New Amon Amarth – Mjolner, Hammer of Thor – Review
Genre: Melodic Death Metal (though this particular song is more heavy metal in my opinion)
Location: Sweden
Themes: Vikings, Norse mythology
Two weeks ago Amon Amarth released their new music video for “Mjolner, Hammer of Thor,” from their new Berserker album.
Of all the Amon Amarth stuff I’ve heard, this is their most different sounding content yet. It sounds more heavy metal than their stuff in the past. Though I’m not sure if I’m a fan, because in my opinion, I like it when a band retains something of their signature sound, while changing it up in various ways. Behemoth, for example, does a great job of that. The Satanist was very different, but if you listened to it, you could definitely tell that it was Behemoth.
With this song, and some of the other songs I’ve listened to from Berserker, I wouldn’t be able to tell it was Amon Amarth (if not for the vocals). And this particular song sounded too much like a generic heavy metal song, of which there are already plenty.
My suggestion to Amon Amarth for their next album is to get back to their signature sound, what makes them them, what makes them unique, and find new ways to evolve that sound, rather than turning into a different band entirely.
June 21, 2019 | Categories: Melodic Death Metal, Music, Norse, Norse Paganism | Tags: Amon Amarth, Berserker, Hammer of Thor, Mjolner, official, review, video | Leave a comment
Rotting Christ – In the Name of God – (Official animated video)
Genre: Black Metal/Gothic Metal/Melodic Black Metal
Location: Greece
Themes: Anti-Christianity, Occultism, Mythology, Satanism
Enjoy the (relatively) new Rotting Christ video above! Released a couple of weeks ago. I personally enjoy the music better without the video, but maybe that’s just me. Their new album The Heretics was released in February 2019.
Rotting Christ is a Greek black metal band formed in 1987. They are noted for being one of the first black metal bands within this region, as well as a premier act within the European underground metal scene. They are also responsible for creating the signature Greek black metal sound prevalent in the early 1990s.
April 23, 2019 | Categories: Black Metal, Music, Uncategorized | Tags: greece, greek, in the name of god, melodic black metal, music, new, official, rotting christ, video | Leave a comment
Netherfell – Mokosz (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO)
The band’s first music video:
Genre: Folk Metal. Encyclopedia Metallum also says that this band plays Melodic Death, my interpretation is that they are more of a Folk Metal band, but maybe I haven’t heard enough of their material.
Themes: Pagan Gods, Kings, War, Nature
Country of Origin: Poland
This video is definitely a good start for a band’s first official music video. They successfully blend together traditional instruments like the bagpipes, tin whistle and violin with guitars, bass and drums. They are obviously highly influenced by Arkona, especially with vocals. The female singer of this band, Adrianna Zborowska has a particularly powerful and enchanting voice. My only criticism is that I don’t think the female and male vocals are as in sync with each other as they could be. I know that doing the whole pretty melodic vocals with harsh growls is a very difficult thing to get just right, and honestly the only song that I feel has this dynamic perfectly is Dark Tranquility’s The Mundane and the Magic .
And of course the imagery of the video itself was beautiful – forest, ritual, ancient pagan garb and all.
Keep up the good work Netherfell!
RELEVANT LINKS
August 20, 2014 | Categories: Folk Metal/Folk Music, Music, Slavic | Tags: band, metal, Mokosz, netherfell, official, poland, review, video | 3 Comments
Watain – Outlaw Official Video
If you want a black metal seizure, behold this video.
Genre: Black Metal
Location: Sweden
Lyrical Themes: Lucifer, Death and Darkness
“The only way to create something of true beauty of this world is to look beyond its borders…to search outside of the mundane…to step into the realm of liberated wilderness, untamed fire and that ancient chaos to which every true and potent artist has been mouthpiece.” ~ Watain quote.
Watain captures a sort of magical chaos in their performances and music. Like a shaman, they go beyond the boundaries of the mundane to bring us – the audience – into the realm of the unknown. This is a band that has musical skill, but also knows how to this power onto the stage and put on an unforgettable performance. The above song captures the spirit of this anarchy, the feeling of what it is like to be an outlaw. True brilliance will always exist on the fringes of society, not within its borders. This is why many tribal shamans lived outside the tribe, so they could bring wisdom from a different place – a place beyond the accepted norm. So enjoy this musical chaos, this black metal pandemonium.
LINKS:
April 30, 2014 | Categories: Black Metal, Music | Tags: black, metal, official, outlaw, video, watain | Leave a comment
Metal Gaia 