When it comes to Amon Amarth's large discography of Viking-themed blackened melodic death metal, Jomsviking certainly stands out. The replay value of Jomsviking is not as high as the guys would certainly want it to be. In conclusion: the guys from Amon Amarth perform as expected the aged Viking tries to resist the withering of time and so far he manages to cope somewhat well with it, although one can tell that the ferocity of olden times is fading away album after album. That inconsistency, leading to a disturbance in the overall listening experience, is what makes me rate this album under 80%
The pace then picks up again in a sine-wave manner and it's the same pattern until the end of the album. But it's tracks like this with their pacing and/or lackluster approach only manage to slow the whole album down a bit. Not only is the lyrical content somewhat different from your standard Amon Amarth song, but listen also to that melodic line: it is folk metal played in a death metal way. Speaking of that song - well, well, well, look at that. See the chorus of Raise Your Horns for example it's not full-force Hegg there and it sounds.weird. He seemingly tries to modulate his voice a bit here and there, but sometimes not for an overall benefit.
The overall musicianship is, as expected, really good, the compositions tight enough, Söderberg still produces neat sounding solos and Heggs vocal performance is as good es ever - for most parts, that is. Right from the first tunes of First Kill the band approaches you, punches you in the face and declares: do not forget, this is trademark Amon Amarth, bitch! But don't get me wrong - Jomsviking is as solid as it gets by the standards of Amon Amarth.
For the most parts we have one song that sounds powerful and fierce, only to be succeeded by a more mellow, let's say "boring" one. The album is a bit of an up and down ride. However, if you expect to hear the trademark post-2006 Amon Amarth sound, then have fun because Jomsviking offers exactly that, albeit a bit watered down. If you still live the futile hope that the Swedish long-haired Viking horde will come up with something revolutionary in their old days, you will be horribly disappointed with their new offering. To start us off, let me express one thing with all the needed clarity - it all comes down to what expectations you approach Jomsviking with.
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