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Album Review – Amon Amarth / The Allfather Awakens (2026)

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These relentless Swedish Vikings return with their thirteenth studio album, showcasing ten songs of absolute power and might historically inspired by epic tales of conflict and sacrifice for a greater good.

A ten-song masterwork that further cements the legacy of the band’s spectacularly memorable riffs and unflinching aural power, The Allfather Awakens is the thirteenth studio opus by Swedish Melodic Death Metal warriors Amon Amarth, following on their 2022 beast The Great Heathen Army. Recorded across two recording sessions, months apart, at Hansen Studios, and displaying a dark artwork by German artist Tom Thiel, who created seven of the quintet’s album covers, portraying the mighty Oden, the Norse “all father” who is a deity of war, wisdom, death, magic, and poetry, the new album by frontman Johan Hegg, guitarists Olavi Mikkonen and Johan Söderberg, bassist Ted Lundström, and drummer Jocke Wallgren once again presents Oden as the through-line in their lyrics and music. However, despite Oden being their inspiration as usual, The Allfather Awakens is not a concept album, rather historically inspired epic tales of conflict and sacrifice for a greater good.

Get ready for a wild battle alongside Amon Amarth in Gjallarhorn, with its epic lyrics (“Through Nifelheim’s eternal night / A trek of fear and dread / The keeper of the well to find / The wanderer walks ahead”) walking hand in hand with the band’s heavy and vibrant instrumental, followed by Eight Legs of Thunder, another song perfect for some wild headbanging to the hammering drums by Jocke. Kvasir’s Blood is a horns raising metallic tune by those Swedish Vikings where the guitars by Olavi and Johan breathe melody and fire; whereas We Rule the Waves is a song from the band to their diehard fans, with Johan roars the song’s catchy chorus majestically (“We are / We are Vikings / From cradle until the grave / As long as the sun sets in the west / We rule the waves”), inviting us all to row with them. And the acoustic tune Upphaf, despite its decent Folk Metal vibe, is a weird addition to the album in the end.

Then back to a hammering, no shenanigans melodeath sonority we have Die with a War Cry, where the thunderous bass by Ted matches perfectly with the pounding drums by Jocke from start to finish, followed by Raven God, another song perfect to be played live (or on one of those countless Viking TV shows), with the guitar work by Olavi and Johan sounding very melodic and bringing even more epicness to their music. The Allfather Awakens reeks of classic Amon Amarth, with all instruments supporting Johan and his Viking roars, and I’m sure we’ll hear this song played live on their upcoming tours; and it’s then time to grab our swords and shields and head into the battlefield alongside Amon Amarth in Oden’s Hunt, a fast and furious display of their trademark sound, with Jocke punishing his drums in the best way imaginable. Lastly, after an imposing intro, the music explodes into Swedish melodeath fire in Ascending like an Eagle, a song about overcoming obstacles with persistence and power, and the continuation of “Serpent’s Trail” from The Great Heathen Army, with their guitars and bass creating a dense atmosphere perfect for Johan’s warrior-like guttural.

Introducing previously untried efforts, an impressive and conscious musical and lyrical feat after 30 years of band-dom, The Allfather Awakens is yet another strong album by those Norsemen. For Amon Amarth, a new album has always meant more than a collection of songs, it marks the beginning of a new world, and you can join the band in such an exciting quest by following them on Facebook and on Instagram, by streaming their music on Spotify, and of course, by purchasing The Allfather Awakens from BandCamp or from Metal Blade Records. In other words, as Oden hears our call, it’s time to go to war to the sound of the incendiary new opus by the most beloved Vikings in the history of heavy music.

Best moments of the album: Gjallarhorn, We Rule the Waves and Oden’s Hunt.

Worst moments of the album: Upphaf.

