ALBUM REVIEW: THE ALLFATHER AWAKENS BY AMON AMARTH
Reviewed by Cecilia Pattison-Levi
Release date: 2 October 2026
The Swedish band Amon Amarth are a melodic death metal band that takes its name from the Sindarin name for Mount Doom, the volcano in Tolkien’s ‘Lord Of the Rings’. And knowing this fact will give you some insight into the style of music and lyricism you will hear on ‘The Allfather Awakens’. The lyricism on the album is loosely themed around Norse mythology, especially Oden, king of the Æsir and the “allfather”.
The album opens with the epic ‘Gjallarhorn’ with its melodic death metal guitars, bassline and drum beats. The musical world is established, and the tone is just how I imagine carousing dwarfs in the mines of Middle Earth or berserker Viking raiders enjoying some musical downtime. Let’s face it, Norse mythology is totally insane but wonderful. The next track, about Sleipnir, Oden's legendary eight-legged horse, is ‘Eight Legs Of Thunder’, and the horse is imagined through the powerful guitar solos, huge bassline thrum and blasting drum beats. The huge thumping drums and thrumming bassline continue as they lead into ‘Kvasir’s Blood’. The blood of the wise man Kvasir was drained from his body by the Nordic Gods and mixed with honey to bring the gift of song and poetic wisdom to humankind. The song reflects this ‘dwarf’s’ story in truly dark melodic death metal style.
The following ‘We Rule The Waves’ has big guitars, a chugging rhythm guitar that brings the chaos of a melody to life. The instrumentation swirls and churns like an ocean, and it has the seasick “suffering” inducing repetitive pattern until it settles into drum blast beats underneath the squalling guitars and a beautiful guitar riff hidden in the centre of the track. ‘Upphaf’ (meaning “origin” in Old Norse) is an acoustic guitar folk song with tribal folk percussion and epic choral arrangements. The hum and dark vocals are still present as the lyrical melody of the guitar contrasts like “fire and gold”. Then, ‘Die With A War Cry’ has a huge roar and great melodic heavy rock melody co-joining to create a bleak sonic soundscape.
The track about Hrafnguð, ‘Raven God’, who holds thought and memory, and is also Oden’s eyes and news giver. The track, has fantastic guitar riffs and melody lines. It is beautiful underneath the heavy narrative and dark vocals. It turns into a kind of drinking song with a great uplifting chorus. It is an album highlight. Then, a great guitar riff underpins ‘The Allfather Awakes’ about “the spark” of “revolution” and to “raise your heads/stand and fight” and to “cut through the lies” and “light the flame and he will awake”. It is a call to bring Oden back to his place of “truth and honour”. It is followed by ‘Oden’s Hunt’, the (Odensjakt), with an urgent guitar riff and pounding drums. The drums blast like the pounding of horses’ hooves. The hunt is on, and the musical speed is frantic: full of “dread and fear” as “thunder fills the sky”. The chanting bridge of “run”, “hide”, “die” and “Oden hunts tonight” will delight fans, and I can hear this being a live highlight with that huge bassline riff.
The album closes with light electric guitar riffs rising and ‘Ascending Like An Eagle’. The tone in the guitar riffs is perfect as the drums and bass cut in to bring depth and carry the dark vocals. It is a great uplifting ending that ends as the track began, with those amazing guitar riffs as it fades out.
If you love narrative storytelling, Norse mythology or just great melodic heavy metal with a message about finding wisdom and honouring tradition, then ‘The Allfather Awakens’ from Amon Amarth is a musical journey worth taking.
