There have been many bands that have helped ease my way into the world of metal when I was first starting out in the genre with classic sounds like Manowar and Metallica being all but key to getting me into the style in the first place, but, easily, it was Amon Amarth that got me into death metal to begin with. Their sound has intrigued me since day one, and it shows no sign whatsoever of waning even as the modern legends prepare to release their eleventh full-length album that’s far more than a worthy addition to their grand catalog.

It was with their last album, “Jomsviking”, that Amon Amarth put out what’s arguably their most successive album to date as their approach to their first go at a concept album was nailed spectacularly, and seeing a band come off such a great success is always greatly interesting to me. I had virtually no idea what to expect, yet Amon Amarth delivered the goods they’ve been dishing out for years with the same amount of undeniable quality that they’ve been executing for several albums now. It’s with “Berserker” that this band kicks up the intensity that some claim were lacking from the last two records and then Amon Amarth throws in the loads of riffs, melodies, and massive presence that they’ve become synonymous within all throughout this record to make it an absolute riot from start to finish. The beauty of this record comes in how “Berserker” is jock full of the glory that many of us have acquainted with Amon Amarth up to this point, yet somehow they’ve made these twelve tracks just as enthralling and entertaining as any of their previous efforts through masterful craftsmanship and apex musicianship. It’s with infectious anthems and brilliants works of melodic death metal the likes of which are not only perfectly encapsulated in the stupendous singles but also great tracks like “Shield Wall”, “Ironside”, “Wings of Eagles”, and somehow every tracks has the capacity to stand proudly on its own with not a single one being a weak link in the great defensive wall of sound that Amon Amarth has painstakingly crafted here to make “Berserker” a record that’s not to be fucked with when it’s going. For when it starts, there’s no stopping it.

While I’m still not big on the cover art even though it’s still fairly badass, there’s honestly nothing I’d change about this record in the slightest. Everything that Amon Amarth went for on this record to shift the way they do things behind the scenes just a little bit was pulled off wondrously as it’s with this record that we’ve gotten the first great record from a modern legend this year. “Berserker” is a record that, if given the chance, will be an album to really define the band’s career decades down the line and I’ve no doubt whatsoever that this will be an album that people turn to in great reverence when people look back on some of the great pieces put out throughout this illustrious career.

“Berserker” releases on May 3rd via Metal Blade Records!

PRE-ORDER “Berserker” via various sources here.

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