Flying high again! The Swedish Viking metal crusade Amon Amarth has firmly established themselves as one of the prominent names in the metal scene and of course with more popularity, there comes increased scrutiny upon new releases. In 2019 came the Berserker and it is easily their best output since the mid-‘00s. Bersersker is a testament to the strength of the warrior mentality AA embodies. Johan Hegg brings forth an inspired and strengthened vocal performance and the band don’t repeat the same formulas and instead opt for some surprises that can lead to more interesting endeavors down the line. Berserker is destined (if not already) to be one of the band’s best pillages yet!

As scribe Mark Gromen proclaimed in his review: “The Swedes continue the pattern of the last decade, issuing a great album after a so-so effort. Jomsviking pales in the light of its Deceiver Of the Gods predecessor and now comes Berserker, to once again put the viKINGS back on their pedestal. Some might balk at the accompanying literature avoiding any allusions to ‘melodic black metal’, even going to far as to proclaim this Amon Amarth 2.0, allowing them to ‘give ourselves the space to explore other parts of our musicality.’ Fear not! Although it begins with lone acoustic guitar, ‘Fafner's Gold’ is a full blown, aggro song, not just an intro. Utilizing a Norse myth (Fafnir), as well as classical composer Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen opera (Fafner), it recounts a tale of greed (depicted as a dragon).”