Thankfully Amon Amarth is making death metal the way it ought to be simply, catchy yet still very heavy & rockin’. This album finds them working with both death metal and some tradtional HM styles but doing it all with full force.
The one slight drawback is that the bass drums sound a little too mechanical hinting at the possiblity of drum triggers. Lyrically & conceptually they explore more of the viking/norse mythos & history which is the proverbial icing on the cake. One of the best of ‘04 without a doubt.

((((1)))) Keeping it simple with a fantastic, 4 note riff then it plunges into ripping mid-tempo vibe with steady black & trad metal elements. Lyrics invoke fast moving dragonship across the North Sea.
(((2))) Howling winds, slow tempo with spoken vocals (sounding Lemmy’s younger brother!) then (from 1:40 and on) a slow build up into a awesome thudding chorus with a lot of catchy melodies. Imagery: the mists of Nifelheim - the realm of the dead.
((((3)))) Cycling, ‘Maiden-ish riff’ with more trad-metal with contemporary extreme vocals. Mid-tempo march done rather well. Imagery: A father dealing with the death of his son and the question of whether the fate of this, deterimed by the norn Skuld - who shapes the future.
((((((4))))) By the gods! This is one of the BEST VIKING METAL SONGS EVER! Hail Amon Amarth! Totally amazing & classic crushing turbo charged dragonship revved to the max! Is there none more metal?
(((5))) More charging thudding riffs anchored by the team of Mikkonen/Foderberg/Lundstrom. Deals with the Valkyries who dead the slain to Valhalla. Hegg’s vocal phrasing is “VAL-KERRYS” which I find odd but hey, he lives in the Northland, not me.
(((6))) Druming led intro then more mid-tempo trad-metal style ‘ala ‘Maiden. Nice & simple tempos throughout with a little it of that spiraling style that A.A. does (as do almost every black metal band but this is much cleaner sounding that any BM minus say, Emperor or Immortal). This one deals with a beheaded Danish king, Erik. The year of which I’ve yet to find - damn you Google!
((((7)))) Ship calling horns then steady slow & cycling riffs. Strewn forth with a solid mid-tempo frame and some good soloing (1:54-0:30)
J. Hegg holds notes in a very strange way (ex: 5:35-5:37) “we went to meet them with our steeeeelaah!” (not “:we went to meet them in the fields” as it says in the booklet).Theme based on a village that’s burned to the ground and the revenge that follows. Ends with the sound of flames.
((((8)))) Stunning, 6-7 note riff cycle that just rips it up! Super catchy melodies & still hella, hella heavy Swedish viking metal! Great ‘chasing the dragon” styled (‘ala ‘82-’86 era ‘Maiden) guitar parts through.
Odin Owns Ye All!.