After nearly a decade of recording and a few lineup overhauls, each contributor to Amon Amarth's previous effort, Avenger, stuck around for The Crusher.
Original members Johan Hegg (vocals) and Olavi Mikkonen (guitars) are again joined by Fredrik Andersson on drums, Johan Söderberg on guitar, and bassist Ted Lundström.
There is nothing new on this outing to surprise fans of this band's familiar Scandinavian death metal.
The riffing from guitar and drums is workmanlike, and Hegg's vocal rants carry all the requisite ferocity.
During slower, more musically focused numbers like "As Long as the Raven Flies" and the opener, "Bastards of a Lying Breed," certain attributes of '80s thrash and song-driven metal create spaces that enhance the rest of this album's dense material.
The Crusher blends seamlessly with the rest of Amon Amarth's Metal Blade catalog.
There isn't a standout among these recordings, as their textural differences are negligible.
Listeners who enjoy this kind of metal should certainly check out Amon Amarth, and The Crusher would be a good place to start.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bastards of a Lying BreedJohan Hegg, Olavi Mikkonen | Amon Amarth | Play | 05:33 | 12 MB | 43 MB |
| 2 | Masters of WarFredrik Andersson, Johan Hegg, Olavi Mikkonen | Amon Amarth | Play | 04:34 | 10 MB | 35 MB |
| 3 | The Sound of Eight HoovesJohan Hegg, Olavi Mikkonen | Amon Amarth | Play | 04:50 | 11 MB | 38 MB |
| 4 | Risen From the Sea (2000)Anders Hansson, Johan Hegg, Olavi Mikkonen | Amon Amarth | Play | 04:26 | 10 MB | 34 MB |
| 5 | As Long as the Raven FliesJohan Hegg, Olavi Mikkonen | Amon Amarth | Play | 04:04 | 9 MB | 29 MB |
| 6 | A Fury DivineJohan Hegg, Olavi Mikkonen | Amon Amarth | Play | 06:35 | 15 MB | 50 MB |
| 7 | Annihilation of HammerfestJohan Hegg, Olavi Mikkonen | Amon Amarth | Play | 05:03 | 11 MB | 38 MB |
| 8 | The Fall Through GinnungagapJohan Hegg, Olavi Mikkonen | Amon Amarth | Play | 05:21 | 12 MB | 42 MB |
| 9 | Releasing Surtur's FireJohan Hegg, Olavi Mikkonen | Amon Amarth | Play | 05:29 | 12 MB | 41 MB |
| 10 | Eyes of Horror | Amon Amarth | Play | 03:34 | 8 MB | 25 MB |
| 49 mins | 113 MB | |||||
| 49 mins | 381 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amon Amarth | Arranger, Primary Artist, Producer |
| 2 | Fredrik Andersson | Composer, Drums |
| 3 | Thomas Ewerhard | Artwork, Layout Design |
| 4 | Anders Hansson | Composer |
| 5 | Johan Hegg | Composer, Vocals |
| 6 | Peter in de Betou | Mastering |
| 7 | Olavi Mikkonen | Composer, Guitar |
| 8 | Johan Söderberg | Guitar |
| 9 | Lars Szöke | Engineer |
| 10 | Peter Tägtgren | Mixing |
| 11 | Tom Thiel | Artwork |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |