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With Oden on Our Side

 
Album Review: With Oden on Our Side

  • Artist: Amon Amarth
  • Rating: StarStarStar
  • Release Date: October 03, 2006
  • Type: Lyrics are included with the album
  • Genre: Rock

Review

Death metal with some melody? Can it be? As evidenced by Amon Amarth's 2006 release, With Odin on Our Side, this dream seems to be a reality early on. On the album opening "Valhall Awaits Me," singer Johan Hegg's vocal lines aren't merely growled syllables. But don't be worried, longtime Amarth fans, it's not like the Swedish outfit has enlisted the help of Burt Bacharach to soften things up, as Hegg's vocals do resort back to the expected death metal growl soon enough, especially on such tracks as "Under the Northern Star." Yet all the while, Hegg manages to hold his own against the riffs and sometimes-Iron Maiden-esque guitar harmonies supplied by Olavi Mikkonen and Johan Söderberg. The aforementioned guitar duo also shows they have a talent for penning industrial strength riffs as well, evidenced by such tracks as "Hermods Ride to Hell" and "Runes to My Memory." Nothing remarkably new here, but for admirers of death metal with some added muscle, With Odin on Our Side shows that Amon Amarth continue to be champions of the worldwide death metal tournament. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide

Tracks



CD 1

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Valdall Awaits One Amon Amarth Amon Amarth (4:43)
Runes to My Memory Amon Amarth Amon Amarth (4:32)
Asator Amon Amarth Amon Amarth (3:04)
Hermod's Ride to Hel - Lokes Treachery Part 1 Amon Amarth Amon Amarth (4:40)
Gods of War Arise Amon Amarth Amon Amarth (6:02)
With Oden on Our Side Amon Amarth Amon Amarth (4:34)
Cry of the Black Birds Amon Amarth Amon Amarth (3:49)
Under the Northern Star Amon Amarth Amon Amarth (4:17)
Prediction of Warefare Amon Amarth Amon Amarth (6:38)


CD 2

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Where Silent Gods Stand Guard [Live][*] Amon Amarth Amon Amarth (6:11)
Death in Fire [Live][*] Amon Amarth Amon Amarth (4:55)
With Oden on Our Side [*][Demo Version] Amon Amarth Amon Amarth (4:32)
Hermond's Ride to Hel - Lokes Treachery Part 1 [*][Demo Version] Amon Amarth Amon Amarth (4:49)
Once Sent from the Golden Hall [Sunlight Recording][*] Amon Amarth Amon Amarth (4:03)
Return of the Gods [Sunlight Recording][*] Amon Amarth Amon Amarth (3:34)

Credits

Ted Lundström (Group Member), Fredrik Andersson (Group Member), Thomas Ewerhard (Design), Olavi Mikkonen (Group Member), Johan Söderberg (Group Member), Axel Jusseit (Photography), Thomas Eberger (Mastering), Jens Bogren (Producer), Jens Bogren (Engineer), Jens Bogren (Mixing), Peter Damin (Drum Technician), Johan Heff (Group Member), Anders Ström "Shadow" (Engineer)
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Wikipedia: With Oden on Our Side
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With Oden on Our Side
Studio album by Amon Amarth
Released 22 September 2006 (2006-09-22)
Recorded May – June, 2006 Fascination Street studios, Örebro, Sweden
Genre Melodic death metal
Length 42:17
Label Metal Blade
Producer Jens Bogren
Professional reviews
Amon Amarth chronology
Fate of Norns
(2004)
With Oden on Our Side
(2006)
Twilight of the Thunder God
(2008)

With Oden on Our Side is the sixth full-length studio album by the Swedish melodic death metal band Amon Amarth, and their first album to enter the Billboard charts, the Top Heatseekers and the Top Independent Albums, peaking at number 15 and number 26 respectively.[1]

It was recorded in May and June 2006 and was released in Europe on 22 September 2006 by Metal Blade Records. A limited edition digipak was also released with a second disc that includes live songs, demos, and unreleased recordings. With Oden on Our Side was also released on a limited red LP. The songs "Runes to My Memory" and "Cry of the Black Birds" were both made into music videos.

With Oden on Our Side takes on a heavier approach compared to their previous album Fate of Norns; according to vocalist Johan Hegg, in an interview with Dutch metal magazine Aardschok, the album would go back to their roots such as their debut, Once Sent from the Golden Hall. When asked about the meaning of the album's title, Hegg remarked:

Well, it kind of has several meanings to it. Oden is of course the highest god in Scandinavian mythology, and he's the god of warfare, wisdom, poetry and artistry. The reason we chose the title is that it suited the lyrical concepts of the album and signified the feeling we had during the writing and recording of the album. We literally felt as if we had the Gods on our side.

The album cover art features the Norse God Odin riding on his fabled octopedel horse Sleipnir. The background depicts the Valknut, a symbol whose meaning is uncertain, though archeological evidence clearly shows it to be associated with Odin. Letters of the Runic alphabet can be seen on the edges of the triangles forming the Valknut.

Contents

Track listing

  1. "Valhall Awaits Me" – 4:44
  2. "Runes to My Memory" – 4:33
  3. "Asator" – 3:04
  4. "Hermod's Ride to Hel - Lokes Treachery Part 1" – 4:41
  5. "Gods of War Arise" – 6:03
  6. "With Oden on Our Side" – 4:35
  7. "Cry of the Black Birds" – 3:50
  8. "Under the Northern Star" – 4:17
  9. "Prediction of Warfare" – 6:37

Bonus disc (Limited digipak edition)

  1. "Where Silent Gods Stand Guard" (Live at Wacken 2004) – 6:11
  2. "Death in Fire" (Live at Wacken 2004) – 4:55
  3. "With Oden on Our Side" (Demo version) – 4:32
  4. "Hermond's Ride to Hel - Lokes Treachery Part 1" (Demo version) – 4:49
  5. "Once Sent from the Golden Hall" (Sunlight recording 1997) – 4:03
  6. "Return of the Gods" (Sunlight recording 1997 - previously unreleased song) – 3:34
The inspiration for the album art is of a depiction of Odin on the Tjängvide image stone.
  • Track 3 and 4 recorded at Amon Amarth's rehearsal studio, January 2006.
  • Track 5 and 6 recorded at Sunlight Studio, March 1997.

Personnel

Band members

Other

  • Produced, mixed and engineered by Jens Bogren.
  • Additional recording by Anders "Shadow" Ström.
  • Mastered by Thomas Eberger at Cutting Room, Stockholm.

References


 
 

 

Copyrights:

Album Review. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "With Oden on Our Side" Read more