08 Of course there's also the latest While Heaven Wept we agree on 
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996
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| Valaskjalf Account deleted |
Valaskjalf
Account deleted Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 03.01.2011 at 17:13 Ahh yes, the one that got away - I never could get my hands on that dvd. Downloading them from Youtube and stitching the files was the best alternative. Severely good vocals live isnt it?
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071 |
Written by [user id=1909] on 03.01.2011 at 18:20 the dvd is part of the live cd and has an extra song compared to the cd part. It shouldn't be too hard to find. Cruz Del Sur sells it directly.
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996
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| skrätte I Hate You Posts: 78  |
Maybe this band has been churning out the same sound. Maybe it's boring. Maybe Amon Amarth's fans are generic idiots. (I isolated the previous remark for anyone that wants to quote it, out of context, and reply with "YUP!" and "I agree.") I happen to like them. Are they my favorite band? Nope. I do find myself listening to them from time to time and really enjoying it. I like the guitar tones and the structures. I love the percussion. I do wish, as a guitarist, that they'd put a little more pizazz into the solos. I know they can.. I just wonder why they don't. Not everyone listens to these albums and scrutinizes every little detail. For some people, Amon Amarth have hit their mark with albums like Oden and Twilight, and it fits. We enjoy it. Some of us are pleased with these. Has Amon Amarth hit a creative plateau? Time will tell.. and if the next album is a carbon copy of this one, they'll reap the negative feedback from people getting tired of it. I don't have the luxury of listening to every group of musicians that grinds out an album. Nor do I have the time to sit and compare them all. For me, Amon Amarth makes good records. I prefer them over other bands with similar sounds that I've heard. Is Twilight a great album? I don't think I'd go that far. Do I think it's a good album? Most certainly. The review gets an "agree" from me.
---- [url="http://www.metalxradio.com"]  [/url]
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| Iceland_Norway Posts: 272  |
Beautiful Album. I have it Signed by Amon Amarth  I love all their discography. The Rate is near to the excellence. I agree about the themes used to ocmpose their songs are always the same. Hope for one new and strongest ever album by Amon Amarth
---- Føroyar mítt land Tú alfagra land mítt Føroyar mín Móðir
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| Oaken Hipster Posts: 1322  |
Written by [user id=109200] on 02.01.2011 at 20:56 The atmosphere is excellent on this one, and I still don't see how this is worse than "WOOOS". I feel both are on the same level of greatness.
---- In that case, man is only air as well.
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| Bad English Tage Westerlund Posts: 62060  |
Written by Iceland_Norway on 05.01.2011 at 23:22 one of rare bands what's all disco don't suck, are up and downs, buts its generally equal musically, good
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"  I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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