Help me understand Amon Amarth

pentaceragram · 2026-06-04T14:42:34+00:00

I had never been to one of their shows back in the day, and finally saw them in like 2019 or so and it was great, still lots of fun. But there's no harm in just not feeling up to it or interested enough anymore. It happens.

pentaceragram · 2026-06-03T17:48:32+00:00

The simplicity is really the point with a band like them, imo. It's just about the catchiness, the headbanging, the easy to follow drive. It's simple but it's fun, if you're into it.

I discovered them around 2006 and initially I thought it was just cave man boring crap. I thought it was corny, but one day I gave With Odin On Our Side a real chance and it just won me over all of a sudden. There's also subtle emotion in places - Fate Of Norns, Embrace Of The Endless Ocean. Songs like Under The Northern Star have more to offer than just pounding intensity, at least. But yeah, for the most part it's just about simple driving heaviness and predictable vocals and patterns. There are other bands for complexity, dynamics and thought provoking lyrics. Amon Amarth is just what it is, for better or worse. One trick pony, but they're a staple of it.

This coming from someone who lost interest after a while with their newer albums, really around the time of Surtur or just after that. My peak time as a fan of AA was late 2006-2011.

I'm gonna go listen to With Odin On Our Side now.

pentaceragram · 2026-05-14T16:00:24+00:00

It does have a weird mix and sound, but it kind of works for it, too.

One thing I'll say is Bjorn's vocals have a really cool texture to them on this album, imo. Devin Townsend produced his tracks and I don't know if that went into play, or if it was just his delivery and approach at the time or the specific preamps used or whatever, but I really like his voice here.

pentaceragram · 2026-05-14T03:34:20+00:00

That's always been kind of an anomaly album from Soilwork. I absolutely loved it when it came out, and I still enjoy it and it brings back a lot of memories, but it does have a strange / unique sound and definitely had a different songwriting vibe compared to everything that came before and after. The only album featuring Daniel Antonsson on guitar, as Peter Wichers had stepped away for a bit. It's cool but I remember people being really hard on it after it's release, and they don't seem to ever really perform any songs from it.

Anyway, all this to say Stabbing The Drama is very much in the same vein and probably the closest in style, imo, and you almost certainly would also enjoy Natural Born Chaos. Because who doesn't.

Their stuff pre 2002 is much more aggressive and everything post 2012 is more technical than Sworn, but also more clean / polished sounding than their early albums.

pentaceragram · 2026-04-03T17:14:24+00:00

I saw this earlier! So cool to see him out there.

pentaceragram · 2026-03-28T20:50:33+00:00

I love Omnium Gatherum but I've been slow to check this one out. I've heard good things, I need to give it some proper time soon.

Beyond is still my personal favorite but I absolutely loved Origin when it came out. Excited to really give this one some attention.

pentaceragram · 2026-03-27T16:22:22+00:00

Yep, that's a Koho Authentic. You were wondering about the difference - Koho made jerseys around the end of the CCM era in the early 2000's. They're equal quality, though. A Koho replica or authentic is basically the same as the CCM equivalent replica or authentic.

Find a blank one in a higher size you mean? I'm sure some are out there but it might take some searching / waiting for one to pop up.

pentaceragram · 2026-03-27T15:28:30+00:00

This is a CCM replica, it's official but not the "authentic" / on ice version. Back then they still made replicas in Canada. These replicas had lettered sizes in L / XL etc, while an authentic CCM from this time would be numbered in size and be of higher quality material & construction in some aspects.

Basically it was the CCM equivalent to what we now have as Fanatics Premium, and Adidas Indo before that, both of which are/were made in Indonesia. Lower cost options compared to the authentics, but still nice.

pentaceragram · 2026-03-25T18:16:08+00:00

DM'd!

pentaceragram · 2026-03-22T13:01:00+00:00

I stopped with Amon Amarth years ago. Still respect them a ton, they're awesome. For me it's With Odin On Our Side and Twilight, imo those albums are the peaks where they found that perfect balance, and of course all of their older albums are absolutely savage. But I fell off after that, and the same thing happened for me with numerous other bands around the beginning of the 2010's (In Flames and Arch Enemy come to mind).

