- Country: Sweden
- Style: Melodic death metal / Viking metal
- Label: Sony Music / Metal Blade Records
- Release date: 25 March 2016
A concept album from Amon Amarth sounds almost redundant, given that every record they’ve made already reads like a saga. Still, Jomsviking is officially their first, telling the story of a young man who loses the woman he loves, kills a man by accident, flees, and swears revenge while falling in with the legendary mercenaries of the title. It’s not a happy tale, and that gives the album a darker undertow than the fist-in-the-air stuff they’re known for.
Musically they don’t reinvent anything, and they don’t need to. “First Kill” opens with one of those galloping, instantly hummable riffs Olavi Mikkonen and Johan Söderberg seem to produce on demand, and Johan Hegg’s growl is as commanding as ever. “On a Sea of Blood” and “One Thousand Burning Arrows” are the real highlights, the latter slower and almost mournful. “Raise Your Horns” is pure festival fodder, a bit cheesy, but you’ll be shouting along by the second chorus whether you like it or not.
The surprise is “A Dream That Cannot Be”, where Doro Pesch trades lines with Hegg over a driving heavy metal riff. “Back on Northern Shores” closes things on an epic, slow-burning note. Andy Sneap’s production is massive and clean, maybe too polished for some, but it suits the widescreen storytelling.
Best tracks:
First Kill
On a Sea of Blood
One Thousand Burning Arrows
A Dream That Cannot Be
Back on Northern Shores
Author’s rating: 8.1/10
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