As a long-term fan of Amon Amarth, I was amongst many people awaiting the new album with bated breath but unfortunately, it turned out to be somewhat of an anti-climax after hitting the ‘play’ button.
Quite simply – it’s all been done before. Jomsviking doesn’t tread any new ground for Amon Amarth stylistically and the songs just seem to lack that meaty ‘punch’ that has served the band well in the past, however whether that’s down to simply a poor mix or a change of drummer remains to be seen.
Additionally, there’s just nothing that exciting about the songs. None of them are particularly memorable, with each track blending into the next with no distinguishing features to set them apart from each other. However saying that, tenth track A Dream That Cannot Be does serve as a breath of fresh air and adds some much-needed variety to the album courtesy of the guest vocals from rock royalty Doro Pesch, and her empowered performance gives Jomsviking a much-needed element of variety.
As a whole, Jomsviking just isn’t all that interesting. The songs aren’t especially bad, per se, but on the other hand they aren’t especially good either – the album sits on the fence, unable to invoke a strong reaction in either direction, and arguably that’s one of the worst places an album can be as it results in a forgettable piece that just doesn’t make an impact.
5/10
