Greatest Metal Album of 2006
December 15, 2006 by Jo Minor
2006 has been an amazing year for Metal in general, with some exciting developments in the genre and incredible album releases from some the best bands marking an eventful and truly memorable year.
Fans of Metal were greeted with some enthralling news as legendary Norwegian Black Metal bands Emperor and Immortal announced their comeback from their respective short-lived retirements, and hints from the band members stating that fresh studio releases could be in the works has given more promise to listeners worldwide.
Aside from that, the year was filled with several surprising and truly remarkable albums from the biggest name in the business - Iron Maiden and Slayer, among others - and the quality of the albums released this year is significantly better than of those released in 2005.
Let’s take a look my personal choice for the greatest studio release of the year.
With Oden On Our Side by Amon Amarth
Amon Amarth, throughout their illustrious career thus far, has been a band that can simply do no wrong. All of their albums are magnificently enjoyable, and each has shown steady improvement over the previous one - and once again, this five-piece from Sweden have sculpted a record full of memorable melodies and eardrum-shattering brutality.
With Oden On Our Side has to be the band’s strongest release to date, and after repeated listens it appears that the drastic improvements noticeable on this album - the songs, and the entire album, in general is set at a faster tempo than all of their previous efforts - have only made it stand out more. A bold step taken by a band that is at the peak of their career.
The album kicks into full speed almost instantly, thanks to the opening track Valhall Awaits Me. In the vein of the songs in the Fate Of Norns album, the song brings a tinge of the signature sound that album possessed - a speedy guitar riff coupled with an equally fast rhythm section. Then, comes the guitar solo…and the solos in this album have to be heard to be believed. They are that good.
With Oden On Our Side has some emotional tracks, inspired by the tragedy and despair that is found in abundance in Viking folklore. The second song of the album Runes To My Memory is a slower and rather tragic affair, and vocalist Johan Hegg does an excellent job in conveying the heartbreaking fate of a warrior who can’t escape the grasps of death. The song also benefits from thoughtful lyrics - “When I am dead, lay me in a mound. Raise a stone for all to see, runes carved to my memory” is a line in the chorus of the song, and raises the hairs at the back of my neck every time I listen to it.
The album is a varied one, with heavier tracks like the title track and Asator bordering on Thrash Metal, but what makes this album a unique experience are the slower, melodic pieces. Hermod’s Ride To Hel - Lokes Treachery Part 1 and Cry Of The Black Birds are probably the best songs in the entire album, and are unequalled in their ability to express the raw emotions and majestic myths present in Viking folklore.
Technically, drummer Fredrik Andersson steals the limelight once again from his band mates with his intense and precise drumming. He has changed his approach slightly for this album, though, by substituting some his floor tom fills with cymbals. This can be heard in the intro of the title track, and this alteration in his drumming is rather entertaining, to say the least. Andersson’s rapid double-bass drumming, as with all Amon Amarth songs, forms the backbone of the rhythm of the songs. It’s nice to know that Andersson and bassist Ted Lundstrom still have their chemistry in check in the rhythm section of the band.
With Oden On Our Side effortlessly outdoes some of the more established releases of the year, and is a hell of an album!
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