Amon Amarth [Deceiver Of The Gods] & [Under The Influence] 2013 - Album Reflection

First off, I'd like to apologise about the LENGTHY period between release & review. 

There were some family issues going on early this month, & before that, the nearby creek got sick of being small & decided to become a lake. So, the house was flooded & the power was out for a couple of days before being restored at a leisurely rate. 

The only good news is that I was able to utilise the extra time & get my hands on Amon Amarth's EP, Under The Influence (so-fucking-worth-it).

Amon Amarth - the Viking legends - have been turning out albums that are all very similar to each other, but they aren't the same at all. From Thor Arise to Surtur Rising, each one has been heavy riffing, growled chants of Vikings, Æsir & Vanir, conquests, & the struggle against Christianity - all interlaced with melodies inspired by the god Bragi himself. Yet each one has a new or different element that separates it from the pack. All the releases stand out on their own, rather than all fight over the same spotlight; thus, preventing the band from being damned into a sea of mediocrity. 

I guess I owe it to you guys with the lack of posts - therefore, I will cut short the usual mucking around that I normally do before getting into the 'meat' of the album rant.

Part I: Deceiver Of The Gods

1. Deceiver Of The Gods

The album starts off with this ethereal noise that was rather popular on its predecessor, Surtur Rising - eventually letting through to the guitar melody. This nice piece ends with a solid, heavy riff. This riff is a lot similar to their older stuff than Surtur Rising. This all lets out into a typical Amon Amarth, Viking-inspired fury. It's heavy, it's melodic, it's fast. The usual. The chorus is quite similar to their previous stuff & it all compliments the song quite well before getting back into the furious Viking-riffage. Another verse leads to a breakdown when Loke taunts the audience; but as the Greeks understood, hubris leads to one's downfall...but...erm, that's later on (spoiler if you have no background on Nordic tales). Anyway, everything is solid & memorable. Nice solo. Good replay value.

2. As Loke Falls

A heavy & foreboding melody immediately absorbs the listener & sets the scene for something heavy. A more classic Amon Amarth riff drives the song onwards for a few verses. Again, everything is typical. The heaviness, the thunderous drumming, the leads, Hegg's vocals, & the absent bass (bass would be appreciated in the next recording). A plodding riff fills for the chorus, & then leads into a really, really, fucking awesome riff. The drums take on this folk-y beat. Too bad it was a really short riff. The song ends with the melody it entered with, fading out for a little under a minute. One of the more unique songs off the album.

3. Father Of The Wolf

It took a few listen-throughs before I really loved the song. The intro riff is almost classic heavy metal (I want to say a more furious Judas Priest). This song would be very un-Viking metal if it weren't for the lyrics.  Regardless, I really like it. Even the chorus is nothing like typical Amon Amarth. It's a very catch-y song that one finds oneself singing along with. The guitar harmony after the chorus is a little more like Amon Amarth. All of it blends very nicely together. A simple, yet memorable solo full of bends. It's a solid song, & they don't abandon this little experimentation halfway through so it sounds like one brilliant song, not two. The song rests on a bridge between more classic metal we all cherish & the faster-paced metal of the 2000's.

4. Shape Shifter

The intro thunders in with the Viking furiosity - the booming drums, the plodding guitar, the northern growls. Soon opening up to a tremolo melody. It's all fairly classic Amon Amarth. There's nothing that really stands out in the song. It's just an 'okay' Amon Amarth song. Even the solo sounds tired & like they were going through the motions. It's a nice solo, just not for this song.

5. Under Siege

The song bursts in into your house, thrusts a sword to your neck, & commands you to headbang. Which you do, because you can't help but do it. An Amon Amarth lead over the heavy riffing rhythm guitar. The drums are thunderous. A nice harmony later compliments the song quite well. The solo is simple, yet appealing. It's a repetitive song that just repeats all the previous steps in reverse order. But...ooh, wait, what's this? A bass lead? Fuckyes! & that gives a nice entry to a lead & vocals over top of that. The lyrics...well, what do you think they are about? Again, another typical Amon Amarth song; yet, better than the previous one. The outro has a nice bass riff that goes along well. A solid song. It had memorable parts, but a lot of it was plodding.

