After two successful records, 2002’s “Versus the World” and 2004’s “Fate of Norns,” many people were wondering what would be the next step in Amon Amarth’s evolution. The result is an album of epic proportions; the band has managed to perfect their brand of melodic death metal and have created an album that will serve as a standard for any musician who attempts to take a stab at this genre. The band fuses the brutal trademarks of Viking metal with soaring melodies, intense drumming and what is probably Johan Hegg’s best vocal performance ever. The underlying themes of their music remain intact as the stories of brutal and ancient battles are still to be found on this record.

Songs like “Valhall Awaits Me,” “Runes to My Memory,” “Asator” and the title track are brutal, raw compositions, that are filled with neck-breaking riffs, an onslaught of drums and the charismatic vocal performances of Johan Hegg. In other songs the band doesn’t shy away from using lots of guitar melodies that add further depth to their music; “Hermod’s Ride to Hel,” “Cry of the Black Birds” and “Under the Northern Star” are very melodic tracks that display a sense of maturity not found in other extreme metal bands. This entire masterpiece comes to an end with “Prediction of Warfare.” As the name implies, the final track has a battle-like groove that will surely raise some fists as it’s played live. As a bonus the second disc contains a few live tracks and demos.

“With Oden On Our Side” has established Amon Amarth as one the best melodic death metal bands of our time. Their ability to blend extreme music with melodies and the epic stories that they weave, create an aggressive and incredible listening experience.