Released in 2026 Metal Blade Records

Track listing
1. Gjallarhorn 5:14
2. Eight Legs of Thunder 4:20
3. Kvasir’s Blood 4:26
4. We Rule the Waves 3:50
5. Upphaf 4:32
6. Die with a War Cry 3:29
7. Raven God 4:30
8. The Allfather Awakens 4:36
9. Oden’s Hunt 4:23
10. Ascending like an Eagle 6:44

Band members
Johan Hegg – vocals
Olavi Mikkonen – guitars
Johan Söderberg – guitars
Ted Lundström – bass
Jocke Wallgren – drums

Album Review – Fimbul Winter / What Once Was EP (2025)

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Brace yourselves for the Great Winter to the debut EP by this ruthless horde, a bold statement from a band built on unfinished business and a shared passion for the roots of Swedish Death Metal.

Forged in the fires of Tumba, Sweden by three former members of Amon Amarth who decided to go berserk together after a spontaneous reunion performing the band’s 1994 demo The Arrival Of The Fimbul Winter, the ruthless Death Metal horde named Fimbul Winter (or the “Great Winter,” the three-year-long, brutal winter that serves as the immediate prelude to Ragnarök in Norse mythology) is making their debut with a crushing EP titled What Once Was. Recorded at Witching Hour Audio (vocals) and at Wing Studios (guitars and drums), produced by the band itself, mixed and mastered by Marko Tervonen at Studio-MT, and displaying a grim artwork by Björn Gooßes of Killustrations, the debut by Clint Williams (Munitions) on vocals, Fredrik Andersson (Amon Amarth) and Anders Biazzi (Amon Amarth) on the guitars, and Niko Kaukinen (Amon Amarth) on drums, with the support of session bassist Tobias Cristiansson (Necrophobic, Grave, Dismember), delivers a sound that is cold, intense, and fiercely authentic, a bold statement from a band built on unfinished business and a shared passion for the roots of Swedish Death Metal.

The ass-kicking opening tune Storms Rage obviously sounds like the early days of Amon Amarth, and that’s excellent as the band continues a different path in the best “what if…?” style, led by the imposing, unrelenting riffs by Fredrik and Anders. Then the title-track What Once Was proves why Clint was chosen to be the voice of the band, as his enraged, deep gnarls match perfectly with their Swedish Death Metal sounds. Niko pounds his drums in the best Viking way in Mounds Of Stones, supported by the rumbling bass by Tobias, therefore resulting in a massive wall of Death Metal sounds, and you can feel absolute anguish flowing from Clint’s deep vocalizations in A Soul That Soared, supported by another infernal avalanche of beats and fills by Niko. Finally, closing the EP we’re treated to the headbanging In Solitude’s Embrace, offering us the trademark scorching riffs by Fredrik and Anders while leaving us absolutely eager for more of their music in the near future.

As torchbearers of the Swedish Melodic Death Metal tradition, the band channels decades of experience while staying true to the sound that defined them in their debut EP, from rediscovered riffs originally written for Amon Amarth to entirely new compositions, being therefore highly recommended for fans of early Amon Amarth, Unleashed, Hypocrisy, and Bolt Thrower, among others. “What Once Was reflects both where we come from and what we still believe in; honest, melodic death metal. No trends, no gloss, just the kind of elements we feel is missing in a lot of metal today,” commented the band. Hence, you can get in touch with those Swedish metallers via Facebook and Instagram, check their music on YouTube and on Spotify, and of course purchase their incendiary EP from BandCamp or by clicking HERE. The Great Winter is upon us all in the form of old school, no shenanigans Death Metal, and you better brace for impact as those Norsemen are not fooling around when it comes to crafting ruthless heavy music.

Best moments of the album: Storms Rage and In Solitude’s Embrace.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2025 Independent

Track listing
1. Storms Rage 3:52
2. What Once Was 5:14
3. Mounds Of Stones 5:31
4. A Soul That Soared 4:32
5. In Solitude’s Embrace 4:42

Band members
Clint Williams – vocals
Fredrik Andersson – lead guitars, orchestral arrangements
Anders Biazzi – guitars
Niko Kaukinen – drums

Guest musicians
Tobias Cristiansson – bass (session)