6. Blood Eagle

The song opens up with...well...a blood eagle being performed on some poor sod (for those that do not know what it is, read the lyrics). Quite the unique lead in to a song. A brutal lead & the heavy drums follows up. It's very fucking heavy. Very headbanging.  It has a great atmosphere & paints such a grisly picture in one's mind. The bassline is audible (yay!). It can hold its ground against other Amon Amarth greats & stand tall alongside them. A great, solid fucking song. Memorable riffs. The best on the album.

7. We Shall Destroy

A nice, heavy riff with the vocals heavier & lower than many of their other songs. A lead comes in & the Hegg returns to his normal range. A good song to get one pumped up when there is an obstacle to overcome. The guitar plod along, interrupted by some catchy leads. It does get a bit repetitive & bland at times, but for the most part, it is a good song. The drumming is heavy & furious. But none of it is memorable.

8. Hel

A small drum intro brings in some heavy, plodding guitars. A dark mood is instantaneously set. This is further carried along by a synth-y vocal choir. It goes back to plodding along before the synth-y vocal thing comes back giving it a weird, Persian-Egyptian feel that seems like it would be better for Aeternam or Nile. That goes up to the chorus where Messiah Marcolin from Candlemass (an interesting choice) does a harmony for the chorus. It doesn't feel very Viking, but, I do like it. It feels like they were taking another step outside of their comfort-zone. I applaud it. It worked out pretty well. Definitely a tasteful break from the usual Viking-ness.

9. Coming Of The Tide

An unmerciful riff rides in upon Sleipnir. Raging & heavy. Back to the typical Amon Amarth riffing. The drumming is also back to its usual pace. Headbanging is a must. The leads are brilliant, beautiful, & brutal with a great compliment from the drums. A strong piece of the album. The palm-muted galloping gives way to a great solo. It has elements of power metal & their own stuff. It blends very, very well. A nice guitar harmony brings the solo back into a final chorus before ending quite abruptly. My only complaint is that the song felt really short & could have been longer to make those riffs a titch more memorable.

10. Warriors Of The North

The song starts off with a very un-Amon Amarth lead. It has an ethereal feel, unlike the Surtur Rising stuff. A lead more like Amon Amarth breaks in & it begins to feel like an Amon Amarth song again. It has a slow pace that still carries heaviness. The song grows more into familiarity with a tremolo lead with Viking growls. Heavy rhythm riffing takes over as the song hits something darker. The following lead is also quite forlorn sounding. It picks up pace without one noticing & gets back into the standard Amon Amarth-feel with the speed, heaviness, lead, et cetera, et cetera. The song never stays in one place too long; this makes it the longest song on the album without feeling like a long song. The outro follows the intro & has a different feel to it. All in all, a really good song.

Highlights:

Blood Eagle

Deceiver Of The Gods

Coming Of The Tide

Father Of The Wolf

Warriors Of The North

Part II: Under The Influence

1. Burning Anvil Of Steel (Judas Priest)

At first listen, my friend & I thought this, & the other songs, were covers. But no, these songs are just done so fucking masterfully that one can mistake them for covers. It's just so goddamn solid that I still cannot believe that they wrote it. The lead is very British metal-esque with the the palm-muted driving riff. Everything is where it needs to be. Hegg loses his growls & goes for a a demonic-sounding Halford. The lyrics are also mistakable for being written by a classic metal band. There is even the classic Judas Priest synth bits. The final chorus just seals the deal on all of. Man, they really fucking nailed it with this one.

2. Satan Rising (Black Sabbath)

It took me all of ten seconds to identify which band they were trying to do for this one. As soon as one hears that tri-tone, "Fucking Sabbath!" They not only play Sabbath's stuff well, but capture the mood completely. Then Hegg's vocals begin & your jaw drops at how well he can do a lower version of Ozzy. Fucking christ! This is solid! Another piece they nailed perfectly. I could picture it being played on Black Sabbath or Paranoid. Then it opens to an all-classic Sabbath riff as everything speeds up. 

3. Snake Eyes (Motörhead)

Aaaaahh, the sounds of Motörhead. Well, not quite. But damn close. The rock 'n' roll riffs of Motörhead are present. It just sounds like a take on Ace Of Spades. Hegg's vocals don't really nail Lemmy, but I don't think I've ever heard anyone come close (that would take decades of Jack Daniels & smokes). But everything else is right on the mark. 

