After hearing Versus The World a couple of times, I began to realize what a mistake it was not to hear
Amon Amarth at Wacken 2002. This band is excellent, and I will certainly keep my eyes open for this band in the future.
Amon Amarth plays melodic death metal with a Nordic, Viking, Norse Mythology theme. Yes, it is all seen before, but do we honestly ever get tired of those themes? (The answer is no). Especially not when the music is so well put together as here on Versus The World.
The first thing that springs to my mind is how melodic and catchy this album is. The songs are all very varied - they are not all alike as it is unfortunately seen much too often.
Amon Amarth succeeds in being both melodic and brutal at the same time.
Johan Hegg, the vocalist, does a great job on this album. The vocals are of the typical guttural death growling kind, but they are also very varied. The production (done by Berno Paulsson) of the album is very good too - nothing to complain about here.
The album opens with
Death In Fire - the song is full of inventive guitar riffs, I love the way the two guitars play together. There is also a heavy use of double bass drums, and the song is groovy from beginning to end. The next song
For The Stabwounds In Our Back is one of the best on the album. It has a slow intro which builds up to a fast pace and an uncompromising sound. The song is very heavy, and sitting still while hearing it is mission impossible.
The title number
Versus The World is not only the best song on the album, it is also one of the best songs of 2002 in the genre. Hopefully this will become a classic - certainly it is in my book already. There is a lot variation in the song, and it has some very powerful build ups. The last song on the album
. And Soon The World Will Cease To Be is also very melodic. The guitar riffs seem somewhat melancholic to me - well, they fit the title I guess.
I rate Versus The World 8.5/10 based on the above. Judging by my review this may seem a bit low. But the reason why it doesn't get an even higher grade is that not all songs live up to the standard of For The Stabwounds In Our Back and Versus The world. Thereby I am not saying that the other songs aren't any good. Buy the album - you won't be disappointed.
Best Songs: Versus The World and For The Stabwounds In Our Backs
Written by
Anders Sunday, January 5, 2003
Show all reviews by AndersRatingsAnders: 8.5/10Members: No members have rated this album yet.
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