AMON AMARTH guitarist Johan Söderberg recently spoke with Joe Matera at Ultimate-Guitar.com about the band's new album, Surtur Rising, sci-fi movies, and Satanism. An excerpt from the interview is available below:

UG: When it came to this new record, was there much pressure on the band to top the success of the previous album Twilight Of The Thunder God?

Söderberg: "I personally felt a huge pressure because Twilight is a great album and those songs are not easy to top. Lots of riffs and song ideas had to be put in the bin before they even made it to the rehearsal place. And it usually takes us about ten months to come up with ten songs that we feel are as good, or better than the last album. So the biggest pressure is that you know it has to be done by a certain time ‘cause the date for when the recording starts, is not easy to move because then everything else has to move to along with release date and tours. If you postpone the recording by two weeks, you might have to postpone the release date by six months."

UG: Do you prefer the studio environment to the live stage?

Söderberg: "I think they are both equally fun. When I have been touring for maybe one and a half years or more like we usually do on each album, I start to miss the songwriting process and the studio. And when the new album is finished, I can’t wait to go out on tour again to play the new songs live. I can’t really write any new material after the recording is done either, as I have to be out touring for some time to get the urge back to start writing again. It is like a continuous cycle."

UG: How do you feel about the label that some critics place on the band by calling it “Viking Metal” due to the heavy lyrical emphasis on Norse mythology?

Söderberg: "People can call our music whatever they want, I don't mind. I just call our music heavy metal."

Go to this location for the complete interview.

Amon Amarth recently announced they will make their way to the US for a near two-week stretch of live dates in support of their new album Surtur Rising which was released in North America on March 29th via Metal Blade Records. Dubbed "An Evening With Amon Amarth," this trek will find the band performing two separate sets each night, one which will feature Surtur Rising in its entirety while the other will boast a collection of songs from the band's previous releases. The tour begins April 14th in Chicago, Illinois. Confirmed dates are as follows:

April

14 - The Bottom Lounge - Chicago, IL
15 - Station 4 - Saint Paul, MN
16 - Granada Theater - Lawrence, KS
17 - The Summit Music Hall - Denver, CO
19 - Wonder Ballroom - Portland, OR
20 - Showbox Sodo - Seattle, WA
22 -The Regency - San Francisco, CA
23 - Ace Of Spades - Sacramento, CA
24 - House of Blues - West Hollywood, CA
25 - Nile Theatre - Mesa, AZ
27 - White Rabbit - San Antonio, TX
29 - Culture Room - Fort Lauderdale, FL
30 - Beacham Theatre - Orlando, FL

May

1 - Masquerade - Atlanta, GA
2 - Jaxx - Springfield, VA
3 - Peabody's - Cleveland, OH
5 - Best Buy Theater - New York, NY
6 - Theatre Of Living Arts - Philadelphia, PA
7 - Paradise Rock Club - Boston, MA