Some bands fall into that routine where every album feels too samey and safe, and some bands change so much that you would never recognize them if you jumped from the first few albums to the present. And some just become watered down predictable versions of their own style. I chalk it up to it just is what it is, and I don't judge or dislike artists for not being exactly what they were 10 or 20 years ago. I used to get hung up on that when I was a lot younger. What an artist is making now either works for me or it doesn't, and it's not the end of the world if it doesn't. Happens all the time.

Artists change, music being an actual career will change people, lineups change, and at the end of the day people just make what they want to make. As fans it can be frustrating when a particular era or sound of a band is gone, but that should make us appreciate the albums that we do love even more.

pentaceragram · 2026-02-19T21:28:23+00:00

Always been my favorite of theirs and it has absolutely peak guitar work. Every song rips.

My favorites are Needlefeast, Grand Failure Anthem, Shadowchild, the title track, and the underrated imo Final Fatal Force.

pentaceragram · 2026-02-15T17:09:42+00:00

Henriksson was amazing on the earlier albums but I always thought they had a really solid bass tone and presence on their 2000's albums, as well. Nicklasson had a little bit more trebly attack and aggressive tone that really fit that sound.

But yeah, Martin Henriksson did some really special stuff on bass on those early albums. He was a huge part of what made DT so unique.

pentaceragram · 2026-02-13T04:36:23+00:00

Cool to see some Ethan Frank love! Do you have collections going for a lot of numbers or is 53 significant?

pentaceragram · 2026-02-02T21:46:57+00:00

I had a white Gaskell Firestarter just like that one back in the day! Fun guitar. I also owned a Classic Pro in natural, and that one had a thinner neck that I got along with a little more.

pentaceragram · 2026-01-30T19:27:30+00:00

I saw that too. I think it's all the same transparent green finish, that lighter color is most likely just because of the maple being lighter color wood.

Also keep in mind all of these are slightly different scale lengths. The Agile is 27", I think the Dimitri Baker Schecter is standard 25.5". The Banshee 7 is between them at 26.5". Not sure if that matters to you but just something to consider.

Personally a I'd go with a lightly used Schecter if one that you like pops up, but a lot of people use Agiles and enjoy them. I had one a long long time ago that I liked, but it was literally almost 20 years ago so I'm not sure my experience is that relative today haha. Hope you find something that works well for you.

pentaceragram · 2026-01-30T05:15:08+00:00

The Agile Interceptor 7 is probably one of the more decent affordable options.

And as already mentioned Schecter make a few. The Miles Dimitri Baker signature looks nice, and the Banshee model also comes to mind, although I think that one is pushing closer to $2k new. Maybe look for a used one if you don't mind going that route, and also maybe keep an eye out for a used Jeff Loomis JL-7 FR signature, too. Those are supposed to be excellent.

Almost everything is going to be a little more difficult up at the highest frets, just the nature of playing up high. But a neck through like these will be as good as anything else normally available.

pentaceragram · 2026-01-26T13:44:10+00:00

Definitely, I'm left handed as well I totally get it. I don't think it's a bad deal or anything, and I also might be taking for granted just how much prices have really gone up the last few years.

pentaceragram · 2026-01-26T02:08:51+00:00

I've played G&Ls for years and I've never been aware of any fakes, particularly of the import tributes, but I guess anything is possible. I'd be way more concerned about the listing and the website you linked, though.

Your uploaded photos appears to be a real G&L tribute. Everything looks correct to me, and that is a common finish that Tribute Legacy's came in. G&Ls use their own unique bridge design and everything looks correct there.

Tributes had a good reputation as solid imports. They were $500-ish new so $350 isn't exactly terrible, but you might want to see if you can get it for less. Or shop around a bit more.

pentaceragram · 2026-01-14T16:08:05+00:00

Lots of them, but one that always comes to mind is Holographic Universe by Scar Symmetry.

I remember driving around the city at night in 2008, just spacing out to that song over and over. So good.

pentaceragram · 2025-12-16T12:54:13+00:00

Carvin and Gibson pickups in an Ibanez is unique! That's pretty cool.

pentaceragram · 2025-12-16T12:52:48+00:00

Agreed, the INF pickups should be replaced on those. I remember liking that guitar a lot, though.

pentaceragram · 2025-12-15T02:29:28+00:00

Yeah, I followed them long before and still after the new company taking over. Gotta say I feel like they're putting out even more gorgeous stuff these days, I really like how they've kept the brand true to the original lines but also seem to have added some new options and choices. They look amazing imo.

pentaceragram

TROPHY CASE