4. Stand Up To Go Down (AC/DC)

I think I have to give my favourite to this one - for the lyrics. Just. Fucking. Brilliant. It's fucking hilarious. The guitars, bass, drums, & vocals are all where they need to be. Although it's repetitive, it needs to be; it's AC-mother fucking-DC. Everything has been done so well. All the elements that need to be there, & not a touch more. I cannot express how thrilled & surprised I am by this whole EP. It's all mistakable for the real thing...if they could forge famous painting or sports memorabilia this well they could use it all to buy a small island & never get caught.

Highlights:

The entire fucking EP

In conclusion:

So, if this were a contest, who would win?

*drum roll*

Under The Influence - by leaps & fucking bounds

As Deceiver Of The Gods was another solid Amon Amarth release, the EP was something completely different. I've never heard anything quite like it before, & I don't believe I ever will again. It is just is so damn unique, so well done that it blows away any expectation one could possibly have. This is definitely one for the treasure vault of Xerxes.

I never want to give perfect scores just in case something better comes out..then where do you go? Also, I feel that I need to be absolutely 'wow'd' for something to receive 100%. But, this....it's just....it's fucking BEYOND a 10/10...I honestly cannot score this one without undercutting it somehow. Move aside Iron Maiden's Brave New World, you have company.

Eternal Shredder can score Deceiver Of The Gods, though. It earns a solid 8/10.

Black Sabbath [13] 2013 - Album Review

It’s been 35 years since the last full length released with the gilded original line-up…& sadly, that will continue. Damn, so close. Some bollocks with an unpaid contract or Ward just wasn’t up to the task or whatever.

The replacement: the guy from Rage Against The Machine

Ah what the fuck is the bollocking?!?!

What kind of logical choice is that? Dio & Ian Gillan were good choices for filling in the void for Ozzy. The guy from RATM to replace Bill-fucking-Ward, what kind of malarkey is this? Well, I guess we cannot let a little poor drumming get in the way of the return of the forefathers of metal! (Okay, most of them)

…& this better be a damn good return since the last album they gave to us was that mess of Forbidden, 18 years ago. Good name though; Forbidden for human consumption, a Forbidden evil unleashed from Pandora’s Box, Forbidden from any display case of a proud metalhead.

One place it’s not Forbidden? The stack of beer coasters in my house.

So, onto 13. Upon glancing at the song list, one could mistake that they were all pulled out from an existentialist’s philosophy book, ‘End Of The Beginning’, ‘God Is Dead?’,  ‘Age Of Reason’, ‘Damaged Soul’, so on… I was really excited at this point - Butler’s iconic lyrics were back & as existentialist as they were on Black Sabbath, Paranoid, & Master Of Reality.  Ahhh, everything is back in place (minus Ward).

1. End Of The Beginning

It took me a few tries before I started liking this song. But even now, as I write, I find it okay. It’s fine. Alright. At par. It’s what I expected - a Sabbath song. Nothing to ‘wow’ you here. It enters with the Sabbath-doom feel with a heavy riff from Iommi. That drags on until Ozzy supplies his vocals…but they are definitely worse for wear. They lack that signature Ozzy-sound. Tired sounding is probably the right description. Eventually it picks up to a faster riff, sounding similar to their mid-years stuff. Ozzy’s singing gets better here (maybe it was a warm-up before) & we break into a pretty nice solo that lets out into a much better riff, circa not-from-their-mid-years. But riff-wise, that’s it…three main riffs. As the song finishes, I can’t recall the first two very well; so, little value to remember here & play it again.

2. God Is Dead?

This one opens up with a slow, melancholic riff. But unlike its predecessor, I immediately took to this track. I also noticed that unlike the first, I was headbanging; something I completely missed on the first song. The lyrics are pretty damn solid.  Heralding back to  Black Sabbath - brilliantly existentialist. It sounds as if Butler resurrected Nietzsche to write these. The song hops back & forth between the brooding, heavy chorus with “…Is God dead?” & the sad, slow verses & does this quite well. Even the drumming is half-decent (although, it’s probably that the rest of the song is so good that I can overlook the simplistic style).  After two-thirds of the song, it completely changes to this wicked palm-muted, off-beat riff that leads up to a short, simple, yet hauntingly good solo. Again, headbang-inducing. The strongest song on the album.

