After the massive success of “With Oden on Our Side”, Amon Amarth literally reached the heavy metal Valhalla, the level of maturity displayed by the Swedes in that album is something most extreme bands will never reach, due to the fact that most metal bands forget real songwriting for the sake of making albums that are loud and monotonous in nature. Well, Amon Amarth is not part of that group, they tower above it by writing songs that are brutal, fast, intricate, melodic and that slowly seep into your mind and stay there for a long time.

“Twilight of the Thunder God” takes off where “With Oden...” left off and the band shows they’re not a one trick pony, nor was their last album a fluke. Every bit of music that made their last album great only improves with “Twilight” and adds some more growth and depth to a genre of metal where it’s easy for bands to sink into repeating themselves. “Twilight of the Thunder God” doesn’t feel only like a new album but like a new band altogether, who are poised to take over the world (if they haven’t done it already). Starting with the title track, the album explodes into a barrage of riffs and melodies in good Amon Amarth fashion with Fredrik Andersson’s thundering drums in the background. The wall of sound only subsides for a split second only to give way for Johan Hegg to unleash his commanding voice into what feels like an army of Vikings marching into certain death with no fear. Certainly to claim that Amon Amarth is a fearless band is a very true statement, they have stayed true to themselves and most importantly to their fans. The lyrics of epic battles of barbarians and Vikings are still here, but somehow the band manages to always sound fresh and new. The jagged edge of the guitar duo of Olavi Mikkonen and Johan Söderberg is stronger and tighter than ever. After the brutal opening track the band moves into the heavy groove of “Free Will Sacrifice”, a song that will slay everyone once it’s played live. “Guardians of Asgaard” follows with some huge crunching guitars and hooks thrown at the listener from every direction. “Where is Your God” keeps the metal flowing and it’s one the most thrashing songs in the album, and without a doubt one of Amon Amarth’s heaviest moments. Soaring melodies follow with “Varyags of Miklagaard”, a song that features great guitar work from real guitar heroes. And if anyone ever thought that maybe Amon Amarth may be loosing track of their origins should listen to “Tattered Banners and Bloody Flags”, this song is classic Amon Amarth and fits very well with any of their previous albums.

The great riffs, and more importantly, the great songs continue until the album ends, and every now and then the band throws something new at the listener, check out the opening riffs to “Live for the Kill” and it’s string section featuring none other than the guys of Apocalyptica, or the slithery guitar melodies in “The Hero”. All in all, “Twilight of the Thunder God” is an album that strongly plants Amon Amarth in the realm of elite metal bands; they have survived criticism and the coming and going of trends only to deliver one excellent album after another.