Album Review: Amon Amarth - Berserker

I say this about several bands, but Amon Amarth is firmly in the Motorhead stage of their career. They are big enough now to sustain their success with the audience they already have, so the deliver what the people want, which is album after album of their majestic take on death metal. Most people have settled on one or two of those records as their best, but they are in a groove where every record is cut from the same cloth, so there is little chance of being disappointed if you're already on board as a fan. And considering that Amon Amarth is perhaps the most accessible death metal band currently operating, they are a useful gateway for people to dip their toes into extreme waters, even if there are some of the more 'true' fans who dislike the polish on their sound.

The band's appeal has always been centered on two facets; the hints of arena metal their music contains, and Johan Hegg's intelligible vocals. Even in a genre obsessed with brutality, being able to hear the lyrics and make that connection is huge. There's no reason death metal can't be understood, or have melody, and Amon Amarth are believers in my take on the genre.

What doesn't work as well is the sheer scope of the album. With twelve tracks that clock in at nearly an hour, this is a lot of hammering death metal to take in all at once. At least for me it is. Even though Amon Amarth is melodic for death metal, that isn't a high bar to clear. They are among the best songwriters in death metal, and Hegg's bellow is impressive, but I have to say the monotony of growling gets old long before the album reaches its conclusion. The delivery doesn't leave enough room for nuance. When Hegg is already roaring through the first verse and chorus of "Crack The Sky", which is great, it doesn't leave him anywhere to go when the song is supposedly building to its climax.

There's also the issue of "Shield Wall", which barely feels like a song, considering how often the single line of the refrain is repeated. I don't quite understand why a songwriter would recite the same line four or more times as the hook to a song. It was trite when Iron Maiden started doing it all the time, and it's no better now. All it does is make me think the songwriter doesn't have enough to say to fill out the song, which only leads the question of why the song is about that topic if they have so little to say.

The band says "Berserker" is their most grand and epic statement yet, but I'm not hearing it. It's long, for sure, but it doesn't sound any different than "Jomsviking" did, and if anything, this album has less shout-along songs for the live stage than before. Whether it's just the sheer length of the record, or that they are doing the same thing as always, I'm not finding this album to be as memorable as some of their previous work. It's pure Amon Amarth, but is that enough? For people who like death metal more than I do, yeah, I'm sure it is. But as someone who only dabbles in the genre once in a great while, there isn't as much here for me.

Basically, Amon Amarth has delivered a record for Amon Amarth fans. There's nothing wrong with that, and I'm not saying they're wrong to do so. I'm merely saying it leaves me on the outside.