Amon Amarth is a Swedish melodic death metal band from Tumba, founded in 1988, and is named after an alternative name for Mount Doom, a location in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. The band comprises vocalist Johan Hegg, guitarists Olavi Mikkonen and Johan Söderberg, bassist Ted Lundström and drummer Fredrik Andersson. Amon Amarth has released seven studio albums, one EP, one DVD, and six music videos.
History
Formed under the name Scum in 1988, the band was originally a grindcore group formed by Paul "Themgoroth" Mäkitalo (Dark Funeral) on vocals, Olavi Mikkonen on guitar, and Ted Lundström on bass. When Johan Hegg joined the band, the band started to incorporate Viking-related themes. After a 1991 demo, they changed the band's name to Amon Amarth in 1992, then recorded their first demo Thor Arise under the name in 1993 followed by another demo in 1994 entitled The Arrival of the Fimbul Winter. In 1996, they signed with Pulverised Records, on which they released their first MCD, Sorrow Throughout the Nine Worlds, which sold 6000 copies. They then signed with Metal Blade Records, and with the release of the album Once Sent from the Golden Hall in 1998, their popularity rose internationally. Since then they have done multiple Canada and US tours, festival appearances, seven music videos, and appearances in over 100 metal magazines. In early January 2008, their first tour of Australia and New Zealand took place, along with supporting Dimmu Borgir, after finishing a US and Canadian tour with Sonic Syndicate and Himsa.
Amon Amarth extended their record deal with Metal Blade Records for three more albums. After extending their record deal, the band released Twilight of the Thunder God, which featured guest appearances by Lars Göran Petrov of Entombed, Roope Latvala of Children of Bodom, and the cello metal band Apocalyptica. Accompanying the release of the album was an eight-page comic strip based on Norse mythology which was released by magazines in Europe.
Amon Amarth embarked on a North American headlining tour in October 2008, with support from Ensiferum, Belphegor, and The Absence. The band are also toured as support for the thrash metal band Slayer throughout Europe on the Unholy Alliance Chapter III. The band played their first show in India, headlining the Deccan Rock Festival in Bangalore on 5 December 2009.
On November 30, 2010, Amon Amarth confirmed their next album would be titled Surtur Rising and will see a Spring of 2011 release date. The drums have been recorded at Park Studios, while bass and guitars have been recorded at Fascination Street Studios.
Musical style and lyrical themes
The band bases most of their songs on Norse mythology, the Viking Age, and the pre-Christian world. This mythology is an element that originally emerged as an ideological off-shoot of black metal in a genre known as Viking metal in the early 1990s, made popular by such bands as Bathory and Enslaved.
When asked to comment on the band's genre, vocalist Johan Hegg remarked:
“We play death metal. We write about vikings so, therefore, some refer us to viking metal, but I have no idea what that is. I can't imagine the vikings veer into metal at all except on the swords and stuff. And musically, I guess they only played these strange lip instruments and some bongos or whatever.„ —The Metal Web's interview with Johan Hegg.
Members
Current
Johan Hegg − lead vocals (1992–Present)
Johan Söderberg − guitar (1998–Present)
Olavi Mikkonen − guitar (1988–Present)
Ted Lundström − bass (1988–Present)
Fredrik Andersson − drums (1998–Present)
Former
Paul "Themgoroth" Mäkitalo − vocals (1988–1991)
Anders Hansson − guitar (1989–1998)
Nico Kaukinen − drums (1989–1996)
Martin Lopez − drums (1996–1998)