3. Loner

There are three aspects that set this song out from the rest on the album - the first appearance Ozzy’s iconic vocals, the first riff is very classic Sabbath, & the simple drumming suits the riff. But somehow the song missing hooking one completely in. It’s still a really good song, but it missed the perfect mark. Some more really solid existentialist-esque lyrics.  The solo is pretty ear-catching & longer than the previous two songs’ solos. Overall, a good song but something felt missing from it.

4. Zeitgeist

A calm, acoustic song complete with bongos. Wait, I’ve heard this before…this is like Planet Caravan off of Paranoid…no, it IS Planet Caravan. I loved Planet Caravan, it’s one of the greatest Sabbath songs in fact…this one not only misses the mark, it's gone off in the complete opposite direction. I get the feeling that they were going for trying to relive the glory days with this one. I was bored halfway through the song. I’m not going to go in-depth with this; it’s Planet Caravan, only duller.

5. Age Of Reason

The drums just don’t seem to fit the intro riff very well. Iommi is playing a Sabbath riff, & then there’s a RATM drum beat. It all feels poorly stitched together. But once past that, it gets a little better. The riff drones on with Ozzy singing about a dystopian world that draws its atmosphere from Paranoid (they really went with that on the album). The remainder of the song has a plodding-feel, with the heavy riffs & uninspired drumming. At least Iommi & Butler save this one from mediocrity. Ozzy & the drummer just seem tired with this one. The solo in the last minute & a half definitely helps to swing in favor of enjoy-ability.

6. Live Forever

The intro riff just seems to plod around, until it figures out where it’s supposed to be going & enters into a decent riff. It’s a good song, I guess. Nothing draws me to it, yet nothing repulses either. Lacklustre seems like a good descriptive word. The lyrics take a rest from existentialism & turn to a topic of dismal fate. It’s one of the shortest songs on the album, but seems to be quite long due to the repetitiveness of it. The solo is much better; almost too good for the song. I want to praise or crucify this one, but no matter how many times I re-re-re-re-play it…each time I find myself right on the fence with this one.

7. Damaged Soul

A heavy, depressing intro riff that really strikes the mood quit well. This fades into a softer, similar riff as the vocals enter. The lyrical base is of a dismal theme again, but it comes off a lot better. All of the early elements hint at a very enjoyable & cathartic song. Definitely for when one is in a bad mood & needs an appropriate song to enjoy (one could also listen in a great mood & still enjoy).  Then after the second verse the solo star- oh, nope nevermind, that’s a harmonica. Suits the mood very well. After the third verse, NOW the solo starts. A grim feel despite being mid-paced. Iommi’s guitar wails some painful notes that rend at the listener’s soul. This breaks for a verse, & then jumps right back in with a less-melancholic solo…kind of up-beat actually. This would be the break in the catharsis…ah, very well done. A heavy song that sticks with you after listening to it.

8. Dear Father

A rather interesting riff that I can’t help being reminded of early Black Label Society when listening to it introduces the song. The lyrics are a perspective of a victim of child molestation from the church - a touchy subject. But it’s pulled off well. The chorus has a lost, desolate feel that mirrors the lyrics effectively.  It’s quite a powerful song when examining it. Ozzy does quite a bang-up job at delivering the lyrics that leave a lasting impression upon the listener. The song continues in the vanilla format, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, etc. until it changes up the mix with a verse that speeds things up & sets the mood into a frenzy-feel as the lyrics take a confrontational role against the perpetrator. It falls back into the verse, chorus routine - lasting to the end of the song signalled by a familiar thunder storm & a church bell. Oh, I see what you guys did…

In conclusion:

I enjoyed the album for the most part. Some good, classic Sabbath riffs. But, in calling this one, I would say it’s mostly dry. A fine, but bland sandwich. It lacked the qualities that made early Sabbath great & well-known. If the purpose of the album was to end on a better note than Forbidden, then mission accomplished. Eternal Shredder gives this album a 7/10.

Cheers!

Highlights:

God Is Dead?

Damaged Soul

Loner