Published on Jul 9, 2001
Can a thrash metal band who have one leg firmly planted in the
warrior ethic change their spots?
Amon Amarth answers the question on their latest disc,
The Crusher, by saying sure… as long as they don’t abandon
the imagery completely, and they replace it with a heavier dose of
anti-religious sentiment.
In the two years since their CD
The Avenger, vocalist Johan Hegg and crew have obviously
spent some time looking at their songwriting and their career,
deciding how they wanted to position themselves in the
all-too-crowded thrash metal scene. Musically, they have made some
minor improvements, creating a sonic sculpture that is somewhat
more interesting than their last disc.
Yet if one was offended by the religious hatred that Amon Amarth
professed on
The Avenger, they’re not going to make it too far into
The Crusher, as the band rips upon Catholicism almost from
the get-go. No less than four songs state the group’s stance, from
the taunts against those trying to censor them on “Bastards Of A
Lying Breed” to going after a priest like he’s the target of a fox
hunt on “The Sound Of Eight Hooves”.
What is intriguing about
The Crusher is that unless you take the time to read the
lyric sheet, you might not see how certain songs are tied together.
I’m hesitant to call
The Crusher a concept disc per se, but there is a definite
story line running along this album. The first few tracks seem to
speak of a war being waged against Christianity – but starting with
“As Long As The Raven Flies,” the angle of the story seems to chang
as one of the leaders of the anti-religious fight is captured and
prepares to die for not giving up his beliefs. (From “A Fury
Divine”: “…Lies! Spread by preaching men / I’m on trial for being
who I am / And praising the Gods of my native land.”)
But just when it seems the battle has been lost for the natives,
“Annihilation Of Hammerfest” sees the victory for the gods of the
old land as the hammer of doom – the Crusher – is swung down to
unleash its own style of justice. “The Fall Through Ginnungagap”
(boy, am I glad that last word wasn’t on the spelling test when I
was in school) sees the dark forces ready to be released out of a
limbo they’ve been settling in for some time, suggesting the
timeline of the story has moved on. “Releasing Surtur’s Fire” sees
the gods being summoned again, though at a later time, and the
carnage begins anew.
It’s not a totally cohesive story line, but
The Crusher does pretty well with what it has, and it’s
musically interesting (even if you still need the lyric sheet to
decipher Hegg’s shouts, and even if Ted Lundström’s bass is
still too far back in the mix). It’s an intense 40-odd minutes
that’s not for the weak of heart or the Bible-beaters, but it’s a
step up for Amon Amarth – even though one is left to believe the
band hasn’t done their greatest work yet.