Amon Amarth launches new video for 'Mjolnir'
Amon Amarth released their 11th full-length, Berserker, last month to critical acclaim via Metal Blade Records (North America)/Sony Music (International), and recently concluded their North American trek with Slayer, Lamb of God, and Cannibal Corpse. Today, the band has unleashed the final clip in their trilogy of music videos for the album: “Mjolnir”, which can be viewed at: amonamarth.com
“Mjolnir” – along with the previous videos: “Raven’s Flight” and “Crack the Sky” – were directed by Roboshobo, and each one is increasingly epic in its scope, further immersing the viewer in the world of Amon Amarth. Much like the songs on Berserker, the videos present Amon Amarth to its fullest. The cast features Josh Barnett as “the Berserker” (wikipedia.org) and Erick Rowan as “Thor” (wikipedia.org), Tess Kielhammer as “Demon Boss” (imdb.com), Shanie Rusth as “Shield Maiden” (herexchange.net), Erik Arevalo (instagram.com), Victor Henry (sherdog.com), Canadian WWE legend Viktor as “Demon Henchman” (wikipedia.org), plus many more.
Comprising 12 monstrous heavy metal anthems that bulge with irresistible melodic hooks, bursts of thrilling savagery and moments of spine-tingling dynamic drama, Berserker is the result of the huge surge of creativity and a collective desire to keep moving forward with no compromise. From the disarming melodrama and explosive riffing of opener “Fafner’s Gold” and the brutish simplicity of the rampaging “Crack The Sky” to the epic fury of “Raven’s Flight” and the grim, gritty storytelling of “Ironside” and “Skoll and Hati”, Berserker is an album full of trademark Amon Amarth bluster and bite but with every aspect of the band’s sound somehow refined, sonically enhanced and made vastly more potent, both in terms of metal oomph and emotional power. Neatly summing up the spirit behind these exhilarating new songs is the album’s semi-title track, “The Berserker At Stamford Bridge”: a visceral but vivid historical tale, recounting the Vikings last stand against the English army in 1066 and the mind-bending heroics of one axe-wielding warrior.
Showcasing an undeniable and startling upgrade for every aspect of Amon Amarth‘s iconic sound, Berserker was recorded in Los Angeles with renowned studio guru Jay Ruston (Anthrax/Stone Sour) manning the controls. After recording several rounds of professional demos for the new songs (initially with fellow Swedish metal icon Peter Tägtgren and then later with Ruston himself) the band crossed the Atlantic to make final the recordings in LA, eager to take a fresh approach to the album-making process.
“For me, this is Amon Amarth 2.0,” vocalist Johan Hegg declares. “I think what we’ve done here is give ourselves the space to explore other parts of our musicality and who we are as a band. If you’re content with where you’re at, what’s the point of continuing? We always want to come up with new ideas and find new ways of doing things and to create bigger and better shows and really try to improve every aspect of what the band is. We want to try to keep growing and to do this for as long as we have the possibility to do so, because this is the best fucking job in the world.”
In support of Berserker, Amon Amarth will be appearing at festivals across Europe this summer, before returning to the states this fall for a headlining run with Arch Enemy, At The Gates, and Grand Magus. See below for all dates!
Summer European Festival Tour June 16 – Download UK – Donington, England June 17 – King John’s Castle – Limerick, Ireland June 20 – Knotfest at Hellfest – Clisson, France June 21 – Graspop – Dessel, Belgium June 22 – Copenhell – Copenhagen, Denmark June 25 – Mystic Fest Poland – Krakow, Poland June 27 – Sonic Park – Bologna, Italy June 29 – Download Madrid – Madrid, Spain July 1 – Le Bikini – Toulouse, France July 2 – La Belle Electrique – Grenoble, France July 4 – Rock Harz Festival – Ballenstedt, Germany
Berserker World Tour – Raid Of North America tour dates w/ Amon Amarth, Arch Enemy, At The Gates, Grand Magus
September 26 – Seattle, WA – Showbox SODO September 27 – Portland, OR – Roseland Theater September 28 – Vancouver, BC – PNE Forum September 30 – Edmonton, AB – Edmonton Convention Centre October 1 – Calgary, AB – Grey Eagle October 3 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex October 4 – Denver, CO – Fillmore Auditorium October 6 – Minneapolis, MN – Skyway Theater October 7 – Chicago, IL – The Riviera Theater October 9 – Toronto, ON – Rebel October 10 – Montreal, QC – M Telus October 11 – Montreal, QC – M Telus October 12 – New York, NY – Hammerstein Ballroom October 13 – Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore October 15 – Charlotte, NC – The Fillmore October 16 – Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle October 18 – New Orleans, LA – The Fillmore October 19 – Houston, TX – House Of Blues October 20 – San Antonio, TX – The Aztec Theatre October 22 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren October 23 – Las Vegas, NV – House Of Blues October 25 – San Francisco, CA – The Warfield October 26 – Los Angeles, CA – The Palladium
Amon Amarth online: http://www.amonamarth.com http://www.facebook.com/AmonAmarth
