Twilight Of The Thunder God

If extreme metal existed back in the days of Vikings, Sweden's Amon Amarth would undoubtedly be the musical choice of vessels sailing rough and treacherous seas. And on the seventh full-length studio effort overall by the quintet, Amon Amarth sticks closely to the same sound and approach that got them this far in the first place. But unlike their prior studio efforts, several renowned names within the metal community drop by to lend a heavy hand, including Entombed vocalist Lars-Goran Petrov on "Guardians of Asgaard." Children of Bodom guitarist Roope Latvala provides a guitar solo on the title track, while Apocalyptica is heard on "Live for the Kill." As evidenced by such ditties as "Varyags of Miklagaard" and "Tattered Banners and Bloody Flags" (how's that for two snappy song titles?!), technically demanding musicality, Godzilla-like growls, and rhythms/tempos compared to horses galloping into war are all proudly on display throughout Twilight of the Thunder God. [A CD/DVD was also released.] ~ Greg Prato