No, He Doesn’t Sing Clean
When I saw this morning that Amon Amarth had released their first-ever acoustic song, I had exactly one question: is Johan Hegg finally doing clean vocals? No. He is not.
What "Upphaf" actually is: a quiet Viking anthem built for a campfire, and the music video plays it exactly that way, the whole band gathered around the fire passing the tale by hand. It’s different for them. And it works.
Out today via Metal Blade, "Upphaf" (Old Norse for "beginning") is the band’s first acoustic excursion, produced by Jacob Hansen. It strips the fury off their melodic death metal and leaves the bones of the myth standing on their own. The label is framing it as the quiet moment before the storm, a bridge between 2022’s The Great Heathen Army and their upcoming 13th album.
Here’s the thing. Amon Amarth have gotten more and more commercial over the last few records, and I say that as someone who’s still a big fan. So it’s genuinely nice to see them shake something up instead of running the same play again. An acoustic track is a small risk for a band this size, but it’s a risk, and it lands. More than anything, it makes me curious about what the new album is going to sound like.
They also remain one of the best live bands going. Whenever Amon Amarth roll through town, I make every effort to be there, and I’ll keep doing it. Give this one your five minutes. They’re still one of the biggest voices in modern metal, and clearly not done experimenting.
Source: Metal Blade Records
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