If there is one undeniable certainty in the heavy metal universe, it is that when Sweden’s premier Viking metal juggernauts Amon Amarth decide to unleash a new record, you drop everything, grab your drinking horn, and prepare your neck for an absolute beating.
For over three decades, Amon Amarth has been the gold standard for sonic warfare, delivering monumental, slab-heavy melodic death metal that lands with the subtlety of Thor’s hammer. But just when you thought they couldn’t possibly raise the stakes any higher, the band has returned with their massive thirteenth studio album, The Allfather Awakens, out October 2 via Metal Blade Records.
To say this record is a definitive masterwork is a massive understatement. Recorded across two separate, high-intensity sessions at Jacob Hansen’s studio in Denmark, The Allfather Awakens sees the band step completely out of their comfort zone. Instead of locking themselves away in a traditional writing room, they began crafting these ten crushing anthems right in the middle of touring life, tracking songs one by one to ensure every single piece of music received undivided attention. Sonically, they’ve even ditched their modern digital setups to plug straight back into classic Marshall amps, resulting in a raw, organic guitar tone that absolutely roars with unbridled aggression.
The tracks themselves are nothing short of devestating. From the opening furious blast of lead single Gjallarhorn to the thunderous battlefield epic Eight Legs of Thunder, Amon Amarth sound completely revitalized. Yet, the true wild card on this record arrives in the form of Upphaf—a translated stanza from the prophetic Norse poem Völuspá that stands as the first-ever purely acoustic offering in Amon Amarth’s legendary catalogue. It is an introspective, dynamic shift that adds a beautifully haunting layer to their trademark shield-wall violence.
Ahead of the highly anticipated release and their massive 2026 world tour, HEAVY sat down for a chat with the iconic man behind the mic himself, Johan Hegg. Armed with one of the most distinctive, bone-rattling guttural voices in metal history and a legendary 35cm beard, Johan was in fantastic spirits. We dove deep into the unique, fragmented recording process behind the new album, the creative nerves of stripping everything back for an acoustic track, the timeless inspiration of Oden, and exactly what fans can expect when they bring these brand-new, historically charged battlefield tales to life on the global stage.
